Is America a democracy or a republic?

[Dat-Alpha-Lion]

[TeeBar]

The USA is a Republic, not a Democracy. The difference between the two is substantial. A Republic is founded on a set of set-in-concrete laws, in our case it is the Constitution. A Democracy means: Demos = People; Kratia = Rule, wherein the Majority calls the shots and the Minority are powerless. The Founding Fathers were aware of the violence and chaos caused by the tyranny of the Majority in Revolutionary France and wanted to avoid that kind of mob rule, hence indirect voting by the Electoral Vote system was devised. This divided the nation into districts, regardless of their populations, allowing each district to have an equal voice in government. This way the lumpen proletariat hordes in the cities could not swamp the less thinly populated rural areas. It turned out to be a brilliant solution to a difficult problem. We should sacrifice lunatic Democrat politicians to them every 4th of July to give thanks to their wisdom.

[Daedelus]

It’s both. A republic is a type of country where power is held by an elected or appointed leader, rather than a hereditary monarch. A democracy is a system of government where the people either vote on laws themselves (direct democracy) or elect representatives to make laws (representative democracy). The United States is a republic that uses a system of representative democracy.

[Wade8888]

Republic. The Pledge of Allegiance calls the nation "To the REPUBLIC for which it (the flag) stands."

[jshm2]

It's more of an oligarchy republic, pretending it's a democracy.

Hence why it's so low on the democracy index.

[OddBeMe]

Historians and civics teachers would say it’s practically the same. But technically we’re a republic since we elect representatives. Democracy is more of an overarching term. UK is a parliamentary democracy.

[MCheetah]

Neither. It's an oligarchy, like most of the rest of the world.

[hellionthesagereborn]

Republic. Well, it was a republic, not so sure anymore.

[Anonymous]

A republic. Used to be a democratic republic, but about 4 years ago, people stopped concerning themselves with democracy.

[TerminallyChill]

It's a constitutional republic. Democracy doesn't exist, it's a better illusion than anything Houdini had ever came up with.

[MountAverage]

Um, that's a false dichotomy. The question implies that it can only be one or the other, which is nonsense. The US is a Democratic Republic.

[Nalix]

A republic, barely. Oligarchy better describes how it functions.

[worldscolide]

Kind of both. We democratically elect representatives..

[Juxtapose]

Democratic republic.

Or if you want to be real, a plutocrat oligarchy.

[IlluminatiExposed0]

It used to be a democratic republic. What it's becoming is an open question.

[Anonymous]

It's a republic with a wannabe dictator in charge for 2 more weeks.

[josephinelcajon]

Soon to be a Socialist/Communist state of China

[John_Galt]

A constitutional Republic.

[1truekhaleesi]

An oligarchy actually.

[1truekhaleesi]

Well this aged very well already in a day given the terrorists at the capital building staging a coup.

[Soteris]

Both. They are not exclusive or contradictory.

[NeeleyCM]

A Constitutional Republic

[TwoToTooTutu2]

A Republic is a style of Democracy. Both

[Anonymous]

Constitutional Republic

[Anonymous]

A banana republic.

[TerminallyChill]

Maybe if we circumstances were different racially, we could get along "I'm going to China" guy. I like a lot of your societal critiques... Except the retarded racial ones.

[Opinion Owner]

We don't have to agree on everything.

[TerminallyChill]

Yeah but I'm not going to agree with someone in totality if they deny my humanity, no matter how much common ground is present.

[Anonymous]

Nope.

[joeldalton]

A republic.