Why We Are a Republic, Not a Democracy

[oldno7]

So many fail to understand this basic tenet of our founding





Walter E. Williams | January 19, 2018



Many people whine that using the Electoral College instead of the popular vote and majority rule is undemocratic. I’d say that they are absolutely right. Not deciding who will be the president by majority rule is not democracy.But the Founding Fathers went to great lengths to ensure that we were a republic and not a democracy. In fact, the word democracy does not appear in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or any other of our founding documents.
Many people whine that using the Electoral College instead of the popular vote and majority rule is undemocratic. I’d say that they are absolutely right. Not deciding who will be the president by majority rule is not democracy.

But the Founding Fathers went to great lengths to ensure that we were a republic and not a democracy. In fact, the word democracy does not appear in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or any other of our founding documents.

How about a few quotations expressed by the Founders about democracy?

In Federalist Paper No. 10, James Madison wanted to prevent rule by majority faction, saying, “Measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.”

John Adams warned in a letter, “Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet, that did not commit suicide.”

Edmund Randolph said, “That in tracing these evils to their origin, every man had found it in the turbulence and follies of democracy.”

Then-Chief Justice John Marshall observed, “Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”

My question is: Is it ignorance of or contempt for our Constitution that fuels the movement to abolish the Electoral College?


https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/...MOZilcpGZzAFJE

[rockgremlin]

Why would anybody aspire to a majority rule anyway? The majority of people are idiots.

[Iceaxe]

[Iceaxe]

Democracy - three guys an a girl voting on who is going to get raped.

[Sombeech]

This only became an issue when Trump won. If he gets the popular vote in 2020, this debate may quiet down.

[Iceaxe]

Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election, but only had 39.8% of the popular vote..... The Democrat's have never been happy since we took away their slaves... So there is that.

[double moo]

Didn't Bush (W) also lose the popular vote to Gore?

Think of the shit mess we would be in if we had really gone Clinton, Gore, Obama, Clinton....

[stefan]

Why We Are a Republic, Not a Democracy

the 'republic' of the US is a type of 'representative democracy.'

[Iceaxe]

the 'republic' of the US is a type of 'representative democracy.'

We are a "Democratic Republic" if you want to use the correct term.

Climb-Utah.com

[Iceaxe]

Federal court undercuts progressive efforts to nullify Electoral College, rules electors can vote freely

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fed...an-vote-freely

Climb-Utah.com

[twotimer]

the 'republic' of the US is a type of 'representative democracy.'

Yeah...of States. Y'know...the 50 little countries that we're comprised of.

That's what it all boils down to. Liberals outside the big cities wouldn't even need to bother voting. The big cities will win it all for them.

San Francisco has a new term for convicted felons..."Justice Involved Person". Soon they'll order landlords to rent to them. I personally don't want people that do these things running the show...or granted indefinite power. A lot of the electorate can be bought, you know. The Dems are making offers as we speak.

[oldno7]

both Shanes and stefans adjectives for our republic I believe are inter changeable.

The FACT remains--we are not nor ever have been a genuine democracy.

Feel free to correct the ignorant, you'll hear it incessantly online and on a tv for those who listen to such.

I've heard several of the democrat pres. candidates call us a democracy, are they that stupid or them just dreaming?

[oldno7]

And to that end---A victory this week.

Federal court undercuts progressive efforts to nullify Electoral College, rules electors can vote freely




In a major blow to state-by-state progressive efforts to effectively replace the Electoral College with a nationwide popular vote, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that presidential electors in the Electoral College have the absolute right to vote for presidential candidates of their choice.
Democrats have increasingly sought to erase the Electoral College's influence by promoting state laws that would force electors to vote for the national popular vote winner -- and those laws were now in jeopardy as a result of the court's ruling, legal experts said.
The decision, however, also raised the prospect that electors could legally defect at the last minute, and decide the occupant of the White House on their own in dramatic fashion, weeks after Election Day.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Colorado secretary of state violated the Constitution in 2016 when he removed an elector and nullified his vote because the elector refused to cast his ballot for Democrat Hillary Clinton, who received a plurality of the popular vote both nationally and in Colorado.
The rogue elector was part of an unsuccessful scheme to convince enough members of the Electoral College to unite behind an alternative candidate and deny Donald Trump the presidency.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fed...an-vote-freely

[Iceaxe]

This is why we should bring back the Pledge of Allegiance to grade school.

Climb-Utah.com

[Iceaxe]

The US form of government can also be correctly referred to as a "Constitutional Democracy".

FWIW - most people, including most Americans, are surprised to learn the word "Democracy" is not used in either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution.

Climb-Utah.com

[Rob L]

"...to the Flag"..

But not actually to the United States itself ..

"..to the Republic for which it stands"

et al does not mean any pledge to the USA

Your founding Fathers were quite clever in their wording; something that has been slightly lost in the intervening 250 or so years.

Discuss.

[dougrz]

"...to the Flag"..

But not actually to the United States itself ..

"..to the Republic for which it stands"

et al does not mean any pledge to the USA

Is not "the republic" a direct reference to the USA?

But given the pledge was written in 1892 and not intended for the US only, if at all, having been adapted, I don't think it's as cleverly worded as you might think.

[oldno7]

"...to the Flag"..

But not actually to the United States itself ..

"..to the Republic for which it stands"

et al does not mean any pledge to the USA

Your founding Fathers were quite clever in their wording; something that has been slightly lost in the intervening 250 or so years.

Discuss.

2019-1891=128

You brits have different math?

It was revised from it's origin to denote the USA as the Republic(clarity), then again to add "one nation under God.",

due to the onset of communism in this country(hmm, sounds like a recurrence)

[Rob L]

2019-1891=128

You brits have different math?

It's maths if you don't mind, short for mathematics, with an "s" at the end, damn you!
Anyway, I thought you were formed in 1776, when you didn't like tea, and then started lulling all those injuns and buffaloes to their deaths?

Mathematics is plural because it is the sum of algebra, triginometry, geometry etc

It was revised from it's origin to denote the USA as the Republic(clarity), then again to add "one nation under God."

One nation under God, but which one, eh? Perhaps that's where a lot of your religious zealots get their calling?

Take care
Rob

[oldno7]

One nation under God, but which one, eh? Perhaps that's where a lot of your religious zealots get their calling?

Take care
Rob

Dang--you're too easy to correct.

Injecting "GOD" has been challenged many times here, in the good ol' USA

It has been ruled a non starter by the Supreme court.(go ahead search)

Saying--In God we trust or One nation under God, has no direct association with any one Religion.(zealots included)


Ummm---we were talking about the Pledge of allegiance, not when we Declared independence from a corrupt, "her majesties government"...

But we do seem to be making a concerted effort to follow you islanders down the moslem,communist rabbit hole.