For let it be agreed that a government is republican...

 

For let it be agreed that a government is republican in proportion as every member composing it has his equal voice in the direction of its concerns.... The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person, and property, and in their management. -- Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816 From p 8, In the Hands of the People, edited by Jon Meacham.

The word "republic" derives from the Latin "res publica" literally meaning "the public thing." It is also translated, "for the public good."

His [Jefferson's} vision was one of hope. "Wherever the people are well informed," Jefferson wrote in 1789, "they can be trusted with their government, [and] whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights." -- In the Hands of the People p xii.

 

I've shared this TED Talk previously, (and do so again) to highlight the point in time (July 2018) at which I became convinced that the American people would, when the opportunity arouse, reclaim their government from the demagogue who presided over it since January 20, 2017. Trump's election was legitimate. His presidency was not faithful to the people, to the Constitution, or to the Republic.  

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, ostensibly the winner of a recent election in the country of Belarus, 

delivered this TED Talk, published today, which should serve as a warning of what could have been the fate of the United States if Trump's coup had succeeded. Even if Trump had, it would not have been the last word.