Democracy (noun) - a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free elections.
Like it or not, the US is a democracy (at least for now—check back in a few years). It’s just a severely flawed one.
supreme power is vested in the people
That is, not a monarchy or hereditary system.
exercised by them directly or indirectly
We have Senators and Representatives (indirect representation).
periodically held free elections
The system is fucked up in many places, but we have regular elections where people are largely free to vote their choice.
All the downvoters are reading my comment as if I’m some MAGA loon. I’m not. Quite the opposite actually—I believe words have meaning, and perverting those meanings is the domain of the right.
We are an oligarchy masquerading as a democracy. You get two choices, both selected for you by the ultra wealthy and both beholden to them over all else.
Further, the presidency has never in this country been decided democratically, and that was by design. The poor and minorities were never intended to have any meaningful electoral power, and they don’t.
I remember the last time a Republican began his presidency with the popular vote. It was during the Cold War. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court is run by folks who find the 1970s a bit too futuristic. It was exhausting and depressing when I used to hope we’d make it out. I’m liberated but exhausted and bereaved.
the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation
Ok, now tell me how much of the policy passed in the country, or the court rulings for big things like Roe v Wade, or the actions of police, are agreed by the majority of the population. Most policy goes against the explicit wishes of voters. Choosing a “representative” without any further mechanism to ensure that the representative actually, you know, REPRESENTS the wishes of the voter, is absolutely undemocratic.
Like it or not, the US is a democracy (at least for now—check back in a few years). It’s just a severely flawed one.
That is, not a monarchy or hereditary system.
We have Senators and Representatives (indirect representation).
The system is fucked up in many places, but we have regular elections where people are largely free to vote their choice.
All the downvoters are reading my comment as if I’m some MAGA loon. I’m not. Quite the opposite actually—I believe words have meaning, and perverting those meanings is the domain of the right.
The word is inconsequential.
We are an oligarchy masquerading as a democracy. You get two choices, both selected for you by the ultra wealthy and both beholden to them over all else.
Further, the presidency has never in this country been decided democratically, and that was by design. The poor and minorities were never intended to have any meaningful electoral power, and they don’t.
I remember the last time a Republican began his presidency with the popular vote. It was during the Cold War. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court is run by folks who find the 1970s a bit too futuristic. It was exhausting and depressing when I used to hope we’d make it out. I’m liberated but exhausted and bereaved.
President is elected by very much minority. About 1%.
The president is elected by the wealthy. The minority has nothing to do with it.
Wealthy people are minority. Or maybe there are hundreds of millions of billioners I didn’t know about?
That’s true in the literal sense, but the word ‘minority’ has a very different connotation in this country.
Ok, now tell me how much of the policy passed in the country, or the court rulings for big things like Roe v Wade, or the actions of police, are agreed by the majority of the population. Most policy goes against the explicit wishes of voters. Choosing a “representative” without any further mechanism to ensure that the representative actually, you know, REPRESENTS the wishes of the voter, is absolutely undemocratic.