Sorry, this is wishful (I share your wish). The reality is, the polls aren't posing the either/or question. Respondents can favor the imaging machines and reject the pat-downs. Here's a sample question:

    The Transportation Security Administration is increasing its use of so-called 
    'full-body' digital x-ray machines to screen passengers in airport security lines. 
    (Supporters say these machines improve the ability to spot hidden weapons and 
    explosives, and reduce the need for physical searches.) (Opponents say these machines 
    invade privacy by producing x-ray images of a passenger’s naked body that security 
    officials can see, and don’t provide enough added security to justify this.) Which 
    comes closer to your own view – do you support or oppose using these scanners in
    airport security lines?

You would find the actual breakdown of responses equally dispiriting.

Americans think the imaging machines are a good idea. Americans are unreasonably scared of threats to airplanes. That shouldn't surprise you, since Americans are also unreasonably scared of airplanes.

In any case, if this is a "failure of democracy", it is not a failure of the kind imagined by the root comment on this thread.

It is right that about half of the Americans don't fly very often and seem for the scanners according to some recent polls. My "failure of democracy" statement was exaggerated I think.

On the other hand, people who fly somewhat frequently seem to be almost all against them. The guy who published the video said comments against the machines on his blog outnumber 20 to 1 the people who support them.