Democracies, Republics, and the difference.

steffen19k

I figured it'd be a good thing to reaffirm some things.

The biggest one is America is a Republic, not a Democracy. That really means a LOT in the grand scheme of things. This is just something I am pointing out.

I hope its something to think about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFXuGIpsdE0

woodsrunner

Thank you, steffen......

bruchi

200-plus years playing musical chairs, does it make a difference what party is at bat?

Jermanator

Thanks for posting that. I want to show it to my kids.

Buford

Preaching to the choir?

kansashunter

bruchi wrote: »

200-plus years playing musical chairs, does it make a difference what party is at bat?

Did you watch this?

Hugh Damright

It seems a little confused to me ... I don't know where he got the idea that in a democracy there is no rule of law, I think that would be anarchy. And while some people refer to popular sovereignty as "mob rule", that doesn't mean that people can just form mobs and do whatever they want such as lynch someone. Both a democracy and a republic are based upon popular sovereignty, that is not a distinction between them. And we've had republics which allowed lynching, so that isn't a distinction either. I seem unable to find a dictionary which defines a democracy as a system without rule of law where mobs can do whatever they fancy. I do notice that Webster's 1828 dictionary says that the difference between a democracy and a republic is that in a democracy laws are passed by a popular vote, whereas in a republic the people elect a legislative body to pass laws:

REPUBLIC - A commonwealth; a state in which the exercise of the sovereign power is lodged in representatives elected by the people. In modern usage, it differs from a democracy or democratic state, in which the people exercise the powers of sovereignty in person.

It might make more sense to say that the difference between a democracy and a republic is that in a democracy the people pass every law by a popular vote, whereas in a republic the people choose representatives who decide the laws for the people.

[edit] And if both a democracy and a republic are based upon popular sovereignty, then it seems to me that the US is neither a democracy or a republic ... the US is a federal system, a compact between republics. Madison said the US was a "compounded republic" which makes some sense to me. But to think of the US as a simple republic seems to disregard federalism.

conchokid

bruchi wrote: »

200-plus years playing musical chairs, does it make a difference what party is at bat?

Believe me, it does. Two completely different ways of looking at the world and the role of government. Neither party is perfect but one is a lot closer and that's the GOP.
And the two party system is fine.