https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2HSo3yywDU

congrats Uncle Obama

And now, stoners all over washington and colorado have absolutely nothing to talk about.

GARY JOHNSON! GARY JOHNSON GARY JONSON!

it's like taking spongebobs pet and your johnson and putting it into one politician

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A7FEqutCIAA2Rvh.jpg

Legit question, what do they teach as the definition of "democracy" and "republic" in American schools? I see Americans make this statement all the time apparently not realizing that the term republic by definition implies democracy. Is it just because your parties are called democrats and republicans so you assume they must be mutually exclusive terms? I am actually curious.

This used to be the case. However, we're now more of a liberal democracy than we've ever been.

lol

what's context lol

lol

I've only seen one public interview by Elizabeth Warren, and I think it was after she had begun campaigning for senate. She sounded full of it - most of what I heard was political speak, and not even good political speak. Just ignoring questions and vomiting talking points.

But she'll probably vote for stuff I want in the Senate so that's cool. :/

Well to be fair we aren't a true democracy. No country in the world is actually a true democracy (everyone gets to vote on everything). We elect representatives to essentially vote for us. The idea is to grasp the will of the people and make choices they support in order to be elected, while also being logistically a lot better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WXhO_-e3bM#t=14s

http://i.imgur.com/CqLtJ.png

#FlockaForPresident2016

he literally killed KB Toys, which was headquartered in my city.
mittens killed one of my town's chances at restoring after General Electric left GJ romms

What? Democracy does not mean "everyone gets to vote on everything". Democracy refers to any system of government in which the power of the state is derived from the population as a whole. There are many different possible democratic systems. Direct democracy (which you're describing, and which by the way does exist to a degree in Switzerland) isn't a more "true" form of democracy than a representative democracy. It has pros and cons like any other system of government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7RZTlzXHmo

I think what he's trying to say is that people toss around the word democracy nowadays and it's definition is pretty skewed

The word has more than one meaning, that's pretty normal. This word is different though, in that people apparently think it makes them look smart to derail the conversation every time it's used by pointing out how the definition the other person is using differs from whatever they had in mind. This is exactly as useful and clever as going into one of the mouse sensitivity threads we often have and asking why people care how easy it is to hurt their pet rodent's feelings.

It varies.. I've always been taught democracy refers to the people voting on matters, while a republic is when a body decides things for the people by a vote, usually elected themselves by a vote of the people. So a democratic republic refers to a system of government where the people vote for a body that then votes on issues that govern the people. It's an indirect form of democracy that allows the people to do what they want until election time comes around, where they have a say, so not everyone has to be a politician.

Some positions are elected by popular vote, like House and Senate members. Others are voted by the Electoral College, which usually has the same outcome as the popular vote. Others are appointed by elected officials, like Supreme Court justices, which are appointed by the President. Another example is the President's cabinet (Secretary of State, Defense, etc).

Some historians wouldn't even call us a democratic republic, but just a republic. That's how one of my history teachers put it, it depends widely on your definition o the two terms. In some ways we are a democracy, such as when states hold votes for propositions, like legalizing marijuana or gay marriage, which is direct democracy, in some ways we are a republic, like when the president appoints judges (we elected a figure that appoints figures) or when senators are elected. So we are a mix of the two in many ways, that's probably why they call us a democratic republic.

As for the parties names, they aren't related, republican and democratic parties didn't coexist until the 1860s or so.

TO Obama:
GLHF!

Don't worry, the justice department will shit all over those two states if they try and carry it out. They'll be lumped in with the rest of the country again.

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/521806_551439941538297_415631501_n.jpg

Awww man I remember that place from when I was younger.
RIP in pieces (4 years late)