No Matter How You Vote, Politicians Don't Represent You

[rangerrebew]

No Matter How You Vote, Politicians Don't Represent You

11/03/2018Ryan McMaken

One of the most foundational assumptions behind modern democracy is that the elected officials somehow represent the interests of those who elected them.

Advocates for the political status quo flog this position repeatedly, claiming that taxation and the regulatory state are all morally legitimate because the voters are "represented." Even conservatives, who often claim to be for "small government" often oppose radicalism of any kind — such as secession — on the grounds that political resistance movements such as the American Revolution are only acceptable when there is "taxation without representation." The implication being that since the United States holds elections every now and then, no political action outside of voting — and maybe a little sign waving — is allowed.

https://mises.org/wire/no-matter-how-you-vote-politicians-dont-represent-you

[INVAR]

...we must simply accept the fact that what we have been calling representative government is in reality just party competition for office.

...we must not fall into the trap of assuming that political representatives even try to respond to the policy desires of the district voters. The idea that government coercion is made legitimate through political representation leans heavily on the idea that politicians adhere to a delegate model of political representation in which they try to advance or protect the interests of their constituents. Unfortunately, this is a bad assumption.

...once we get to the level of the US Senate, representatives show virtually no congruence with the ideologies of the people they're supposed to represent.

...they view themselves as trustees whose job it is to do what's "best" for the people in their district regardless of what the voter preferences actually are.

...The "right thing," in the mind of a legislator, is simply that which comports to his or her personal ideology.

These are all good and true observations, and the reason why I see no difference whatsoever between Rs and Ds - two sides of the same coin of the Statist Oligarchy.

They will continue to vote for Collectivism and Statism and the last 9 years are perfect proof of the fact that the GOP does not represent the voters who put them in office, nor will they vote to empower their desires, rather only that of the Collectivist State.

[EasyAce]

It bears repeating . . .

The people's pulse had taken, charted, predicted, and catalogued. And they were told exactly whom they would elect, and by what majority. And yet---it couldn't hurt to watch the campaign, anyhow.

That was Edward R. Murrow, in 1949, reviewing the elections of 1948, for volume two of the documentary album I Can Hear It Now.

That was then. The people's pulses were taken, charted, predicted, and catalogued this time around, too, and once again they were told whom they would elect and by what majority. And it hurt like hell to watch the campaign, anyhow. Campaign watching today makes that of 1948 seem to have been watching a world class World Series. (In case you wondered, in the actual 1948 World Series the Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Braves. Not even the Chicago Tribune could misfire that one.) This year, we got a world class World Series and yet another season of no-class politics, protesting, punditry, and posturing, bottom to top, left and right, as if the sole legitimate response to any reminder that we stand on the shoulders of giants is to pee down their collars.

I thank God every day for living in a state where I am under no obligation to validate such sewage and can exercise that lack of obligation by voting "None of These Candidates." (I might have made exceptions if a surprise party was on the ballot.) I'm more inspired by races between the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, if only because when Wile E. Coyote, Genius, blows himself up, smothers himself under yet another misfiring Acme trap, or ends up going off his umpteen millionth cliff, he only hurts himself, not the country.

[goatprairie]

Anybody who believes electing a particular politician will make or break their lives deserves to have their lives broken.
Change often comes incrementally. Like the frog sitting in water that's slowly boiling (although experiments done with frogs and increases in water temps shows the frog does eventually move as the water gets hotter. But the myth lives on.)
Anyway, in the past the parties were so close together few noticed the differences.
But today while the Republican Party often falls short in fulfilling their promises, in the last fifty years the Democratic Party has veered sharply left to the point it is now nominating (and probably electing) openly socialist candidates.
What does this mean? Nothing?
Not quite. You get enough of these commies in congress or the Oval Office, and you will see your comfortable  world where little changes disappear.
Life is often the situation of voting for the least worst option. Republicans, while distinctly faulty, are clearly a lot less worse the Dems.

[EasyAce]

Life is often the situation of voting for the least worst option. Republicans, while distinctly faulty, are clearly a lot less worse the Dems.

@goatprairie

Unfortunately, and for a long enough time now, that is like saying death from a massive heart attack is clearly a lot less worse than death by protracted cancer.

