Please Stop Telling Me, 'This Isn't a Democracy.'

Yes, I know the difference between a democracy and a constitutional republic…

Forgive the impatient headline, but so often when I use the word “democracy,” I get something like the following response from conservatives:

“This [America] is NOT a democracy; it’s a constitutional republic.”

Sometimes the statement comes along with several exclamation points, or a schoolmarmish tone as if I am insufficiently educated on American histor…