Why do Republicans always object when you point out that America is a democracy?

Question

What do they have against democracy?

Answer 1

Maybe because its not.

Edit: People who gave me a thumbs down should probably take a government class.

Answer 2

From the beginning and up until now we are a representative democracy which by definition (do your research) is a democratic republic. We are both a democracy and a republic. Neither Democrats nor Republicans are against democaracy but when those representing us in the republican form of democracy (notice no capital R) do not fulfill their duty as true representatives of the people they need to be replaced. Majority rules in a democracy whether pure or republican form. So whatever is coming out of our government it is because we the people put them there to represent us. If they are not doing that we need to get them out of there and put someone in who will represent our interests. That is how it works.

Not all democracies are republics and not all republics are democracies. The Soviet Union was a republic but it was not a democracy. The city state of Athens in ancient Greece was a democracy but it was not a republic. Pure democracy only works with small groups otherwise nothing gets done so it is necessary to have a republic or representitive democracy as all current democracies are.

Answer 3

I'm not a Republican, but I get pretty touchy too when people insult this country by calling it a democracy. We have elements of a democracy, in that the people have a substantial say in what goes on and are fully capable of withdrawing their support from the government if it violates its oath to protect their rights. In strict terms, though, we are closer to a republic: the people control the government (theoretically), but the government retains enough control of its own to prevent itself from dissolving into socialism or mob rule. I don't just mean all of the special powers reserved for government officials; I mean the fact that, while the Senators and such are indeed elected according to the desires of their constituents, they are not entirely restrained in their actions.

At least, that's how it's SUPPOSED to be. Power-hungry individuals, lazy constituents, and a hopeless loss of our sense of right and wrong have pretty much turned this country upside-down and sent the Founders spinning in their graves. I don't know enough about certain elements to make a clear judgement on this, but I just have this gut feeling that the only way we're going to fix it is to completely start over. Too many things have gone wrong to entirely remedy them all.

For the record, though, I doubt Republicans have anything against democracy -- God knows it's far better than any other system of government we humans can currently establish, except the one I just described.

Answer 4

Who is objecting? Some people seem to enjoy pointing out that we are a republic, which of course is true. We are a democratic republic also known as a representative democracy. The only valid objection to the designation is when people try to use that to claim that our leaders should make decisions bases on the latest opinion polls.

Answer 5

We are a Constitutional Republic that uses a watered-down democratic system in which representatives are voted on democratically by the people. It is then the duty of the representatives to relay our needs and wants faithfully to Congress and the President who work to enact laws and regulations on our behalf. This is the ideal, not the reality.

The references to our governmental system as a democracy by politicians and the media is a propaganda tool meant to make us feel as though we the people retain ultimate power in this nation. The truth is, if voting changed anything, it would be illegal by now.

Ironic, is it not, that the US (which is not a true democracy) forces democracy upon the world?

Answer 6

Technically it isn't because a democracy would mean that all citizens would vote on EVERY bill as Congress does. I would be happy if Repukes would just recognize that we don't have a dictatorship, that voting is absolute right of citizenship, that EVERY vote in an election must be counted 100% every time, and that the Constitution is the law of the land, and NOT a "GD piece of paper", as described by Dictator Dumbya.

Answer 7

Because they hate Democracy and Freedom.

Republicans and particularly the Neocons in charge at the moment think that if people are free they will just sit around, eat, get drunk, and have sex. And that in order to create a civilization they need to be abused into doing the right thing (in their minds anyway).

They don't believe this applies to them (witness the large number of scandals involving epic hypocrisy) but that everyone else should support them for all their hard "work" cracking that whip.

There has been a lot of research documenting both the ideological mindset noted above, and the mental pathologies that allow the rise of such insane leaders, and what we are in for if it is allowed to continue on this path.

The Christian version of the Islamists, who are at the forefront of Republican leadership also believe that since God handed down the law, no other opinion or action can exist that is not evil, and so hate freedom and democracy more than even the Neocons.

Answer 8

America is a democratic republic. We gather once every X number of years to elect representatives on a city, state, and national level. If in the middle of this time everyone starts hating, ohh, lets say the president and starts protesting it does not mean that since more than 50% want him out he gets tossed out. You have to wait untill the next election and then exercise your vote then.

Think about in hisotry if we impeached and threw out all the presidents who had less than 50% approval rating? It would have been almost every one this century!!

Answer 9

America is a Democratic-Republic because of Republicans. The fact that not 1 person has lost any Liberties or Freedoms because of the Patriot Act reinforces that.

Answer 10

Well, considering they are the ones that got rid of habeaus corpus, stole the 2000 and possibly the 2004 elections, started the military tribunals, sanctioned torture into our military campaign, cut funding to our war veterans just as they were coming home from this illegal war they started, subsidized corporations and oil corporations with our tax money despite the fact they are making enormous record breaking profits at the pump, wire tapped American citizens without concent of the judiciary, rounded up innocent mid-eastern business people and their families and deported them for no reason, gave amnesty to illegals despite our own citizens wishes against it, and lied to congress about WMD's, alqueda in Iraq and who perpetrated 9/11, I'd say they are right, we no longer live in a democracy thanks to them. We now live in a country that has fascist tendencies, meaning that we are now under the rule of the corporation, by the corporation, for the corporation.

Answer 11

Americans, commonly speaking, refer to our form of government as a "democracy." One reason for this is because politicians of all political parties generally refer to our government as a democracy. Politicians generally do that. Glib references are constantly being made anent our democracy. But our form of government, strictly speaking, is not a democracy. It may more properly be called a representative democracy, but, strictly speaking, ours is a republic. "We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands" -- not to the democracy for which it stands.