The United States of America is a Republic not a Democracy

My opponent claims that I have not countered his Resolution. He claims that my job in this debate was to prove that USA is a democracy and that USA is not a republic. He further says that I what I have done instead is argued that USA has elements of each. The resolution is "The USA is a Republic, not a Democracy". This is what I often call a "double resolution" because proving it involves proving two things. Unless my opponent proves both that the USA is a Republic AND that the USA is not a Democracy, he has not proven his resolution. It is true that he contended in R1 that he is to argue that USA is a Republic and I am to argue that it is a Democracy. And we have done just that. I have argued that it is a Democracy. However, nowhere in R1 has my opponent demanded that I prove that USA is not a Republic. He cannot impose that obligation on me now that we are in Round 2. My opponent has posted dictionary definitions of each term. They are virtually identical. He has, however, argued that there is a difference between the two terms by claiming that Democracy is a rule by mob. There is a reason why he has argued this. You see, to prove his resolution that USA is a Republic and not a Democracy, he must prove that the two are mutually exclusive, at least insofar as they apply to the USA. I contend he has not proven that as even his own definitions are both met by the factual circumstances of the USA. In addition, he has presented no argument for his contention that a democracy is mob rule. Am I required in this debate to prove that USA is not a Republic? I am not. It's not expressed in R1 and it certainly doesn't flow from my opponent's double resolution. The onus is on my opponent to prove the double resolution (both of its "limbs") and he has attempted this by arguing that the two terms are different in that Democracy is mob rule. I contend that I can win this debate if only I can prove that the USA is both a republic and a democracy, in other words that it is not the case that "The USA is a Republic, not a Democracy". If for example I posted a debate "Beet root is a plant part, not food", would that resolution fail if my opponent showed that beat root is both? The answer is "YES". It would fail. Proving that the resolution is not correct defeats the resolution. My opponent claims that I have misrepresented the dictionary definitions. I have done no such thing. The USA meets both. I quote them from his post: 1. "a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president . " >>>> The USA meets his definition. 2. 2. " a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law" >>>> The USA meets this definition. My opponent now appears to argue that in a democracy, the elected officials do not need to govern "according to law" whereas in a republic they do. Some points on this: 1. If the supreme power resides in a body of citizens then it is an obvious implication that the officials govern according to law. Secondly it is the officials who make law in the first place; both in a democracy and in a republic. 2. He argues that a republic has a constitution (as an example of "according to law") whereas a democracy does not. That's simply untrue, even though his dictionary definition doesn't mention a constitution. Here's a quote from the US Dept of State ("What is democracy? "): "When a representative democracy operates in accordance with a constitution that limits the powers of the government and guarantees fundamental rights to all citizens, this form of government is a constitutional democracy. " (. http://usinfo.state.gov...). That article also gives an example of New England (USA) when discussing modern democracy and dealing with the idea of pure (direct) democracy. Another quote (same source): "Democracy is more than a set of constitutional rules and procedures that determine how a government functions. " Since it is "MORE than" it must also INCLUDE constitutional rules. And one more quote (same source again), directly on the point of "according to law": "In short, democracy is the institutionalization of freedom. For this reason, it is possible to identify the time-tested fundamentals of constitutional government, human rights, and equality before the law that any society must possess to be properly called democratic. " I contend that the US Dept of State hits the nail right on its head with the above statement. 3. My opponent argues that a Republic has a chief of state whereas a democracy does not. Every country has a chief of state. That's a simple fact. However, in a democratic monarchy, such chief of state may be the monarch as opposed to an elected figure. That's the main difference between a democracy and a republic. Thus, the UK is a democracy but not a republic. A republic cannot have a monarch. However, most democracies do not have one either. Does this difference mean the US is not a democracy? No, it does not. The US meets every criterion of Democracy. It meets every part of every definition of democracy that I have seen. It certainly meets my opponent's dictionary definitions. At the end my opponent again claims that for me to win this debate I must prove that the USA is a democracy and NOT a republic. He is simply incorrect. That was never stipulated. It was not in his Resolution. It was also not in his Round 1. All I am required to do is prove that the USA is a democracy. Once I have done that, I have disproven one limb of his resolution. Since his resolution is a double resolution and is not put in the alternative (eg "The USA is a republic OR not a democracy"), disproving either limb of it disproves the entire resolution. Remember my example of "Beet root is a plant part, not food"? If I posted that, my opponent would not have to prove that beet root is food and NOT a plant part. It would be sufficient for him to prove that I'm incorrect because beet root is in fact both.