Our Democracy is a Constitutional Republic
To the Editor:
I viewed a message on the social media site X that was posted by an apparent President Trump supporter and I was compelled to reply. The person explained that the USA is not a democracy as foolish “libs” claim and our country is actually a constitutional republic. The message states “A democracy is when the majority decides what is right or wrong.” Further stating, “A democracy always degenerates into a dictatorship which promises government guaranteed equality and security but delivers nothing but poverty and serfdom for the people it robs and rules.”
Here's my reply. “A constitutional republic combines democracy and a constitution in a representative republic. The key distinction being that a republic emphasizes the rule of law and protection of individual rights, even against the will of the majority. The United States is a prime example of a constitutional republic form of democracy.”
To be clear, our constitutional republic is a democracy where power is held by the people and their elected representatives and it is governed by a written constitution. Our Constitution further protects minority rights against the potential tyranny of the majority.
President Trump claims a mandate to rule unilaterally as he wishes because a majority of the 2024 voters elected him. Trump received 49.8 percent of the vote and Harris received 48.3 percent of the vote. That is not a mandate. Our constitutional republic protects individual rights, even against the will of the majority. Hopefully our democracy is not degenerating into a dictatorship. We must protect the rights of everyone, regardless of how they voted. Let’s not be fooled by a fictional mandate that robs us of our constitutional protections.
The Community News Brief provides an excellent forum for discussions through the Letters to the Editor section. Please take part in this opportunity and participate in a conversation about issues that we face. This is an invitation for conversation. In addition, you are invited to visit the McDonough County Democrats’ booth at Macomb Heritage Days later this week.
Looking forward to hearing your ideas,
Ross Braun Macomb, Illinois
