[00:00:04] Broadcasting live from atop the Rocky Mountains, the crossroads of the West, you are listening to the Liberty Roundtable Radio Talk Show. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to have a whole discussion about a question. Imagine that, a long form broadcast video all relating to a question.
[00:00:31] The question is, are we a democracy? The answer is a 100% resounding, absolutely not. Are we a democracy? Again, 100% absolutely not. What generated this question? I went to the Braver Angels Conference, as you all know, and we've got a series of broadcasts related to our time.
[00:01:01] We had a great time at the event. The event was incredible. Wonderful people, food, festivities, faith, education, relationships, fun. It was delightful. It really helped me understand the value of Braver Angels, what they want to accomplish and why, and how they accomplish what they do. It was really something to behold, folks. I got to give them a massive shout out credit.
[00:01:29] However, we talked to a gentleman there and we brought up this fact that in the films they are creating in their conversations, everywhere they talk about our democracy, through democracy, because of democracy, using democracy, democracy to where it makes you crazy a little bit.
[00:01:49] Why? Because we're not a democracy. That's why. And so we had a great discussion myself, my producer, Zach Gillis, or I should say one of my producers, Michael and Liz, and several people take care of business. But anyway, we had this great conversation with this guy. And it was a very peaceful, kind conversation. He asked questions. We provided answers. And at the end of the discussion, because we ran out of time, he kind of still didn't get it.
[00:02:19] You know, we made our points and he said, I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree with those points. But at the end of the day, he kind of wanted to hold on to that democracy idea, wanted to hold on to, can't we just use the word democracy, even though we mean something different? And the answer is, I mean, you can. People do it all the time. But is it right? No. Does it mis-educate? Absolutely. And to me, that is the quintessential point.
[00:02:48] If you use the word democracy in a broader, a general, how we participate sense, you miss the greater conversation. You miss the details that separate those who are educated from those who are not. Now, I'm not saying anybody who uses the word democracy is uneducated. They may have a degree. They may be highly educated.
[00:03:18] But they miss the nuances that our founding fathers were keen to, one, research, two, highlight, and three, reject. The founding fathers considered a variety of systems. They thought about them. They prayed about them. They pondered them. They debated them.
[00:03:46] And lo and behold, at the end of the day, they rejected all of them. That's right. You say, well, what do you mean? How do they reject all of them, Sam? We've got a government, don't we? They could not have rejected all of them. They can, and they did. But what they did was they kept pieces of many types of governments.
[00:04:09] And they blended them together in a unique, what they called grand experiment. Why was it a grand experiment? Because this type of government had never been tried before. Yeah. And it had many different hallmarks, if you will, or signs that related to its, quote, uniqueness.
[00:04:36] Many different elements that related to why is it different? How is it different? What makes it different? What makes it so unique that it would be considered an experiment? Not a, quote, repeat of history. The answer? A republic, if you can keep it. Well, Sam, there's republics all around the world. That's right. But they are not constitutional republics.
[00:05:06] And you've got to understand, not only is it a constitutional republic, but it's a constitutional republic based on the United States Constitution, which is unique among all governments through the history of the world. There is nothing like it. Oh, there's elements of it. There's pieces of the pie. That's right. There's pieces of the car, if you will, or pieces of the engine.
[00:05:36] But you know, when you take apart an engine and then you get done and you clean it all up and you get it all ready and you put it all back together, if there's missing pieces, might not run. Even if it runs, it might not run efficiently or properly. It's kind of like taking the part of an engine and then putting that engine back together again. Again, you've got to get all the pieces in the right spots, adjusted properly, doing the right things.
[00:06:03] That's how our founders built our constitutional republic. So anyway, this gentleman is a wonderful guy. I don't mean in any way to suggest he's negative or, but you know what? He will admit he asked us a lot of questions that he said, I just, I don't know enough about this. So my goal isn't to run around and say he's not educated. He's very intelligent, very incredibly smart, capable. I mean, he's a filmmaker for crying out loud. The guy's brilliant.
[00:06:33] But at the same time, he never got taught this in government school. Neither did I. However, I had some tutors, some mentors, some people who helped me understand and put this together. And then what did I do? I didn't want to just listen to the teachers, the mentors. I wanted to vet what they had to say. I wanted to research it till the cows come home. I wanted to study it. I wanted to pray about it. I wanted to do what the founders did to come up with it, to familiarize myself with it.
[00:07:01] And that's why, you know, I know quite a bit about it. I've been working on it for 30 plus years now, ladies and gentlemen. I actually worked on it a little bit before. It just was not really intentional. It was because of my religion. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to which I'm a member, we believe the Constitution is a sacred document. The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Ten Commandments, they're
[00:07:31] all guidelines to a civilized moral society. They're all guidelines to create a framework to allow religious liberty to flourish. And without those milestones, those guidelines, that framework, we couldn't have the religious liberties we have today. So understand that to me, the Constitution is sacred.
