Well, no, referring to our government as a democracy is factually incorrect. A democratic republic shares many things with a democracy, but the fact is a republic is built specifically to deny the public any actual direct voice in the government. So, not a democracy, no matter how much you dress it up to look like one.
I think what you’re describing is usually called direct democracy. If that’s the only kind of democracy you think is real democracy, I guess we’ll have to differ. I think there’s nothing inherently undemocratic about having elected representatives perform certain functions. I think at some scale it helps to have middle layers more than it hurts. That’s not to say direct democracy wouldn’t be preferable, I don’t know that I have a well-formed opinion on that. But if a system has consequential elections, no matter the structure of the government they elect, I’d call that a democracy.
As I recall, the technicality that separates the two involves any election done in the manner of our electoral college. The president is not elected by the people, by design.
Well, no, referring to our government as a democracy is factually incorrect. A democratic republic shares many things with a democracy, but the fact is a republic is built specifically to deny the public any actual direct voice in the government. So, not a democracy, no matter how much you dress it up to look like one.
I think what you’re describing is usually called direct democracy. If that’s the only kind of democracy you think is real democracy, I guess we’ll have to differ. I think there’s nothing inherently undemocratic about having elected representatives perform certain functions. I think at some scale it helps to have middle layers more than it hurts. That’s not to say direct democracy wouldn’t be preferable, I don’t know that I have a well-formed opinion on that. But if a system has consequential elections, no matter the structure of the government they elect, I’d call that a democracy.
As I recall, the technicality that separates the two involves any election done in the manner of our electoral college. The president is not elected by the people, by design.