It really gets under my skin to keep hearing the Democrats call our nation a democracy. We're a republic - a democratic republic, but a republic nonetheless. The guy that was ousted in Colorado called us a democracy too.
I recently saw a clip of Ronald Reagan calling the US a democracy. I agree with you. The story I heard was Ben Franklin, after the meeting of the continental congress where the Constitution was approved was asked, “what kind of government did you decide?” Franklin reportedly said, “A republic, if you can keep it.”