Author Explains The Difference Between A Republican And A Democracy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Author Randy Barnett talked with Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about his book, Our Republican Constitution and attempted to explain the differences between our republic and a direct democracy.
Barnett said the Founding Fathers never intended the United States to be directly governed strictly by the vote of the majority.
"The Founders were expressly against Democracy. It's useful to know what they were for and what they were against...The 'will of the people' concept is crucial to democratic vision of the Constitution. Democracy has to do with majority rule. It has to do with 'we the people' as a group that rules and the only way that 'we the people' as a group can rule is by majority and then that majority rule is called the 'will of the people.' It's a somewhat dangerous Rousseauian idea that didn't really get going in this country until the modern Democratic party was founded in 1820's."
He stated the true role of the elected is to protect the individual and rule of law.
"A Republic is a government or a society in which 'we the people' are individuals, each of whom have individual rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and then the next sentence of the Declaration says it is to secure these rights that governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. The government are not 'us.' They don't represent our will. It's dangerous to think they do. They are our servants and they have a job to do and their job is to protect the rights of each and every one of 'we the people.'
