Have you noticed how often Trump supporters scream the US is a Republic and not a Democracy?

[Quixote1818]

What is all that about? Is this some BS that rightwing radio and Fox has been hitting them with? Do they think the Democratic Party is illegitimate or something because we are technically a Republic? Do they not understand that the major difference between a democracy and a republic is that a republic is a form of government and a democracy is an ideology that helps shape how a government is run. So a republic is the SYSTEM of government that allows a country to be democratic.

It's very nuanced so I am sure it goes way over the top of their heads. I have seen this frequently on the Daily Show when they interview Trump supporters. I wish the interviewer would have this information handy and throw it at them so they could just stand there with blank looks on their faces.

[SWBTATTReg]

1. I notice that they scream an awful lot. A bunch of loud-mouthed bullies. Sick and tired of them.

[BarackTheVote]

2. Yeah, we're a republic

whose republican representatives are elected via democratic processes. It really ain’t that hard to understand.

[Yavin4]

8. Or....we're a republic

whose Republican representatives are elected by fascist, racist, and sexist asshats which puts a strain on our democratic processes to elect Democrats to office to fix everything.

[SharonAnn]

26. We are a democratic republic. We choose who represents us.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

3. They think people are dumb enough to believe...

... it excuses their anti-democracy tactics.

Reminds me of them trying to argue that the Nazis were the socialists in Germany, simply because it was part of their name. Yet the Nazis had the support of many industrialists who were terrified of the actual socialists and communists gaining power, similar to the leanings towards fascism that's been encouraged by right-wing propaganda outlets in the USA for years.

[Quixote1818]

4. Is that what this is about? Legitimizing Trump's stupid Coup?

God I fucking hate these ignorant, treasonous scumbags.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. In my experience with them (mostly coworkers), they...

... will argue just about anything to justify GOP victory.

[brush]

15. Yes, and a good definition of fascism is a melding of...

government, industry and the military, which is exactly what Hitler's Germany was, and what trump wanted here.

The odds of that happening is slim as Hitler being appointed Chancellor was almost to appease the nazis and stave off the communist/socialist factions of the time. Only when Hindenburg, the president and leader who appointed him, died did he gain the power of leader of Germany. It was just a quirk of history, an accident almost.

[Paladin]

5. Right-wingers have been spewing that shit for decades.

Don't ever let one corner you at a party while howling that crap. I speak from experience.

[malaise]

12. THIS

is the truth

[Midnight Writer]

21. Yep, this is a mainstream conservative talking point.

[TomSlick]

32. I've heard it from right wingers for years.

They're eyes glaze over if you attempt to explain the concept of a democratic republic.

[Chainfire]

7. I hear it all of the time.

I have begun to refer to our system of government as a Representative Democracy. It is as correct as calling it a Republic. What really gripes my ass is when the Rightwingnuts refer to majority rule as "Mob Rule." Some of the founders used the terms Republic and Democracy interchangeably. If it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me. What really galls the right is when you tell them that when you are voting on an referendum, you are practicing straight up Democracy.

[louis-t]

9. That started over 20 years ago.

Pugs used to start every sentence with it. One of my relatives tried it on me once. Some people just repeat whatever they hear without thinking. I had to explain that the "democracy is the style of government and the republic is the entity." I remember Falwell being interviewed about something totally different, yet he started his first sentence with that. It's like they're programmed.

[brush]

10. You're exactly right. We're a representative democracy...

which is called a republic. And it's actually not just a republic but a federal republic.

[GulfCoast66]

19. No exactly. Britain is also a representative democracy.

But as the have an inherited head of state, a king or queen, they are not a republic.

That’s the simplest definition of a republic. An elected head of state. The form that government takes can vary. France has a government that is very different than ours but they are also a republic.

[brush]

22. That's why I mentioned federal republic.

A central government overarching our state and local governments all connected by representative of the people.

[yonder]

25. Yes, a federal republic.

And it's useful to emphasize "federal" when they try to bring up the Democracy/Republic distinction. Their smarmy smile can turn to one of confusion when one keeps hammering on "federal". I don't know if that's a red herring or not, but often enough they will lose their way in an argument. It can be great fun when you take their "republic" point right away from them and leave them sputtering.

[treestar]

11. They use it to defend the Electoral College

Which they liked, in 2016.

[Caliman73]

13. Conservatives are not known for their scholarship.

The US is a Constitutional Federal Republic, but you are absolutely correct. A Republic is a form of government where the people by virtue of elected representatives, hold power. Democracy comes from the greek, Demos, which were the common people. So Democracy is the idea that the people choose their representatives.

People who listen to right wing media, are not listening for the purpose of being stimulated to thinking about new ideas. They listen to confirm their biases.

[Thomas Hurt]

14. A republic is a representative democracy IOWs a democracy.

What the Pig and his lackeys want is a christofascist theocracy

[Walleye]

16. Every office except president is elected by popular vote, democracy

[ooky]

17. Yes, it's a talking point, part of their propaganda. Been hearing it from them for years.

They have become very robotic.

[Cirque du So-What]

18. Tell them that you can't have a republic

without having a democracy first.

[LeftInTX]

20. How about the People's Republic of China, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,

Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Republic of Cuba??

Those are official names..ours is United States of America

[Aristus]

23. It's a clumsy and not very bright attempt to de-legitimize the Democratic Party.

By implying that because the name of their party is the Republican Party, that somehow has relevance because we are a republic.

The poor stupid bastards can't get it into their empty heads that we are a democratic republic, and that the names of the major political parties are essentially irrelevant, and only exist because political parties need names.

[coti]

27. Yup. We tend to think past this immediately, because we aren't complete morons, but it very much

comes down to "Republican" vs. "Democrat" for them. They think calling it a "republic" and de-legitimizing "democracy" gives "Republicans" stronger claim to the country.

It really is just that fucking stupid.

Remember that these are the same people who proudly claim to be the party of Lincoln while they march with torches and swastikas and wave Confederate flags. They don't put a whole lot of effort into thinking these things out and being conceptually consistent.

[Quixote1818]

29. That is what my take has been too. nt

[redstatebluegirl]

24. They are not smart enough to know the difference.

All they do is repeat phrases they hear on Fox, OAN and Newsmax. Parler is another cesspool for these ignorant sheep.

[milestogo]

28. These are just words that sound familiar to them. They cant tell their heads from their asses

much less a republic from a democracy from a dictatorship.

[Chainfire]

30. What is even more fascinating

It that they claim that Democrats are racist and Republicans are not. They want to take the party back to Civil War times to justify their statements.

They get all of this ear wash from Right-wing media, because they are not creative enough to come up with it on their own.

[kurtcagle]

31. They slept through Civics class in high school that day

Republic: a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

Democracy: a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

The distinction that separates Democrats and Republics is in the following:

whole population [D's] or all the eligible members of a state [R's]

Republicans in general do not believe that anyone who believes differently than they do should be eligible to vote. To that extent, they go through any number of justifications about why the country is not a true democracy, most of which do not hold up under scrutiny. This is what happens when a party ceases to have a cohesive platform and stays in existence solely to remain in power.

[highplainsdem]

33. What is that about? It means they know they're a minority and they want to maintain minority rule

no matter how much demographics, and people's beliefs and votes, change to make them a smaller minority every election.