These undermining elements are really interesting! Thanks for the list.
1. An electoral system not based on the popular vote. — FreeEmotion
I'm uncertain how to respond to this one - various concepts of deliberative democracy, which I am quite sympathetic to, will agree or disagree with various electoral systems depending on how representative they are. Sometimes this will disagree with the idea of a 'popular' vote, but I guess that this depends upon what a popular vote really is. Do Germany or the Netherlands have a popular vote?
2. Government agencies monitoring citizens without judicial approval — FreeEmotion
I'm broadly in agreement with this.
3. Large monopolies controlling major sectors of business
This is more difficult. Personally I think that this is an issue that democracy should be
solving, but not necessarily an issue with democracy. However, campaign finance and lobby groups are problematic, as you note, and I think this is the overlap that strikes me the most.
6. Debating / attacking skills as the only qualification for presidency — FreeEmotion
Well, I live somewhere without a presidency, and where these skills are not so emphasised. I think Canada, which we were talking about earlier, doesn't rate this as highly as the US either.
7. An economic system that is unable to serve benefits to the vast majority of the population — FreeEmotion
There is debate regarding whether this is a core part of democracy or not - conceiving of democracy as a liberal democracy versus a social democracy (as frameworks, not policies) will lead you to different answers here. If this is the measure that you are using, then democracy has again had remarkable improvements over a longer-term timeframe and some challenges more recently.
Interesting to know how this is really democracy if it needs an external party to prop it up — FreeEmotion
I mean, it doesn't need this to prop it up - it's just an academic justification for the system. I only pointed this out because of the comment about loyalty to a foreign monarch and wanted to note the technicality that Canada's monarch is the Queen of Canada, who just happens to be the Queen of England, who just happens to be the Queen of Australia.