by Dick Pilling
You know, as a conservative Republican, I have always had a problem with the fact that many people refer to the “Democratic Party” when what they really mean is the “Democrat Party”. Just because it is comprised of those that identify as Democrats does not necessarily make it democratic.
The term democratic is defined as relating to or supporting democracy or its principles and the term democracy is defined as a system of government through elected representatives.
Put simply, a democracy is a system that is ruled by the people and for the people but it is, most assuredly, not comprised of only democrats but also of Republicans, Libertarians, Independents to name but a few of the more prominent political ideologies.
To refer to the Democrat Party – in reality just a bunch of Democrats – as the Democratic Party implies that the other ideologies are not enthusiastic adherents of a democratic form of government.
This argument – shall we call it the democratic party or the Democrat party – goes back many years but gained some recent prominence when, in 1955, the then Republican Chairman Leonard Hall, referred to the Democrat Party rather than the Democratic Party.
Hall dropped the “ic” stating that “I think their claims that they (meaning the democrat party) represent the great mass of the people and we don’t is just a lot of bunk”. Perhaps a bit indelicate but right on the mark. Rather Trumpian, I think.
Of course, we should always remember that Republican ends with can (as in “can do”) whereas Democrat ends in rat (as in, well, rat) and so I guess I understand why Democrats may well prefer the term Democratic.
However, I do note that their preferred idiom of Democratic ends in tic which is a small parasite that feeds on others.
How very appropriate …
(Dick Pilling is the past chair of the Clallam County Republican Party. He is currently serving on the CCRP Board.)
