What They Mean: Absolute rule by the majority is bad, and that it is OK if a minority rules on some issues since the majority wins over time, and federalism is important.
What I Hear: We are just fine by minority rule as long as it serves our purposes.
What They Really Really Mean: Back in the old days, voters were only rich, white men who owned property, and even though most of us aren't racist, so the white part isn't critical (but we're not really shouting down our allies who might be racist unless really really obvious about it) the 'rich' and 'property owning' is key, because poor people are like that because God made them that way and they're lazy scum sucking pigs sucking on the teat of the federal government.
Note: These same people immediately believe in the virtues of a democratic majority when they believe they're in the majority. "That's undemocratic" will drip from their lips at the drop of a hat, its just you rarely hear it from the elites because they're become more and more in the permanent minority and needing to use parliamentary tricks or gerrymandering to get their way and show no signs of changing their view point in the near future.
Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government there is, except all of the others." Parliaments are not Republics even though they have Republican elements. Technically speaking, it depends on what you're talking about when you mean "Republic" because we are most certainly a Democratic Republic.
A Republic in its purest form is defined by the dictionary as: : "a country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader (such as a president) rather than by a king or queen"
The key there is elected and not a king.
So...we don't have a king. So do most countries in the world. Hell, even Switzerland which has direct votes on almost everything has legislators. So really? "Republic not a democracy" is BULLSHIT and is a dog whistle saying what I meant above.
We are a republic alright, but we have determined that our legislators are elected democratically, which means that the basis of sovereignty in our nation says, "WE THE PEOPLE" **NOT** "WE THE STATES"...the ratification of the constitution was conducted at large by the people, by state, but it was a popular election.
Moreover, the idea that there is not a 'right to vote' is ridiculous on my levels:
The 10th Amendment says there are many rights not explicitly spoken here, reserved to the states.
Numerous amendments expand the voting franchise. If you define things the government cannot restrict as a right (and my view of a right is much broader, just going by conservative/libertarian insane definitions) then by DEFINITION if the government cannot pass laws forbidding folks from voting based on parameters in the constitution It's a RIGHT.
Voting is a right. It is certainly a right as defined by the UN Declaration of Human Rights which has more legitimacy than a document enshrined by Conservatives. The Constitution is a wonder, and was a wonder for its time but the truth is, that now that it is used by frauds, liars, cheats and scoundrels as a shield the most inappropriate behavior, I cannot help but think that the time has come to replace it.
As I have mentioned ad nasuem numerous times.
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