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And that's exactly why it's important to make the distinction. Calling the US a "Democracy" suggests the power lies with the people. It doesn't.
by rosser 13y ago
And that's exactly why it's important to make the distinction. Calling the US a "Democracy" suggests the power lies with the people. It doesn't.
- mindcrime 13y agoCalling the US a "Democracy" suggests the power lies with the people. It doesn't. It's supposed to, and if it doesn't, that only tells us that things have gone very wrong. But you don't have to have direct democracy (as opposed to representative democracy) to adhere to the idea that the ultimate political power rests in the hands of the people.
- CapitalistCartr 13y agoSupposed to, according to whom? In the original constitution, members of the Senate were chosen by State legislatures; the president was chosen by the members of the Electoral College who were not simply tokens, but really had the choice. The vote was restricted to white male landowners. Most importantly, the point of having a constitutional republic is the constitution protects the minority from the tyranny of the majority.
- baddox 13y agoActually, calling the US a republic suggests the power lies with the people. That's what "republic" means, and is why the last six letters of the word are "public."