The video, titled “An Ordinary Man,”-Democracy host Jim Wining, features Jim Wining discussing the political structure of the United States.
Here is a summary of the main points from the video:
- The Problem with the Word “Democracy”
- Wining notes that the word “democracy” is constantly being used by news organizations, politicians, and an entire political party to describe the U.S. government, often using the phrase “saving democracy” [00:15].
- He questions whether the U.S. government is truly a democracy and states that the Founding Fathers (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison) actually set up the Constitution to avoid a democracy [01:26].
- Why a Democracy Was Avoided
- The Founding Fathers were concerned that mass voting on every issue would be impossible and historically had seen examples of democracies that became crippling, sometimes leading to dictatorship [01:50].
- The True Form of U.S. Government: A Republic
- The founders instead created a government that would provide everyone an opportunity to have a voice while avoiding mass voting, which is called a Republic [02:32].
- A republic is defined as a representative government, where officials are elected by the people but the government is run by these representatives [03:02].
- The Three Branches of the Republic
- Legislative Branch (Congress): Made up of the Senate (two senators per state) and the House of Representatives (based on state population), all of whom are elected by the people [03:12].
- Executive Branch (President): The President is not elected nationwide directly but through the Electoral College, where states elect electors who then elect the President, calling it “another indirect means of election of representation” [04:02].
- Judicial Branch (Supreme Court): These judges are not elected but are nominated by the President and affirmed by the Senate, serving as checks and balances on the legalities of the legislation [04:32].
- Conclusion
- Wining concludes by urging listeners to affirm that the country is a representative republic, stating it “has never been is not now and never will be democracy” [06:02].
