Photo taken on Oct 28, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, DC, the United States. (Photo: Xinhua)

WASHINGTON - The current struggle to reform American democracy is "a partisan struggle masked by philosophical rationalizations," said an opinion piece published by an American public policy organization recently.

The article posted on the website of the German Marshall Fund of the United States said American democracy faces a challenge not seen since the 1850s in the run-up to the country's civil war.

"Skepticism about government, despite a desire to see governmental action, is rooted in dissatisfaction with the state of American democracy," the author Bruce Stokes said.

He cited a poll conducted by Pew Research Center showing that only 24 percent of Americans voice trust in their government, a near-historic low.