>However, one simply can't argue that a government that acts against the interest and preferences of 90%+ of the population it supposedly represents and serves is doing a good job.

I'll bite the bullet and say that it can, in some specific cases. "Acting against the interests and preferences" of someone has a magnitude, it's not just a yes/no question. A governing system that mildly inconveniences 95% of the population to safeguard a vital liberty for 5% is doing an excellent job, IMO.