[00:07:56] In fact, it should be the political religion of our nation, if you will, or the moral compass for our nation might be a better way to say it. America, ladies and gentlemen, is a constitutional republic. It is not. I repeat, it is not. I repeat again, it is not a democracy. Now I'm going to proceed to lay out the framework so you understand how I got there.
[00:08:22] I was going to put together 15 principles as I started out my study session to prepare for this show. The problem is I came up with 25, not 15. Because it's so overwhelming when you study the founders, they rejected every form of government, including democracy. Oh, they kept pieces of many governments.
[00:08:44] But they uniquely created checks and balances to temper every element that could go awry. And they put together what they called the grand experiment. 250 years later, ladies and gentlemen, this year, we have the ability to look back at all the governments of the world, historically speaking.
[00:09:10] Look back at the United States and our founding fathers and their unique government, which had never been tried before. And we can look back and see how successful it was or is. And we have a role, ladies and gentlemen, a grand role in determining what it will look like over the next 250 years. Sons and daughters of the Republic, you have a sacred role to play.
[00:09:39] And I hope that I play my part on the stage of history as the founders did with a desire for the sacred cause of liberty, understanding that the mother of all liberties is that of agency, my ability to choose as I think best. And yes, that means suffering the consequences of the choices I make.
[00:10:06] If I make godly choices, if I make choices that promote the God-ordained traditional family, if I make choices that preserve our unique, blessed form of government, then wonderful are the consequences. On the other hand, if I turn my back on it, if I don't obey the commandments of God, if I don't have fidelity to family and country, then I lose the prize. Ladies and gentlemen, that's the reality.
[00:10:36] When we get back, I'm going to dig into kind of the expose that I put together here on this. You can see my pros. You can think of cons. I'd love to debate this anytime, anywhere with anybody. How's that? I'm Sam Bushman. This is the one and only Liberty RoundTable Podcast. Are we a constitutional republic? Yes, indeed we are. And I'm here to prove it. You know where the solution can be found, Mr. President?
[00:11:01] In churches, in wedding chapels, in maternity wards across the country and around the world. More babies will mean forward-looking adults, the sort we need to tackle long-term, large-scale problems. American babies in particular are likely going to be wealthier, better educated, and more conservation-minded than children raised in still industrializing countries. As economist Tyler Cowen recently wrote, quote,
[00:11:30] By having more children, you're making your nation more populous, thus boosting its capacity to solve climate change. The planet does not need for us to think globally and act locally so much as it needs us to think family and act personally. The solution to so many of our problems, at all times and in all places, is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids.
[00:12:15] Hitting news and podcasts at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Join us at LibertyNewsRadio.com. Empower your day with the truth, because the truth will set you free. LibertyNewsRadio.com. All right, back with you live, ladies and gentlemen, Sam Bushman. America, ladies and gentlemen, is a constitutional republic, not a democracy.
[00:12:44] Let's go. I put together kind of a, I don't know, some bullet points that might help you understand the reality. It's about education. It's about understanding the Founding Fathers. It's about why they rejected it, right? The United States, folks, was founded as a constitutional republic. While democratic principles, such as voting, elections, and representation, are part of our
[00:13:09] system, the founders deliberately rejected democracy. Or peer democracy as our form of government. They understood that an unchecked majority could become just as dangerous as a monarchy. No king, no majority rule. Got it?
[00:13:34] America's system, ladies and gentlemen, is built on the principle that individual rights come from God Almighty and not from government and therefore cannot be taken away by any temporary political majority. Think about that.
[00:13:56] The Constitution was designed to limit government, to limit power, to protect liberty, and prevent those who, well, just have whatever they want to think at the moment. In other words, the passions of the moment from overwhelming justice and God-given individual rights. Think about that.
[00:14:24] Everything in the United States government, the unique blend is to temper the few from overwhelming the many, or the simple majority from overwhelming the moral imperative. Critical terms I'm using. You might have to study some of them to get caught up. What is the moral imperative? It is that God's law is the ultimate law. God's law is sovereign.
[00:14:54] Government. We, as his sons and daughters, have been given a measure of sovereignty under God's law. Government was created by we, the people. And government can only receive authority we give it. That would be authority that we have, right? We can't give authority we don't have. So therefore, God's the ultimate sovereign. We, as his sons and daughters, have been given inalienable rights.
[00:15:21] And we can delegate government to exist and serve us. Never own us. And we can't give government authority we don't possess. When asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention gave us, or had created, if you will, Benjamin Franklin famously replied, a republic, if you can keep it. He did not say a democracy, ladies and gentlemen.
[00:15:51] He said a republic. That was intentional. And the question was critical. What kind of government do we have? Likewise, ladies and gentlemen, the Pledge of Allegiance declares loyalty to the republic for which it stands, not democracy. Democracy.
