[nkozyra]

> America is not a democracy — it is a constitutional republic with democratic elements.

People like to say this all the time like it's clever, but being a republic does not preclude being democratic. The United States is a democracy.

[dragonwriter]

> being a republic does not preclude being democratic.

No, but the particular form of the US republic does so in practice.

> The United States is a democracy.

The United States may have been built around an idea of representative democracy, but in function it is more of a plutocratic republic with quasi-democratic rituals.

[jakelazaroff]

Oof, “democratic rituals” is an uncomfortably accurate description of voting in the U.S.

[charles_f]

> quasi-democratic rituals

"We're doing stand-ups and we use story points, we're agile"

[frankzen]

Electoral college, bruh. Not a true democracy.