How do the arguments of theorists like Schumpeter and Rancière problematize the notion of "the people" as the sovereign source of democratic legitimacy?

Schumpeter and Rancière argue that "the people" is a fictional construct used by political elites to justify their own power, rather than a coherent political subject.

 Schumpeter and Rancière contend that democracy is inherently an oligarchic system in which a small political class competes for the votes of a largely passive and uninformed citizenry.

Schumpeter and Rancière assert that the idea of "the people" as the source of democratic legitimacy is a myth that obscures the reality of power relations in capitalist societies.