Some argue that because attaining governmental power
in democracies requires building majority coalitions, it
is a necessary evil that policymakers do not adhere
rigorously to principle when dealing with important
issues, but rather shift policies as they try to please
different constituents at different times. But it is
precisely this behavior that allows a democracy to
adapt more easily to serve public interests, and thus it
is more a benefit than an evil.
Which one of the following is an assumption required
by the argument?
(A) Government policymakers cannot retain power
if they ignore any of the various factions of
their original winning coalition.
(B) Democracies are more likely than nondemocratic
forms of government to have policymakers
who understand the complexity of
governmental issues.
(C) In the formulation of government policy, the
advantage conferred by adaptability to diverse
or fluctuating public interests outweighs the
detriment associated with a lack of strict
fidelity to principle.
(D) In dealing with an important issue, policymakers
in a democracy appeal to a principle in dealing
with an issue only when that principle has
majority support.
(E) Democracies appear to be more flexible than
nondemocratic forms of government, but are
not actually so.