Is Democracy in Danger in Our Democratic Republic?

             The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday is democracy. In the first place, the United States is not a “democracy.” The Framers of the Constitution were wise men, and they understood that a pure democracy could not last. So, they invented a new kind of government – a democratic republic. This site has some interesting information about democracies and republics. 

In both a republic and a democracy, citizens are empowered to participate in a representational political system. They elect people to represent and protect their interests in how the government functions.

In a republic, an official set of fundamental laws, like the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, prohibits the government from limiting or taking away certain “inalienable” rights of the people, even if that government was freely chosen by a majority of the people. In a pure democracy, the voting majority has almost limitless power over the minority.

The United States, like most modern nations, is neither a pure republic nor a pure democracy. Instead, it is a hybrid democratic republic.

The main difference between a democracy and a republic is the extent to which the people control the process of making laws under each form of government.

            A democracy is much like a high school popularity contest – the majority controls everything. Citizens vote in both a democracy and a republic. In a democracy, the people vote directly for a president and vice president – the popular vote. In a republic, the people vote for representatives, and the representatives do the voting. Two practices of a republic that the Framers wrote into the Constitution was the selection of Senators and the selection of President and Vice President. The Constitution once required Senators to be chosen by the States. However, the Seventeenth Amendment changed that selection.

            For 125 years from the ratification of the Constitution until 1913, Americans did not vote directly for Senators. “On April 8, 1913, three-quarters of the states had ratified the proposed amendment, and it was officially included as the 17^th Amendment.”

            The second practice is the choosing of President and Vice President. The people vote for their choice for President and Vice President. Then a slate of electors makes the final vote in the Electoral College. This is the reason Democrats and Leftists want to do away with the Electoral College – one of the last things that make the United States a republic. Democracies are much easier to overthrow than are republics.

            President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both spoke to the nation on January 6, 2022. As expected, they obsessed over January 6, 2021. Biden said, “The former president and his supporters have decided the only way for them to win is to suppress your vote and subvert our elections.” Harris suggested that Trump supporters were “the forces who seek to dismantle our democracy.” Other elected representatives made similar claims.

            Deroy Murdock described our national situation as follows: “Democracy dies in darkness. Democrats relentlessly have jackhammered the pillars of America’s democratic elections. They are democracy’s natural enemies. And rather than own this despicable distinction, Democrats do what they do best: accuse everyone else of their own evil.” 

            Both Democrats and Republicans accuse the other party of destroying our democracy. Americans should think critically about the matter and do their own investigating. Consider these questions and their answers:

·         Which party openly vows to “fundamentally transform” America? (Democrats)

·         Which party desires to do away with the Electoral College? (Democrats)

·         Which party threatens to add four justices to the Supreme Court? (Democrats)

·         Which party wants to control the voting system in America rather than allow States to handle elections – as has been done for more than 235 years? (Democrats) W

·         Which party supports defunding the police and allowing criminals to control the streets? (Democrats)

·         Which party wants to change the rules in the Senate in order to pass their legislation? (Democrats)

Americans may well lose their democratic republic if Democrats have their way. The 

only way to stop the power grab to “fundamentally transform” America is to vote Democrats out of office. Americans must open their eyes and see things as they really are. Are Americans better off today than they were one year ago? Your answer to this question illustrates whether you are part of the problem or part of the solution.