[LFAQs-redacted-quote]https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Democracy#Republic.2C_not_a_democracy
Republic, not a democracy
A common exercise in pointless semantics involves labeling the United States of America as "a republic, not a democracy" as done primarily by partisans. The origin of the phrase in the US dates back to the 1930s when conservative anti-interventionists used it to oppose entrance into World War II.[5] It was later used by Robert Welch, founder of the John Birch Society, to express his opposition to the Warren court actually applying the Bill of Rights to legal interpretations.[5]
Those who say "republic, not a democracy" might define democracy as the direct kind, not the representative kind; they might claim democracy leads to mob rule. In fact, the United States is both a democracy and a republic a representative democracy is sometimes also a republic (although not all republics are representative democracies).
On the other hand, if your candidate loses in an obscure constitutional mechanism like the Electoral College, or if you're not part of the wealthy oligarchy that actually determines policy, then the distinction between a democracy and a republic might not seem so pointless.[6]