Do you believe in democracy?

[occupied]

OH I see.

Are you somehow unaware that most of the political definitions used by the right in this country differ significantly from the textbook definitions used by political and social scientists for decades?

OH I see the founders were liberals argument? Got it.

Not really but the fact that you use terms to mean one thing when they really mean another thing makes talking to people like you rather frustrating. The definition for liberalism given is the correct one, just because you redefine it to mean everything from fascism to communism does not mean the rest of the world is wrong.

 

[Katzndogz]

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch.

Liberty is a well armed sheep contesting the vote.

I vote with him.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Do you believe in democracy?

"True democracy is despotism of proletarians". Voltaire

"Democracy ends when the put sheet in the box". D.Yatskov

"Democracy - is just a dream, as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and paradise". Henry Louis Mencken.

First, good thread starter.

I voted NO!

This country was founded on the principles of a Constitutional Federal Republic. It is now a flaming, raging, left wing manage of every type of whiny crap one can imagine, both left and right. No difference. It is a self defeating democracy now.

In fact, we are headed into the folds of the fail of all cultures in the 13 steps to decay--we are just entering stage 13.

We have become not 'one for all, all for one' but a nation of..........me

It is tragic.

Be well, hat is tipped,

Robert

 

[BlindBoo]

While we started out as much more of a traditional Republic, in that a limited number of citizens could vote for their representatives, we have evolved to more of a representative democracy where nearly every citizen has the right to vote for their reps.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Liberalism?

What kind of comment is that? Liberalism does not protect individual rights, stop being foolish.

Liberalism is protect individual rights! You are wrong.

www.wikipedia.org

I thought you may be a man of reason. You are not. As other posters have told you, you have it backwards. You also quote an online info source that is written by people, no scholarship involved.

Consider.

Robert

 

[BlindBoo]

Liberalism (from the Latin liberals) is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights, capitalism, and the free exercise of religion.

Liberalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To bad the Liberals in America are just the opposite of that definition.

According to the Rebublicans sure, but in the real world......

 

[Foxfyre]

OH I see.

Are you somehow unaware that most of the political definitions used by the right in this country differ significantly from the textbook definitions used by political and social scientists for decades?

OH I see the founders were liberals argument? Got it.

The Founders were, to a man, Classical Liberals which far more embraces modern day American conservatism and is almost 180 from modern day American liberalism.

 

[occupied]

We may not be an actual democracy but every step taken away from democracy makes us less free and a lack of respect for the ideals of democracy is an open invitation to tyranny.

 

[BlindBoo]

Now look up Wikipedia's definition of Classical Liberalism and you have a pretty good definition of modern day American conservatism.

The Founders quite properly rejected Democracy as a form of government because of what some of you have already touched on. The Founder intended the No, 1 function of government to be to acknowledge, protect, and defend the unalienable rights of the people. A Democracy too easily runs roughshod over rights.

However, once our rights are acknowledged, protected, and defended, then democracy works for deciding everything else.

Beginning with the Constitution's adoption, America has been a Republic. But the dominant trend over the last two centuries has been to make it into a democracy as well, a representative democracy, also known as a democratic republic. True, the creation of the Constitution itself was partly a reaction against democracy. In states like Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, the situation was getting way too democratic for the monied aristocracy that had, since the American Revolution, refused to share power with ordinary men.

The causes of the American Revolution were many, but for the monied class there were three principal aims. They sought self-government: that is, they sought to rule the colonies themselves, to further their own interests. They sought to protect the institution of slavery, which had been endangered by Lord Mansfield's ruling against it in the Sommersett case of 1772. And land speculators like George Washington sought to seize more Native American Indian land, which the British had outlawed.

But to win the American Revolution this predatory elite needed help. Their own rhetoric about freedom and equality led to widespread demands for the right to vote: universal suffrage. In other words, the people began demanding democracy. Even the slaves (white and black alike) demanded to be freed and allowed to vote.

