There’s a strand of right wingers who say that the U.S. is not a democracy, but a republic. This is, I suppose, a way for them justify the anti-democratic program of the GOP.
This is nonsense. As a Reddit poster put it, “It’s like saying you’re not a mammal, you’re a primate.”
Humans are both mammals and primates, and the U.S. is both a democracy and a republic. That is, a democratic republic.
Rather than participate in direct democracy (the entire population voting on every measure) Americans vote for representatives to do the work of the government, and reserve the right to replace them, either by recall or in the next scheduled election. Those representatives are thus answerable to the people, per the Constitution.
In the age of Trump, however, this has broken down in the Republican caucus of both houses of Congress. It’s clear from polls that Trump’s “cruel and unusual” war on immigrants is not popular with the American people. Americans are concerned about the impacts of the massive budget bill on healthcare, and as they learn about them, the multitude of less obvious provisions of the bill. (The public is presumably not in favor of the corruption and general lawlessness of the Trump administration, but, since it’s not well reported, it’s not top of mind for the public.)
Most senators and representatives know this, but they don’t consider themselves answerable to their constituents, but to Trump.
And besides their duty to their constituents, our representatives have another solemn duty.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
— U.S. Constitution, Article VI, clause 3
The first thing members of congress do before each term, take the following oath:
“I, [name], do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States.”
The Trump administration is running roughshod over the Constitution and the GOP is doing nothing to stop him.
Among Trump’s unconstitutional actions or avowed :
- revoking birthright citizenship
- freezing federal spending
- disobeying judicial mandates
- shutting down agencies
- removing leaders of other agencies
- firing government employees subject to civil service protections
- threatening to deport people based on their political views
If you believe in democracy, you must demand that the people you elect answer to you.