Democracy’s not a dirty word — and Sharon McMahon and Heather Cox Richardson are here to remind us why. The word democracy has become weirdly controversial, with some media even avoiding using it because it’s seen as “left-leaning.” But democracy just means people having a say in their government, right? Heather Cox Richardson and Sharon McMahon remind us that the founders talked about democracy and republic kind of interchangeably. Their main point? No kings, power comes from the people. Sure, at first that only meant white men with property. But over time, people who were left out — like Black Americans, women, and other minority groups — stood up and said, “Hey, what about me?” They pushed democracy to include ALL of us. So when someone says democracy is “mob rule” or a bad word, remember: democracy only works if we show up, listen, and protect each other’s right to speak — even if we don’t agree. It’s messy, but that’s the point. Democracy isn’t a thing we inherit and forget. ...