[dsjoerg]

My vote counts and is counted. That makes it a representative republic. Citizens United and publicly financed elections do not affect whether or not my vote counts or is counted. Of course they affect what messages me and my fellow citizens see, and they are important. But your claims would only make sense in a world where money guaranteed votes rather than merely influenced voters.

[noad]

Your local representative is spending 90% of their day talking to lobbyists who pay to talk to them and doing fundraising calls with rich people.

People press the button on a machine in lots of countries, that doesn't necessarily make them a republic. The practical reality of the situation is they are spending every day NOT representing people as much as possible. This isn't an abstract thought experiment in political science definitions, this is the actual reality we are living under.

[remmargorp64]

It sounds like the public need to wake up to the reality that politics are driven by money, and instead of using a voting system, we should just crowdfund sponsor our candidates and lock them into contracts.

The longer we keep our head in the sand instead of facing reality, the more delusional we get.

If we, as the public, are unwilling to actually pay our candidates the way that lobbyists are, and if we are unwilling to change the laws that allow lobbyists to continue influencing politicians in this manner, then we effectively have no representation.