Democracy or representative democracy?
411729
Federal Republic does better than either one of those you listed, due to the divided and difused power that the various levels of government has so that power doesn't become concentrated in one area
758330
Really America is a Republic, so Democracy is just a myth..Right now with Bush it's a Dictatorship, and Democracy is once again a myth. Democracy means "For the people, By the people" (Abraham Lincoln), not for the corporations, and the rich people that want to rule.
901716
Quoth the ever-insightful Merriam-Webster: Democracy is "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections."\n\nSo, assuming people are voting in free elections, the election is democratic - C got the most votes, ergo C gets the position.  However, while democratic, the system is obviously not ideal in that it is easy for a candidate to win without a majority.  To remedy this, many systems of voting use alternate methods such as run-off elections or even preferential ranking of candidates.  But while this may not be the most representative form of voting, it is democratic nonetheless.
909383
Well, I don't think there would be a democracy.....without good education there are no good jobs and without good jobs there is no economy...without the economy.....\n\nwell you know
10328
Both are pure democracy
804876
Democracy:  Everyone votes for everything.\n\nRepublic:  Voters choose representatives to vote on issues.
899745
Our form of democracy is not genuine democracy.  And it works just fine, thanks.  \n\nThe US is a democratic-republic.  Our own concept.
1133337
Constitutional Democratic Republic.\n\nThe difference from straight democracy is that we don't directly vote on each issue, but have representative who vote on each issue.\n\nThe other difference is the Consitution which limits the government from voting in certain things.  For example, in a straight Democracy the majority of people might decide that Nazism is good and that all Jews should be killed.  The Constitution prohibits the Democratic process from becoming "mob rule" and protects the rights of the minorities.
291791
In part there must be an agreement as to what the term participatory democracy means.  I believe that its meaning isn’t the same for everyone.  In the simplest meaning, all people of a given society are able to directly impact the acts and directions of the society.  \n\nCertainly in a small society this can have merit.  Say a community of 1,000 people get together for each decision and discuss it and vote.  Even here though there will be decisions which must be made too quickly to get everyone together and some individuals will be selected to address those decisions.  For example, will they all be the local sheriff and all participate in the decision making to decide when evidence dictates who is to be arrested or a traffic ticket issued?  Or will that function and responsibility be given to selected individuals?  In this sense that participatory democracy is replaced with some form of representative democracy and clearly as the size of that society grows, the need to expand the representative function will also grow.  The point is that it is doubtful that this form of representative democracy of full citizen participation is actually functional.\n\nIf by participatory democracy it is meant that the majority of the people shall rule in all situations, then what exists is a form of mob rule where the minority does not have and shall never have rights.  In this form the Founders were very concerned because they believed that such a form of government would ultimately lead to dictatorship.  \n\nIf participatory democracy is meant to be citizens having the power to be aware of government acts and intent, and to have the power to discuss it, and to have the power to influence elected and appointed officials, then that exists today.  It exists as an elementary part of the Constitutional Representative Republic developed by the Founders and now functioning.  \n\nAnyone or any group has the right to find out what government is doing or intends to do.  Further, anyone or any group has the right to address any elected official through right of petition for redress of governmental acts.  In the final analysis the citizen holds the power over the governmental officials by the vote.  The citizens can vote anyone in or out of office.  However, there is a problem with this, that is, for it to work the citizen must become involved.  That is, attend local work sessions of local government.  Belong to groups of citizens (usually having similar views) who keep an eye on elected and appointed officials and make real use of the right of petition, the power of the vote and the power of the court.  \n\nIt is now, as it has been for over two hundred years in the hands of the citizen to mold and control government.
1053518
Revolution.  After two suspicious elections, you can no longer trust the democratic process.  You would probably find that several countries would support revolutionaries, should they come to a position of power.
1048201
~Suffrage and representation.
196160
Yes, it is.  (It's also a republic, capitalist, etc.)  It's not a "direct" democracy in the sense of submitting everything to a direct vote of the people, but the people do have ultimate power.  As a practical matter, the people frequently don't exercise the power they have -- they often don't bother voting, or don't educate themselves on issues -- but the power is there if they choose.
603111
many people argue that there really is no such thing as a true democracy.\nEven in the greatest democracies we still elect leaders who may or may not really represent the voice of the people.\nPerhaps a true democracy would operate something like American Idol, where we pick up a phone and text our votes on every issue that comes up.\nThere's a thought!
729094
The technical term for it is a democratic republic so a lot of ppl like to argue it is not a democracy; but, actually it is.\n\nThere are many different forms of democracies with the basic concept applying when the will of the ppl is heard.\n\nIn a republic like ours, we do have this. We elect officials to speak the will of the ppl... to represent the ppl; therefore, we are a democracy. \n\nThe difference between our democracy and say a direct democracy is that we elect regional representatives to do the work, study and research for us in order to make informed choices.
423903
Yes democracy is.The people are the legislature in a democracy.
818353
uh...democracy's side
833908
Nothing meaningful actually. As democracy implies the pluralism of (many different) choices. During the cold war era communist rulers  tried to push the illusion that communist countries were truly democratic under the leadership of one communist party that took care of the working class and all the people. Nonsense actually the rulers only cared for themselves. The democratic thinking people in communist countries then invented the term pluralistic society and democracy to counter the pretense of despotic authorities that the communist regimes were the best democracies. It doesn't have much meaning now.