To: Modernman
Well, I can't speak for ALL Constitutional Republics, but a perfect example would be how we elect a president. Sure, everyone votes, however in this country we don't vote directly for President - it's not a case of "The one with the majority of the votes wins", but we go through the "Electoral College" instead - for the very reason that the smaller states would be subject to the "tyranny of the larger states" if we didn't.
If we were a pure democracy, we'd state our preference for president and the most votes would win. That is simply not the case in our republic.
Am I making sense, or are people still confused?
1,011 posted on
10/21/2003 7:35:37 AM PDT by
Chad Fairbanks
(Francis Scott Key was a One-Hit Wonder)
To: Chad Fairbanks
I'm not confused, Chad. Your ideas make perfect sense, and I wholeheartedly agree with
your take on the subject.
Now, excuse me while I go find a hankie to wipe off my nose.
To: Chad Fairbanks
Well, I can't speak for ALL Constitutional Republics, but a perfect example would be how we elect a president. Sure, everyone votes, however in this country we don't vote directly for President That's an interesting point. However, I don't think getting rid of the electoral college would make our government a democracy, rather than a republic. For example, France bills itself a republic, but they elect their president directly. On the other hand, the UK doesn't elect their Prime Minister directly- he is chosen by his party and the Prime Minister can actually change without any involvement of the electorate (such as the case where Margaret Thatcher stepped down in the midde of a term and was replaced by John Major), but the UK is not technically a republic.
Maybe we're just arguing definitions here. As a quick guide, Black's law dictionary defines a Democracy as:
That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation.
A Republican form of government is defined as:
A government by representatives chosen by the people.
It would seem that the US falls under both definitions.
1,018 posted on
10/21/2003 7:52:55 AM PDT by
Modernman
("I'm just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe."- Jango Fett)
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson