Democracy or Not? Apparently what we are is a Republic

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Well, what did I know?  Apparently what the US is, is a Republic.  A Democracy is described by various bloggers in a scornful and disparaging tone, as a failed system of government.

A Democracy, I have learned, is government by popular vote.

A Republic, in contrast, is government by popular vote, where, in addition, there are (1) a Constitution, which protects the rights of minorities from being infringed by popular vote, and (2) a college of judges, who rule on whether various actions or decisions are according to the constitution, as they should be.  (I'm not sure where a President comes in; I assume it does not have a bearing on whether a country has a Republican government or not.)

In at least one web article, I found an item-by-item comparison between a simple Democracy, and a Republic.  This article gives the US as the only example of a republic, which I'm sure it cannot be, and gives lots of examples of Democracies.

There seems to be general agreement that what characterizes a Republic, above and beyond the popular vote, is a Constitution, and a Judiciary.  But beyond that, some writers seem to feel that Democracies and Republics are the opposites of each other, or at least are antithetical (a relationship that is not always clear), while others consider Republics as mere improvements on Democracies, whereas Democracies are certainly antithetical to Monarchies or Dictatorships.  (Communist states are dictatorships of the communist party, that is, those workers who choose to join the Party.  So the Party makes the laws.)

The 2016 Elections

Who is qualified to run for (and be) President, according to the Constitution?

You have to be born a citizen.

You have to be at least 35 years old.

You have to have lived in the US for at least sixteen years.

(I don't think generalizations of The USA are enough, e.g. protectorates, or US Embassies or military installations.  But people who have been born in and lived in these places are, understandably, constantly pushing for these places to be considered part of the USA.)

Notice that there is nothing to say that the President has to be a decent person, or of any particular religion or race, or have to pass any test of moral character.  Such a restriction would be practically impossible to enforce fairly.

So now, when vast hordes of voters (or at least, potential voters) want to support Donald Trump for President, it is hard to deny them that right.  For decades we have deplored that the proportion of the eligible population that actually registers and votes is so small.  Now that these folks are choosing to exercise their votes for someone whom the rest of us are not completely charmed by, it is disingenuous of us to deplore it.  If Trump has more supporters than other candidates have, he should  be President.

Nobody is going to like it.  Nobody likes to go on a diet, but some of us have no option (not because we're overweight, but because we might have some endocrine disorder, such as diabetes mellitus, say).  Some of us never liked to go to school, and while there, never liked to learn the material.  I daresay this is most of Trump's supporters.  Sometimes we have to accept that the law as it stands results in conditions that we are not comfortable with.  The Constitution permits a popular imbecile to be President; at the very least it serves to further the interests of imbeciles which may have been neglected for a while.  I, for one, am morally opposed to Donald T as president, as one who appears to be comfortable with inciting violence; taking American back to the days when might was right (which is the secret longing of thugs and bullies who have felt put upon for centuries by 90-pound weaklings who should not be able to push them around, but have gotten voted into a position of being able to push people around.)

They've had enough of being pushed around by those in authority.  They'd like to kick some butt, for a change.  They're sick and tired of the Police giving them speeding tickets.  And all those people complaining about getting bitten by their pit bulls: what's up with that?  Voting for Trump should be just as much of a right as it should be to own a vicious pit bull, or attend a high school prom dressed provocatively.  (Or beating the crap out of someone who is, depending on where you live, or brings someone of the same sex to the prom.  Imagine.)  So there.  Most members of Congress and the Senate are hucksters, but put up a face of being the servants of their constituents.  Donald Trump is refreshing in that he is patently a huckster; he is in it for the ego boost and the excitement, and to taunt the straight politicians.  (And to possibly pass pro-gambling legislation?  We're sort of not sure what he really wants, other than to help America become great again.)  The other candidates are mostly furious at Trump for showing them up for being the fakes that they are.  He's a fake too, but he's proud of it.  He isn't the slave of Big Business; he's his own fake!  Now there's a fake we can all get behind.

Lots of writers who beg the people to come to their senses claim to understand the anger of the people.  I get that you're angry, they say.  But they don't want the people to vote for Trump, because it would be the unkind thing to do to all the rest of the nerds who hate Trump.  But they don't really get it.  There has been a conspiracy against the ignorant rural white poor, and this conspiracy is not working any longer, because for a brief time it suited the conservative media to give Trump a platform, and they unleashed the potential of the habitual non-voter.  The habitual non-participators in politics have found that the Presidential race is just as entertaining as reality TV.  They can understand Trump, whereas they just can't understand any other politician who tells them the truth. 

Reality TV has really changed the political climate.  People have gotten accustomed to voting for the best act, the person who has to be thrown off the island, the best singer, the worst apprentice, and so on.  Well, now they want to vote for President.  The Republicans probably hate the fact that most of Trump supporters have driving licenses, and so can vote.  Blacks and minorities would never vote for Trump, but the GOP has been working too long and too hard to now turn around and make it easy for these folks to help keep Trump out of the White House.

We've all watched the candidates trying to raise funds for their campaigns.  You've probably never wondered where all the money goes.  It goes to the TV stations.

Well, the TV channels have made their money, and they're probably going to get their President.  They've made their candidate; now let them lie on it.

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