Representation works like the phone game, every extra layer of of representation distorts the original will of the voter and weakens the democracy.
Politicians try to minimize the power of voters to maximize their own power, and therefore love adding more layers, enabling things like gerrymandering etc. Those problems exists in the US system, but most EU countries avoids those problems, so to EU citizens moving to the American model is a huge step in an undemocratic direction.
LOL at "EU countries avoid those problems" - they all have those problems. From proportional thresholds to the sad joke that is first-past-the-post, all systems have issues here or there. Direct democracy doesn't really exist outside of rare referenda - which also have their own distortions, from eligibility criteria to quorum etc. Democracy is a set of compromises we make to live together in relative peace.
> to EU citizens moving to the American model is a huge step in an undemocratic direction.
No, it's a huge step towards a continent-size governance model, which inevitably requires new ways to interpret the popular will. We're still at the early stages of this process, a process that will probably never end - like it never ended for nation-size governments.
Politicians try to minimize the power of voters to maximize their own power, and therefore love adding more layers, enabling things like gerrymandering etc. Those problems exists in the US system, but most EU countries avoids those problems, so to EU citizens moving to the American model is a huge step in an undemocratic direction.