The west doesn't have democracy. We have corporate plutocracy, where the majority of state and federal politicians are pre-screened, pre-approved, and financed by the wealthiest individuals/corporations, domestically.
Choosing which corporate whore gets elected isn't democracy.
The actual solution is to just not let idiots vote for con artists. This should be some sort of test that demonstrates they least understand the basics of the situation.
Also the media shouldn't be allowed to just straight up lie about stuff.