[00:16:17] Today, ladies and gentlemen, sadly, many Americans use the word democracy loosely to try to mean self-government, free elections, or representative government. But it does none of those things. Because self-government isn't no democracy. Self-government means you have to have fidelity to God. For he's the author of our laws.
[00:16:46] There's no democracy about it. One person, fidelity to their maker, to their creator. Right? The created giving honor to the creator. There's no democracy about it. Free elections? Well, we elect representatives. Right? So yes, we have democratic principles. We go and vote. Right? But we don't just have majority win in votes.
[00:17:15] Do we? Well, kind of. We have a blend of a variety of ways that votes get counted. I can go on. But the electoral college is an example. Right? Representative government means that I elect someone who then takes votes on my behalf. A step away from we the people and a majority and a democracy. Right?
[00:17:41] However, if we wish to be historically accurate and constitutionally accurate, the United States is properly described as a constitutional republic with some democratic features, not a democracy itself. Certainly not a, quote, pure democracy. The distinction matters because words shape how people understand.
[00:18:11] Let me say that again. That's worth repeating. The distinction matters because words shape how people understand government and their role in that government. If America is viewed primarily as a democracy, then many begin to believe that whatever 51% of voters want,
[00:18:39] they get or should become law. If America is understood as a constitutional republic, then it becomes clear that even majorities are limited by the Constitution, the checks and balances, and ultimately by the God-given rights of every individual. Did you hear me? God-given rights given to every individual,
[00:19:08] not the majority rules. See, that's the uniqueness. We look to God or a higher source than government for our unique form of government. That was not done before unless it was like a king. But then you had a monarch, and then you kind of blend a monarch and a theocracy. If you look at King David, and well, David had to appeal to God, and now you've got God as the theocracy state.
[00:19:38] Sorry about that. Theocracy state. And you've got David as kind of the king. You've got this monarch theocracy thing going on. The founders believed that liberty required more than elections. Liberty required constitutional restraint, separation of powers, federalism, checks and balances,
[00:20:03] and the protection of individual rights from both kings and majorities. They intentionally understood this reality. Go read their writings for greater context. Start with the federalist and the anti-federalist papers, if you want to get kind of an idea. And then look at their individual letters to one another to understand. That is why, ladies and gentlemen, referring to our form of government as a constitutional republic,
[00:20:33] that is why preserving the republic remains one of the most important responsibilities of our generation. It's critical, ladies and gentlemen. It's vital. It's not just for fun. It's not just happenstance. It's not just casual. We can say and think and believe what we want. We must get this right. Because the whole understanding of what we try to preserve
[00:21:03] depends on that. You know, I have Dr. Bradley on with me every Friday, and he wrote a collegiate series. It's a DVD lecture series, as well as a book. It's a book to read. It's a workbook. It's everything. It's the collegiate understanding. It's called to preserve the nation. Because that's why preserving the republic remains one of the most important responsibilities of our generation, folks. So I put together 25 reasons.
[00:21:32] I started out trying to put 15 together. But I put together 25 reasons that were a constitutional republic, not a democracy. Number one, the Pledge of Allegiance says republic. Right? The republic for which it stands, they don't describe democracy at all. Number two, Benjamin Franklin, when asked about it, called it a republic. A republic, a republic, if you can keep it, he said.
[00:22:01] Number three, the Constitution never established a democracy and doesn't even use the word democracy. The Constitution declares or proclaims no provision declaring the United States to be democracy. Never. Nowhere. The Constitution does, however, guarantee a republican form of government. And that doesn't mean the party.
[00:22:30] That's a private organization, not even government. The Constitution guarantees a republican form of government. Article 4, Section 4 guarantees every state a republican form of government. So even in that, if we want to run around and talk about a republican or a republic all the time, you can. But democracy or democrat? No.
[00:22:59] Number five, the founders warned against peer democracy. Many founders viewed peer democracy as unstable and vulnerable to mob rule and majority tyranny. That's why when they talk about democracy, some people call it demon crazy. Because you get the majority rule and the majority just decides they can vote themselves largesque from the treasury. They think they can just, you know,
[00:23:29] if there's one sheep and three wolves, there's four of them. Well, the three wolves decide the sheep is for dinner and that's the way it is. See, it becomes mob rule. It becomes tyranny majority. The founders understood this. Number six, rights. God-given inalienable rights are not subject to majority vote. The Bill of Rights protects fundamental liberties even when they're unpopular. That's vital to understand, folks.
[00:23:59] Seven, the Constitution limits government power. Government officials are bound by constitutional restraints regardless of public opinion. That's critical, folks. And they swear an oath to the Constitution, not to a democracy. I've got a whole lot more as this broadcast continues, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Sam Bushman and it's all about education. It's all about gaining an understanding
[00:24:29] and then standing tall for what we've learned. I'm Sam Bushman. Spread the word, show the love. We're everywhere. God save our constitutional republic. Thank you.