The Democratic Process May Not Be Magical When It Is Vague And Undefined

See The Enchantment of the Democratic Process by Arnold Kling at Econlog. Here is the first part:

"Mark Thoma writes,

'the real question is why so many people have stopped believing that the state has the authority to be the arbiter of last resort in a pluralistic society. " (end Thoma quote)

Kling: Read the whole thing, which starts out as an extended excerpt from Daniel Little. Much of the riff reflects what I call an enchanted view of something called "the democratic process." This is a magical process that would allow us to live in peace with one another, if we only we would accept it.

To me, this concept of a democratic process is vague and undefined. That leaves open the possibility that two sides can disagree over what the democratic process dictates. For example, on gay marriage, does the democratic process dictate against gay marriage, because voters consistently vote against it? Or does it dictate in favor of gay marriage, because courts have ruled in favor of gay marriage, and courts are the true embodiment of the democratic process?"