What's with this GOP: "This isn't a democracy" rhetoric?

[LongTomH]

A friend sent me a link to this Politico post: Doug Collins: "This isn't a democracy".

Rev. Al Sharpton argued with Rep. Doug Collins over Republican efforts to defund Obamacare in a government funding bill, asking him if that’s consistent with democracy and prompting Collins to declare America’s not a democracy, but a republic.

Sharpton and Collins (R-Ga.) engaged in the at-times heated back-and-forth on Sharpton’s MSNBC show “Politics Nation” on Thursday, with Sharpton asking Collins why he and other House Republicans who want to pass a government funding bill without funding Obamacare, despite its certain failure in the Senate, are going against the will of the people and the Supreme Court.

“What people don’t understand, congressman, is how we pass laws the Supreme Court upholds and you guys come in and say, ‘We’re not going to fund it and even worse, if money goes there, we’ll shut the whole government down.’ We thought we lived in a democracy,” Sharpton said. “Come on, congressman. That’s not what the country is supposed to be about."

“Hey Al, just a reminder, this isn’t a democracy. This is a republic,” Collins replied.

This isn't the first time I've heard this "This isn't a democracy; it's a republic" rhetoric from a republican. I remember comments to that effect from Pat Buchanan back in the day.

It's been a long time since I had my course in Poli Sci that included a discussion of the Federalist Papers; but, I remember that the question of how much democracy to include in the new Constitution was a topic of debate, with Jefferson and Adams coming down on the side of more democracy. The compromise document actually included clauses to limit the power of the people, like the electoral college.

I'm posting this, hoping for some comment from people with more knowledge of history and Constitutional law.

[blogslut]

1. It's a trick designed to derail the conversation.

Don't play along.

[Rex]

2. Then how does he think he got his job?

Just drew it out of a hat?

[Demo_Chris]

3. We live in a Constitutional Republic. Not that this helps their case...

For a further explanation see below:

http://www.1215.org/lawnotes/lawnotes/repvsdem.htm

[LongTomH]

4. Thanks for the reference

[Avalux]

5. Well, that's part of the plan - federal gov no power, states run themselves.

That word sheds light on the GOP's overall plan to take control and keep it forever.

[louis-t]

6. It's the same bullshit they tried 15 years ago.

It is one of the stupidest statements ever, and panders to the drooling, Fox News watching Neanderthals. Let me 'splain once again for all the ignorant troglodytes that follow Glenn Beck:
"Democracy is the style of government, republic is the entity." Fucking idiots. Pat Buchanan and Jerry Falwell used to spout this bullshit rhetoric.

[johnd83]

7. Neo-confederates

They want to have a system like the EU where every state is far more independent. The problem is that the EU has shown without any doubt that CONFEDERACIES DON'T WORK. These idiots forget that we did have a confederacy when our country was initially formed and we scrapped it almost immediately because it DIDN'T WORK.

I wish I could post this on the inside of their eyelids:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation

[hobbit709]

8. They're projecting.