[INVAR]

Anybody who believes electing a particular politician will make or break their lives deserves to have their lives broken.
Change often comes incrementally. Like the frog sitting in water that's slowly boiling (although experiments done with frogs and increases in water temps shows the frog does eventually move as the water gets hotter. But the myth lives on.)
Anyway, in the past the parties were so close together few noticed the differences.
But today while the Republican Party often falls short in fulfilling their promises, in the last fifty years the Democratic Party has veered sharply left to the point it is now nominating (and probably electing) openly socialist candidates.
What does this mean? Nothing?
Not quite. You get enough of these commies in congress or the Oval Office, and you will see your comfortable  world where little changes disappear.
Life is often the situation of voting for the least worst option. Republicans, while distinctly faulty, are clearly a lot less worse the Dems.

While an accurate assessment, I'm forever done with voting for the lesser of two evils, or voting for the asshat to block the rat.

That is how principles and causes die with liberty -  while party and cults of personality become the only option and stakes.

No thanks.

[Cyber Liberty]

These are all good and true observations, and the reason why I see no difference whatsoever between Rs and Ds - two sides of the same coin of the Statist Oligarchy.

They will continue to vote for Collectivism and Statism and the last 9 years are perfect proof of the fact that the GOP does not represent the voters who put them in office, nor will they vote to empower their desires, rather only that of the Collectivist State.

Once one figures out the most important job of a politician is winning the next election, a lot of explanations fall into place.  Why should they give a crap about what constituents want, or even adhere to a principle?  They are not incentivized to do so.

[EasyAce]

Why should they give a crap about what constituents want, or even adhere to a principle?

They think "principle" is the guy or gal to whom you got sent when you got into trouble at school.

[Cyber Liberty]

They think "principle" is the guy or gal to whom you got sent when you got into trouble at school.

Speling nefer wuz there strung sute.

[goatprairie]

@goatprairie

Unfortunately, and for a long enough time now, that is like saying death from a massive heart attack is clearly a lot less worse than death by protracted cancer.

No, it means voting for Republicans means the country can eventually fix things or at least survive.
If you think there's no difference between the parties after the onslaught from all the self-declared socialists running on the Democrat tickets, I don't know what to tell you.

[EasyAce]

No, it means voting for Republicans means the country can eventually fix things or at least survive.

I'll believe it when I see it and not a moment sooner.

We know what Democrats will do. They make no bones about it. We'd suffer less having root canal without anesthetic.

But the Republicans are getting more and more to be like the abusive husband who promises his wife that if she gives him just this one more chance, no matter how damn well he knows how often he's broken that promise, he'll absolutely positively never-ever-ever-ever do it again.

And she falls for it, again . . . and then . . .

If you think there's no difference between the parties after the onslaught from all the self-declared socialists running on the Democrat tickets, I don't know what to tell you.

@goatprairie
Well, if you'll pardon the expression, they've had their chances (and how) and they did not lead; or, better yet, they've had their chances (and how) and we still have a government that thinks minding its own business and keeping its big nose out of your business, my business, everyone's business (until or unless one would obstruct or abrogate another's rights) isn't what it was built for. And as I used to say often enough, the road to Damnocratic hell is paved with Republican't good intentions.

I went to the polls earlier today. Where the option was "None of These Candidates," I exercised it. Where there wasn't, I voted for any available independent or Libertarian Party candidate, even though I'm a libertarian who isn't always wild about the Libertarian Party. (I ended my party registration in 2004, when Harry Browne turned out to be more interested in turning the LP into a Chicago-style political machine operation when it came to funding candidates and hewing to the party rules for such funding than he was in actually promoting and running on the freedom philosophy.) I have no regret whatsoever, and the Damnocrats and Republican'ts can damn well survive without my vote. So will the country, which I'm pretty sure has a lot more important things to do---living and working being prime among them---than live the completely politicised life. The Damnocratic Party threw my vote away while I was still in college in the late 1970s and the Republican'ts haven't earned my vote since they abrogated the Contract with America.

[EasyAce]

Speling nefer wuz there strung sute.

Too strung out, eye guess . . . 

[Cyber Liberty]

I'll believe it when I see it and not a moment sooner.

...

The Damnocratic Party threw my vote away while I was still in college in the late 1970s and the Republican'ts haven't earned my vote since they abrogated the Contract with America.

