A republic is not a democracy.
I think it would be great if, before speaking about the US, a few of us could take a moment to realize that it’s a republic [well, a federal presidential republic, if we’re being technical] and not a democracy.
Those two terms are not interchangeable.
The Electoral College proves that the US has never been, and never will be, a democracy because the electors can oppose the popular vote.
Not sure yet? Well, the fact that a presidential candidate can still lose the popular vote yet still win the most powerful position in the world is astounding!
The five times in US history a candidate has lost the popular vote but still won the presidency are 1824 John Quincy Adams, 1876 Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 1888 Benjamin Harrison, 2000 George Walker Bush, and 2016 Donald Trump.
I find it interesting that out of the five times, this has happened twice over the last twenty-four years!
I’m going to make a bold forecast here. In November 2024, I predict this will happen again when Donald Trump becomes the first person ever to lose the popular vote three times yet win the presidency twice, all in non-consecutive terms.
On top of it, if you look over the list of international treaties and/or agreements the US has not signed, withdrawn from, or failed to ratify [despite widespread consensus], the term republic trumps [no pun intended] over any notion that the US has ever resembled a democracy.
Plus, the amount of political persecution taking place, as well as the weaponizing of federal institutions by the government, only makes me more fervently believe that the term democracy is something that only exists on paper.
