Good discussion.
I'd say we live NOT in a representative democracy, but in a Constitutional democratic republic.
"Constitutional" because contrary to Washington- think, we indeed do have a Constitution.
"Democratic" because at least locally, we do determine policy via "50% + 1 individual" referendum-type votes.
"Republic" becasue we elect representatives.
All three types of gov'ts are represented in present day America.
We DO NOT have a pure republic. Otherwise, we'd never have local referendum votes.
And even our representatives so closely follow the polls and the winds of public opinion RATHER THAN being leaders and standing on principle, the principles we elected them on, as representatives in a true republic would, that even the "republic" charachteristics are morphing into "the will of the majority" democracy.
So we have a sort of mix breed, mutant, hybrid form of gov't.