Oh, sing it, Brother!  I remember writing a letter to Newty right after the 1994 election (heady days those were), the gist of it was, "We, the voters, just handed the Speaker's gavel to you.  The first Republican speaker within my lifetime.  Don't blow this, you only get one bite at the apple."

He caved to Clinton within a year because Clinton threatened a gubmint shutdown.  I'll bet your opinion of the GOP flew south on the same day mine did.

[Victoria33]

While an accurate assessment, I'm forever done with voting for the lesser of two evils, or voting for the asshat to block the rat.
That is how principles and causes die with liberty -  while party and cults of personality become the only option and stakes.
No thanks.

@INVAR

Sometimes, you need your Republican office holders as they are fair and Dems are not.  I have told this story before.  The Democrat District Attorney wanted me not to be the Judge of the Early Voting Ballot Board because I had the board doing the right thing with Mail Ballots and dumping the ones that were not legal and that included dumping a lot of illegal votes from a nursing home.  He sent me a letter that said I could not be that Judge in the upcoming election and I should resign so the county would not have the expense of taking me to court.  I knew I could be that Judge. Then, I get a call from the editor of the local paper who was going to have that as the headline of the local paper the next day and did I have anything to say.  I said, "I am not the Judge."  She was stunned and wrote this for the next day headline, "DERRICK FIRED BEFORE HIRED."

You see, my husband was the Republican County Chair and had not appointed me - yet.  I went to the District Attorney and told him not to try this as he was wrong and it would look bad for him.  He said he had gone to an English teacher and she said a certain word in a certain law about this Judge said I could not be that Judge. (It's like Clinton: according to what is "is".)  I told him again he was wrong, but he was determined to stop me being that Judge. 

So, he wrote a case against me and sent it to the State Attorney General - JOHN CORNYN.  For six months I was in the newspaper almost every day.  The Asst. District Attorney told my husband, if I showed up at the Board meeting, he would arrest me.  I wrote the paper and said to him, if he showed up at my board meeting, I would have him arrested by the Constable as on that day I had the power of a District Judge.

The election happened before Cornyn made a judgment about the case.  I WAS THAT JUDGE. When the six months was up, Cornyn made a decision in my favor, which I knew he would as I was right.  The headline in the newspaper the next day, was, "DERRICK RUGHT, DISTRICT ATORNEY WRONG"  The district attorney wrote for the newspaper that he would do it again when there was a Democrat State Attorney General.  There has never been a Democrat State Attorney General since then.
Plus, that District Attorney lost his next election and blamed me for his loss of a job.

INVAR, sometimes you need your Republican party to be in office.

[EasyAce]

Oh, sing it, Brother!  I remember writing a letter to Newty right after the 1994 election (heady days those were), the gist of it was, "We, the voters, just handed the Speaker's gavel to you.  The first Republican speaker within my lifetime.  Don't blow this, you only get one bite at the apple."

He caved to Clinton within a year because Clinton threatened a gubmint shutdown.  I'll bet your opinion of the GOP flew south on the same day mine did.

@Cyber Liberty
Around about. I burned the return flight ticket when Newtie and the Blowfish began pushing a budget that called for more spending than even Droopy Drawers Clinton wanted!

[Cyber Liberty]

@Cyber Liberty
Around about. I burned the return flight ticket when Newtie and the Blowfish began pushing a budget that called for more spending than even Droopy Drawers Clinton wanted!

That's the precise moment I knew the vaunted "Republican Revolution" was indeed well and fully dead.  All in less than one 2-year election cycle.  It was breathtaking how fast they blew it.  I personally wrote the man right after the election.  Got no response, and right then and there I knew why that was...Newty never had any intention of following through.  We'd been played for first-class suckers. 

The Party has been pretty much that way ever since.  Hard to believe, but Trump was actually the first gulp of fresh air we've had in years, and that ought to tell you how hopeless they are, and why he has so many fierce supporters.

[EasyAce]

Hard to believe, but Trump was actually the first gulp of fresh air we've had in years, and that ought to tell you how hopeless they are, and why he has so many fierce supporters.

The shame of it is that President Tweety's freshest part was (and is) his mouth. 

[Cyber Liberty]

The shame of it is that President Tweety's freshest part was (and is) his mouth. 

LOL!  In more ways than one.

[EasyAce]

LOL!  In more ways than one.

Makes you wonder which soap would work . . .







. . . or whether we need heavier artillery . . .