I love the democracy vs. republic talking point on the conservative side. It’s not new, I first encountered it in 2005.
“We’re not a rectangle you idiot, We’re a square!!!” -every conservative dumbass
I didn’t see it until later, but yeah, it’s been around for years. It crops up every now and then from right-wingers trying to test the waters for being overtly anti-democracy. What I found scary was how much more common it got, and at higher levels. I remember a fucking senator repeating that line.
I also use the square vs. rectangle analogy. Granted, we’re not going to convince fascists acting in bad faith, but it plays to an audience.