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Constitutional Republic

What is misleading about “We are in fact a constitutional republic, not a democracy.”?

The statement is misleading because it frames “constitutional republic” and “democracy” as opposites, when in reality they are not mutually exclusive.

1. A constitutional republic is a type of democracy

• Democracy = citizens have a role in choosing leaders (broad category).
• Republic = leaders are elected, not hereditary.
• Constitutional = government powers are limited by a constitution.

The United States is all three at the same time:

• Democratic (we vote)
• Republic (we elect representatives, no monarchy)
• Constitutional (the Constitution limits government)

So saying “republic, not democracy” creates a false dichotomy.

2. It often implies “democracy = direct mob rule” (which is not accurate)

People who make this claim usually redefine “democracy” to mean direct democracy, where citizens vote on every issue. However, political science broadly includes representative democracy—like the system the U.S. uses—under the umbrella of democracy.

Moreover, this misunderstanding overlooks how the Founders themselves spoke positively about democracy as representative self-government. For example, James Madison referred to the U.S. as a “democratic republic.”

Finally, this flawed framing can be used rhetorically to downplay the importance of democratic principles by suggesting that majority rule is irrelevant or that democratic accountability is optional—an inaccurate portrayal of how the system is meant to function.