America: A Democracy or a Federal Republic?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Curious…what is America? I hear so often the following:“America, without question, is a democracy.” Actually, this may not be true. Democracy is actually a Greek word with the root “DEMOS” meaning people. In other words, a democracy encompasses the thought of government ruled by the people.
It is interesting to note that democracy often leads to mob rule, particularly the case during the French Revolution(see the guillotine)</p>

<pre><code> In my opinion, contrary to many political science scholars, America’s government is under the form of a Federal Republic. American citizens “vote” representatives and senators to be our advocates in Congress and in the Executive office of the President. But, we do not directly make and enforce the laws as is attributed in a democracy.

    CCers, what do you think? What is America?

</code></pre>

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<p>Both. You’ve created a false choice, on the assumption that only one can be correct. But America is both a federal republic and a democracy. The concepts are not exclusive.</p>

<p>“America is a republic, not a democracy, dammit!” is a standard rant of the loony right, and is essentially meaningless</p>

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<p>Kluge, Kluge, Kluge,</p>

<p>It’s “loony left” and “radical right”, remember? You’re confusing these alliterative descriptions and that won’t do.</p>

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<p>The U.S. is a constitutional republic!</p>

<p>… from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia …</p>

<p>A constitutional republic is a state where the head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people and must govern according to existing constitutional law that limits the government’s power over citizens. In a constitutional republic, executive, legislative, and judicial powers are separated into distinct branches so that no individual or group has absolute power.</p>

<p>The fact that a constitution exists that limits the government’s power, makes the state constitutional. That the head(s) of state and other officials are chosen by election, rather than inheriting their positions, and that their decisions are subject to judicial review makes a state republican. Unlike a pure democracy, in a constitutional republic, citizens are not governed by the majority of the people but by the rule of law; popular vote is limited to electing representatives who govern within limits of overarching constitutional law rather than the popular vote having legislative power itself. John Adams defined a constitutional republic as “a government of laws, and not of men.”[1]</p>

<p>Constitutional Republics are a deliberate attempt to diminish the threat of mobocracy thereby protecting minority groups from the tyranny of the majority. But it is also an attempt to protect the majority from the minority by placing limits on the power of government officials. A constitutional republic is designed so that “no person or group [can] rise to absolute power.”[2] No individual is allowed to hold executive, legislative and judicial powers. Instead these powers are separated into distinct branches that serve as a check and balance on each other.</p>

<p>The notion of constitutional republic originates with Aristotle’s Politics and his notion of the polity. He Contrasts the polity or republican government with democracy and oligarchy in book 3, chapter 6 of the Politics.</p>

<p>Constitutional republics are advocated by classical liberals. The United States of America is the oldest constitutional republic in the world and the first comprehensive experiment in this conceived form of government. According to James Woodburn, in The American Republic and Its Government, “the constitutional republic with its limitations on popular government is clearly involved in the Constitution, as seen in the election of the President, the election of the Senate and the appointment of the Supreme Court.” He says in a republic, as distinguished from a democracy, the people are not only checked in choosing officials but also in making laws.[3] A Bill of Rights exists in the U.S. Constitution which protections certain individual rights. The individual rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights cannot be voted away by the majority of citizens if they wished to oppress a minority. To eliminate these rights would require government officals overcoming constitutional checks as well as a super majority of vote of Congress to amend the Constitution.</p>

<p>A constitutional republic is a form of liberal democracy, but not all liberal democracies are constitutional republics. For example, though the head of state is not elected in a monarchy, it may still be a liberal democracy if there is a parliament with elected representatives that govern according to constitutional law protecting individual rights (called a constitutional democratic monarchy.</p>

<p><a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_republic[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_republic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>gsp - Thanks!</p>

<p>Does the “democracy” part of it end once we have cast a vote? If so, that is indeed a very thin form – Although, that is probably a good thing, for in a true democracy decision making would be impossibly cumbersome, especially as the populace is more and more educated and (presumably) intelligent. </p>

<p>Perhaps at best it is a “Democratically Elected Constitutional Republic” !!!</p>

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<p>I disagree. Personally, I think that the US is by no means a democracy. In fact, I dare say that the USA is not a democratic republic. WE as Americans have no say in Congressional or Executive decisions. That is why as a federal republic, we elect certain officials to be our advocates when making laws. Congress passes revenue bills, not the citizens. </p>

<pre><code> There is nothing democratic about America; if you want democracy, go back in time to the days of the French Revolution in the late 1700s or to the days of the Greek city states.
</code></pre>

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<p>Doesn’t ““Democratically Elected Constitutional Republic”” say the same thing? The only democratic power the people have is the power to elect those who will rule (under the constitution) and make laws. What do you not agree with?</p>

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<p>More from Wikipedia:

—I.e: the loony right. (Not everyone on the right is loony. Just the ones who make the most noise.)</p>

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<p>From the mouths of the looney right…or, wait,
…make that the looney-left (Democrats.com):

<a href=“http://www.democrats.com/node/807[/url]”>http://www.democrats.com/node/807&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Democracy is an amorphous concept that is difficult to define, whether it’s the Athenian version or the American form. Entire books have been written on the subject:

<a href=“http://www.amazon.fr/First-Democracy-Challenge-Ancient-Idea/dp/0195177185[/url]”>http://www.amazon.fr/First-Democracy-Challenge-Ancient-Idea/dp/0195177185&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>The famous looney Publius weighs in on the subject:
<a href=“http://federali.st/39[/url]”>http://federali.st/39&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>A corporate socialist fiefdom (where corporations are even legal persons, with all rights and protections guaranteed through the 14th Amendment); with democratic trappings, of course. ;)</p>

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<p>Just another example of the sterile exercise of argument by definition. If you are against abortion you define it as “murder.” If you’re pro-choice you define the issue as a woman’s right to choose what happens inside her own body. Either way your definition of the terms doesn’t change the reality, it just exposes your pre-existing opinions.</p>

<p>But people are enamored with “magic words” - the idea that if you can just find the right word to capture the concept all will be revealed. And yet, the real world continues along on it’s “it is what it is” way, regardless of which words are used to describe it. What’s “loony” is the belief that it makes a difference which word you use to describe it.</p>

<p>For what it’s worth - I’m with Mini on this one. ;)</p>

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<p>It’s both.</p>

<p>When you vote for your legislative representative who then passes laws, the government is operating as republic. When you vote directly on ballot measures and propositions, the government is operating as a democracy.</p>

<p>A big difference between our democracy and the Athenian democracy is that in Athens the selfsame guys who voted were also responsible for carrying out the law that was enacted. E.g. when they voted to go to war, those same guys had to go home from the voting assembly and get out their weapons and armor and prepare to be mustered into the army. Kinda makes your vote a little more directly <em>meaningful</em>. And everybody had to serve. Even the famous playwrights and philosophers served as hoplites in one war or another. </p>

<p>When we clamor for war or our modern legislators vote to declare war or to fund our various presidents’ pet military adventures, for the most part someone else has to go and do the fighting.</p>

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<p>Good GOD this is ridiculous…</p>

<p>The US is a <em>gasp</em></p>

<p>FEDERAL DEMOCRACY!</p>

<p>How does that sound? Not specific enough probably. Since the degree of definition specification is subjective and not uniformly relative, this argument could spiral forever.</p>