Beware "Democracy"

Political nitpickers often rebut others' use of the word "Democracy" to describe America and other first world nations by pointing out that America is a republic - or more accurately a Constitutional Republic. Many consider this a trivial distinction and apply the conversational lubricant dubbed Grice's Razor: "you know what I meant."

But, is it really a nit-pick? When people speak of democracy or Democracy, do they really mean Republic?

Here I take a moment to offer an AI summary of the differences:

A republic is a representative government where power is vested in elected officials and is often governed by a constitution that protects individual rights. A democracy, on the other hand, is often defined by the will of the majority, and while it can be representative, it doesn't necessarily have the same constitutional limitations as a republic.

In my travels, when I hear "democracy" I routinely encounter an explanatory "what the people vote for" without acknowledgment or even understanding of the fundamental limits imposed on "what the people vote for" in republics. Also routine is the implied assertion that a majority vote should not be hampered by such limits.

I encountered a comment the other day that drove the point home:

'Democracy' isn't about freedom. It's the ruling party inflicting their will on others or the minority. Hence why you never see or hear them speaking of liberty or freedom.

Tell me that doesn't ring a bell.

None of this should be revelatory. The adage "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch" has been floating around for a few decades (n.b. attributions to Ben Franklin are unfounded), and it is the distilled essence of majority rule, whether it be direct or representative.

The party that has historically had the least use for the Constitution's limits on government power (see: Wilson, FDR, LBJ, BHO, JRB) is, not coincidentally, the party that spent the last election cycle screaming about "defending democracy" by voting against the current President. It's a pity is that the current President doesn't seem to have much interest in Constitutional limits, either, and that his party has come to be dominated by a populist wing that shares that disinterest.

If you hear someone talk "democracy," keep picking the Constitutional Republic nit. People really do need reminding that government is not "whatever the voters decide it should be," that America's great success is rooted in its limited government, and that the more government grows, the worse our lives get.