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Can I suggest a little reading of middle and late Roman republic history, which is where Machiavelli started. The parallels are terrifying. They had the Juliai and the Claudii, etc. We have the Kennedys and Bushes and Roosevelts and Gores.
The US is a democracy built on 18th century political thought, and has kinda time-warped into the future. For example, we tolerate extreme gerrymandering without discussion, as no other country would. As Tyrannity Watcher pointed out upthread.
A little Thucydides reading would be good too, on constitutional tampering and the endless war between the aristoi and the demos, and how destructive that can get when one gets the upper hand.
A republic has always been about the virtual disenfranchisment of the people, about relying on name brand recognition, about loyalty over interest. This isn't new, a couple of thousand years ago, it all played out pretty much the way it is now.
