The USA is a Democracy

I confidently restate that the U.S. is in fact a republic. I also maintain that our republic is a form of democracy. West says “Just because something is a form of something does not mean it is equivalent to that thing.” The resolution states “The USA is a Democracy.” The following links lists types of democracies. (1) If the U.S. is any of the types listed, it is by definition… a democracy. West seems to be arguing that the U.S. is not a “direct democracy.” He would be correct. However, this is not what the debate is about. A direct democracy is a specific type of democracy, much like our republic is. My resolve does not contend for any particular type of democracy the U.S. is, just that it is a type of democracy. “In contemporary usage, the term democracy refers to a government chosen by the people, whether it is direct or representative. The term republic has many different meanings, but today often refers to a representative democracy with an elected head of state, such as a president, serving for a limited term, in contrast to states with a hereditary monarch as a head of state, even if these states also are representative democracies with an elected or appointed head of government such as a prime minister.”(2) Again my opponents link only serves to affirm the resolution stating “That makes the national government democratic in form…”(3) A form of democracy is still a democracy. West says “So while democracies and republics do not contradict and they DO overlap, they are still different. They are two separate things that can still be compared, and that is what is up for debate.” To clear up any confusion I will use an analogy. Dog = Democracy Golden Retriever = representative democracy Poodle = direct democracy Golden Retriever is a type of dog. A Poodle is a type of dog. Likewise, a representative democracy is a type of democracy. Direct democracy is a type of democracy. When I say the USA is a democracy, I am not arguing a specific type. The U.S. has a form of government that is a type of Democracy and is therefore a Democracy. West says “The founding fathers did not mean for the US to be a democracy just because it adopted democratic principles.” These same founders feared republics for the same reasons they feared democracies… Consider James Madison said "In Republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority.” The founders used Democracy and Republic almost interchangeably. West says “But what something intends to be is not the same as what it actually is.” This is an interesting point. West then gives this example “I might intend to be an amazing baseball player, but if that is not how I am functioning, then I am not an amazing baseball player even if that is my intention or goal.” Whether amazing or not, you would still be a baseball player. This analogy only helps my case. The U.S. intended to be a type of democracy. Whether efficient or not, it is still a democracy. West says “ Democracy and republic are defined differently.” I again share the definition from dictionary.com for democracy. “governmentbythepeople;aformofgovernmentinwhichthe supremepowerisvestedinthepeopleandexerciseddirectlybythem orbytheirelectedagentsunderafreeelectoralsystem.” Here is the definition of republic from the same dictionary “a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.”(4) The definitions are essentially identical. The definition for democracy has been provided multiple times. The US meets those definitions and therefore is a democracy. Thanks for the debate West! (1) http://en.wikipedia.org... (2) http://en.wikipedia.org... (3) http://www.williampmeyers.org... (4) http://dictionary.reference.com...