What is a Republic? (Adapted from My Speech from Meet the Candidate Event)

General Definition:  1. A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them. 2. A political order whose head of state is not a monarch and in modern times is usually a president. 3. A nation that has such a political order
The American Ideal of 1776: The Twelve Basic American Principles Definition: a constitutionally limited government of the representative type, created by a written Constitution--adopted by the people and changeable (from its original meaning) by them only by its amendment--with its powers divided between three separate Branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Here the term "the people" means, of course, the electorate.


The preamble to the Constitution says, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

President Lincoln recognized the power of the people when he ended his famous Gettysburg address with these words: "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

I propose to you today, that we take this purpose of the creation of these great United States to the rest of the people and remind them of the fact that we are a Republic....that we, the people established this country, that we, the people established it as a Republic and as such, that leaders we elect, serve us. They are elected to not only fill a position, but to do it to the best of their ability. They are to take a stand on the beliefs they convinced us they had when running for office. They are to support their constituency and abide by the Constitution of the United States of America as it was written. We, the people of the Republic are responsible to be ever vigilant in holding them accountable. Our responsibility as citizens of this great country is to participate in its government just like the judicial, legislative and executive branches. The power of this government rests in the hands of we, the people, but only if we do our part.