The cynical view:
This country is not what it seems to be. (Few are.) To live among its appearances and semblances, to live in the country that it seems to be, certain quiet compromises with those in power have to be made. This applies equally at the Supreme Court and at the Waffle House. But once those compromises have been made, and the price of admission has been paid, you are free to enjoy the county fair.
All in all, it's better than most, but it's certainly not what it's cracked up to be.