Some Republicans have been defensive that the party has a strong anti-democratic bent. But the state GOP convention embraced it, writes columnist Danny Westneat.
Sure, and historically the democracy in most early republics wasn’t a whole lot better, but it doesn’t change the fact that America is and was founded as a representative democratic republic.
How representative it is has only increased, and anyone trying to reverse that trend needs to water the tree of liberty.
This one talks a lot about democracies and republics, and argues against deomcracies in favour of republics, e.g. " The error which limits republican government to a narrow district has been unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. I remark here only that it seems to owe its rise and prevalence chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy, applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region."
America was always an anti-democratic project. I think that’s a fair reading of the historical documents, as they’re fairly explicit about it. The alternative explanation is that it was supposed to be a democracy but somehow got perverted along the way by something, by parties (“faction”), by capital, or something else. But I think it’s simple and supportable to say it just never was one in the first place, by design.
PS: Easy to find that the word ‘democracy’ was used as a pejorative among the founders of the country:
Sure, and historically the democracy in most early republics wasn’t a whole lot better, but it doesn’t change the fact that America is and was founded as a representative democratic republic.
How representative it is has only increased, and anyone trying to reverse that trend needs to water the tree of liberty.
If that were true, it seems to me they would have put the word ‘democracy’ in the constitution or declaration of independence.
This one talks a lot about democracies and republics, and argues against deomcracies in favour of republics, e.g. " The error which limits republican government to a narrow district has been unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. I remark here only that it seems to owe its rise and prevalence chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy, applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region."
America was always an anti-democratic project. I think that’s a fair reading of the historical documents, as they’re fairly explicit about it. The alternative explanation is that it was supposed to be a democracy but somehow got perverted along the way by something, by parties (“faction”), by capital, or something else. But I think it’s simple and supportable to say it just never was one in the first place, by design.
PS: Easy to find that the word ‘democracy’ was used as a pejorative among the founders of the country:
“we beg Leave to answer, that though we are not so absurd as to “design a Democracy,” of which the Governor is pleased to accuse us”
“You would have torn up the Foundations and demolished the whole Fabrick of the Government, and have suffered Democracy, Aristocracy, Monarchy, Anarchy, any thing or nothing to have arisen in its Place.”
“Can a democratic assembly, who annually revolve in the mass of the people, be supposed steadily to pursue the public good? Nothing but a permanent body can check the imprudence of democracy. Their turbulent and uncontrouling disposition requires checks.”
Shut up fash. You’re not smart enough to be a pedant.
go to Reddit if you want to post your pro-American propaganda
next you’ll say you “invented democracy” 🙄