America: Republic or Democracy?

 

[TakeAStepBack]

Are you somehow unaware that most of the political definitions used by the right in this country differ significantly from the textbook definitions used by political and social scientists for decades?

OH I see the founders were liberals argument? Got it.

The Founders were, to a man, Classical Liberals which far more embraces modern day American conservatism and is almost 180 from modern day American liberalism.

Modern day conservatives are absolutely nothing like classical liberals. That seems like a pretty exhausstive reach there. I would say the progressives went off the deep end and so did the "conservatives" of today. Who are basically the liberals of more traditional times with a social conservative extreme element.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Are you somehow unaware that most of the political definitions used by the right in this country differ significantly from the textbook definitions used by political and social scientists for decades?

OH I see the founders were liberals argument? Got it.

The Founders were, to a man, Classical Liberals which far more embraces modern day American conservatism and is almost 180 from modern day American liberalism.

Classical liberals yes but modern day liberals no.

 

[Vlad_Russian]

Do any of you read the book, Alex Callinicos "An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto"?

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Do any of you read the book, Alex Callinicos "An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto"?

If you want America's liberals we will gladly send them to you.

 

[bayoubill]

Do you believe in democracy?

"True democracy is despotism of proletarians". Voltaire

"Democracy ends when the put sheet in the box". D.Yatskov

"Democracy - is just a dream, as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and paradise". Henry Louis Mencken.

democracy = mob rule by stupid people...

that's why the Founding Fathers gave us a republic instead of a democracy...

 

[occupied]

Do any of you read the book, Alex Callinicos "An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto"?

We're Americans, we don't read books with no pictures.

 

[Vlad_Russian]

Do you believe in democracy?

"True democracy is despotism of proletarians". Voltaire

"Democracy ends when the put sheet in the box". D.Yatskov

"Democracy - is just a dream, as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and paradise". Henry Louis Mencken.

democracy = mob rule by stupid people...

that's why the Founding Fathers gave us a republic instead of a democracy...

But what is different from the republic of democracy? We teach that it is the same.

 

[occupied]

Do you believe in democracy?

"True democracy is despotism of proletarians". Voltaire

"Democracy ends when the put sheet in the box". D.Yatskov

"Democracy - is just a dream, as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and paradise". Henry Louis Mencken.

democracy = mob rule by stupid people...

that's why the Founding Fathers gave us a republic instead of a democracy...

But what is different from the republic of democracy? We teach that it is the same.

Democracies are republics, republics are not necessarily democracies.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Do you believe in democracy?

"True democracy is despotism of proletarians". Voltaire

"Democracy ends when the put sheet in the box". D.Yatskov

"Democracy - is just a dream, as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and paradise". Henry Louis Mencken.

democracy = mob rule by stupid people...

that's why the Founding Fathers gave us a republic instead of a democracy...

But what is different from the republic of democracy? We teach that it is the same.

Republic= rule of law protection of Individual liberty's
Democracy= mob rule no protection of individual liberty's

 

[occupied]

democracy = mob rule by stupid people...

that's why the Founding Fathers gave us a republic instead of a democracy...

But what is different from the republic of democracy? We teach that it is the same.

Republic= rule of law protection of Individual liberty's
Democracy= mob rule no protection of individual liberty's

Now you are just screwing with the guy.

 

[peach174]

Liberalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To bad the Liberals in America are just the opposite of that definition.

According to the Republican's sure, but in the real world......

It's not just Republicans, it's also independents and Libertarian's.
Freedom of Speech - political correctness, can't say this or can't say that it might offend.
Freedom of Religion - as long as it isn't in public.
Freedom of press - as long as it isn't conservative.
Right of the people to peacefully petition the government, not riot in the streets, break the laws and shut down businesses.
Right of the people to bear arms, not to take away guns from law abiding citizens.
States rights taken away.
General welfare for all not just certain groups, or businesses.
And this is just a small part of the list.