Is the U.S. still a real democracy?

A real democracy requires honest unbiased media, which the US has not had for several decades.

A real democracy requires honest unbiased media, which the US has not had for several decades.

No, a real democracy requires an unfettered media, which the US has not had for several decades.

The problem arose from the media needing to sell advertising in order to generate profits. This led to bias in media.

Unfortunately, the Snake Oil Salesman in Chief has exploited fear to make people think this has been some sort of nefarious plot to keep down people of the right, blinding them to the truth that there is no conscious effort behind this bias, it is the end result of unbridled, unfettered capitalism - a policy their same people support. Sorry to tell you guys, but if you want unfettered capitalism, you get biased media along with that.

Isnt a Republic, so no? From what ive read democracy was not the intention.

Its also a country in which the federal government has massively overstepped its proper place in the mix.

Yes the media is awful.

Social media makes it worse

I dont think, accounting for population it is better or worse than many Western countries atvthe individual. The size of the population intensifies the shouting and the degree and amount of stupid.

The amount of money in politics in the U.S intensifies the corruption and the power of lobby groups. Every country has that problem though.

But at the end of the day, the system still largely functions. People go about their business in relative freedom and in relative prosperity, much like Japan. Much like Australia. Just with a gun in hand lol.

Id love to spend a good amount of time in America, Fascinating i think for me.

...enacted legislation in the last two years that makes it more difficult for people to cast their ballots. (extract)

For the left-wing, voter suppression essentially means the requirement to produce a valid ID in order to vote, which they are against.

People need an ID to drive, to fly, to enter buildings, to work, as proof of insurance, proof of ownership, many other activities where an ID is needed on a daily basis.

And yet when a citizen exercises that most important duty to vote, leftists decry the requirement of an valid ID, thus this hysterical protest of "voter suppression". 

Fact is, those who cannot produce valid IDs as registered voters are most probably illegal aliens, a "constituent" of the far left.

For the left-wing, voter suppression essentially means the requirement to produce a valid ID in order to vote, which they are against.

It means a lot more than that - like closing any voting station anywhere near any public transport in cities with large percentages of elderly minorities who rely on public transport.

Voter suppression is anti-democratic. Why do Republicans hate democracy? Why do Republicans hate America?

As I understand it, the USA was intended to be a republican democracy, not a democracy as such. Only city-states are small enough for actual democracies.

The trouble today is manifold. We have the GOPers doing their best to keep democrats from access to the polls, and multi-billion dollar corporations and individuals have found ways to buy their way into the government. There are definitely problems.

American thinks they are democratic country.no by a mile. NSA and all spying and everything.USA is democracy and Americans are free as much Roman were in old days.means petty slaves and life controlled by elite.

Trump demands equal terms in tade ,

when usa consume 30% of products whole world made and produce only 13 %in return....

America is as democratic as China a communist.

Still?

The US was never a democracy, it was a Republic.

If you don't know the difference, your high school Social Science teacher didn't do their job properly.

A Google definition of "republic" is thus:

a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

The Cambridge dictionary thus:

a country without a king or queen, usually governed by elected representatives of the people and a president:

And Collins thus:

A republic is a country where power is held by the people or the representatives that they elect. Republics have presidents who are elected, rather than kings or queens.

Actually, you can be a republic without being a democracy - the post-revolution French Republic, or the People's Republic of China, and you can be a democracy without being a republic (the UK). The USA meets both the definitions of democracy and of being a republic.

Burning BushToday 04:46 pm JST

The US was never a democracy, it was a Republic.

Not that you mind, of course, because all the gerrymandering, voter suppression, and heavy over-representation of small states is invariably advantageous to the Republicans. Or would you be just as accepting if Democrats were the main beneficiaries?

"The US was never a democracy, it was a Republic. If you don't know the difference, your high school Social Science teacher didn't do their job properly."

You would think someone with the name Lincoln Mitchell ( writer of this article ) would understand this.

We have never been a democracy. We are a Constitutional Republic. The clown who wrote this tripe is a Poly Sci teacher at Columbia? The students' parents should be demanding a refund from the university.

Definitely NOT, please open all eyes.

The USA is not and never was a pure democracy. It was rejected because a pure democracy is tyranny by mob and the ones in charge are those who can manipulate the feelings of herds of people. Nothing about that is a good idea. The article falsely claims the party rule systems of europevare superior and closer to democracy. Good for them but it explains why those countries are less free. Why Merkel in Germany can win with 37% of a vote and why the, EU in Brussels isn't elected at all. All of the comments about fake African or other America voting disenfranchisement are completely false, not even worth a comment. About the only examples of reduced voting freedom in America would be how California has imposed Marxist style one party rule voting. Getting ballots where key positions legally only have the Democrats for choices, all others not even allowed on the ballot. Republics are designed purposely to block the effect of mob rule in democracy.

The US is an oligarchy, and under Trump it is a fascist oligarchy.

there are substantive issues like climate change -- article

This is a great example of why people fall for the global warming scam because our schools and colleges teach a false ideology. The guy writing this article is neither a scientist nor a climatologist. He is a Political Science teacher: Meaning, his college degree is limited to the navel gazing confines of the academia echo chamber where those members all nod in bovine agreement to what each other says.

Secondary education students today aren't educated enough or are too intellectually lazy to know they are being lied to They don't do enough research -- if any at all -- to find out global warming is a hoax.

If they bothered to be more inquisitive, they would learn the global warming harbinger's only whose goal is to transfer wealth from the working class to the globalist elites.

Texas A&M AggieNov. 4 11:21 pm JST

We have never been a democracy. We are a Constitutional Republic.

So explain why there are elections.

Andrew TopolskiToday 12:28 am JST

Why Merkel in Germany can win with 37% of a vote...

Donald Trump didn't win the popular vote, did he.

About the only examples of reduced voting freedom in America would be how California has...

You don't know anything about what Republican legislatures and governors in places like Georgia and North Dakota have been up to, then?

It is a democratic republic, like most countries with the term "republic" in their name.

But the US has the electoral college, gerrymandering and what else so that citizens votes are not equal. So it's not a real democracy.

It's still a republic because it has a constitution meant to protect the minority from the majority in power, but even that is constantly undermined. And as the current president wants to be able to change the constitution with an executive order, who knows how long it will last.

if they bothered to be more inquisitive, they would learn the global warming harbinger's only whose goal is to transfer wealth from the working class to the globalist elites.

Serious question, but how does this work? How does a global climate scam enrich these global elitists? The theory of climate change tries to encourage citizens to consume less, use less carbon fuels, re-use products etc. How does this benefit these bogey men? Also, if climate change is a hoax, why is the climate changing?

I’ve heard this conspiracy rubbish before of course, I’ve just never heard anyone able to show the link between the science and the far right fantasy.