Y'all have seen some of the chest thumping from folks who initiate actions for secession, either from the Union or as part of a state (Colorado for instance).
In the end both sides will use whatever laws seem to serve their purpose and arguments. I have no current involvement in any of these but I have brought this up to friends who are. The link below provides a well founded, as in our Constitution, definition of the differences. We pledge allegiance to the Republic, not to the Democracy. I suspect that most of the Liberals aren't even aware of how they're using it.
http://www.1215.org/lawnotes/lawnotes/repvsdem.htm