Thread by @JeffRoushPoetry

I’ve seen back-and-forth about whether the United States is properly considered a “republic” or a “democracy.” Since I both enjoy small points of order and get annoyed when people use them to distract from what matters, let’s discuss. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#LiveBlue

The gist of it: we’re a representative democracy. It’s a kind of republic, but specifically includes (or should include) democratic election of those who are supposed to represent the interests of the people. One of the better breakdowns I’ve seen:

thoughtco.com/republic-vs-de…

The key difference between this kind of system and a “pure” democracy should be the protection of individual rights. Indeed, the point of the Bill of Rights is to defend individual freedom against a tyranny of the majority—to protect the less powerful from the more powerful.

The problem with much of what we are currently seeing from state legislatures is that this system is being turned on its head. State legislatures (and for that matter, the US House) have been gerrymandered to create legislation that doesn’t represent what majorities want.

And meanwhile, much of that legislation has been directed toward trampling on individual rights: women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights of self-expression, kids’ rights to a full education, etc.

All of this is part of an effort to put more power in a few hands. Red states are running culture wars and governing to the extremes, while making it harder for the people to elect representatives that actually represent them.

Whether you want to call it a “republic,” “representative democracy,” or “democracy,” the government has been hijacked from the people in a relentless pursuit of power. The end goal isn’t a more perfect Union, but a more permanent hold on that power.

This has occurred through decades of work, boosted by the destruction of campaign finance laws and voter protections. It will take a huge, sustained voter outreach and education effort to overcome this systematic dismantling of what we could and should be as a nation.