Parade's adivce to combat pandering

[The_Ryan]

“Polls didn’t always play that dominant of a role in politics,” he says. “Not only do we have polls in elections now, but members of the House and Senate will also do a poll before voting on a bill.” In Simon’s view, this excessive desire to please ultimately helps no one… What can you do? Stay informed and make your voice heard with a letter or an e-mail, Simon says.

Dear Congressman:
I am concerned that you may be trying to find out what your constituents want, following their advice, and trying to please people rather than making decisions for yourself. As one of your constituents, I would like to offer my advice that you shouldn’t listen to the advice of your constituents. It would really please me if you were to stop trying to please your constitutents. Please pander to my desire that you stop pandering to the desires of constitutents.
Sincerely,
Cognitively Challenged Citizen

:rolleyes:

[JRDelirious]

Huh. So they’d rather have the politicians pay attention to the set of citizens who can be motivated and organized (perhaps by… a Lobby?) enough to send letters and e-mails, but not to a statistical sample of the general population. Interesting difference.

BUT… but, on the OTHER hand… part of the point of indirect democracy is that once in a while our representatives have a fiduciary duty to do that which is right or at the very least in the long-term interest of the country as a whole rather than what will please short-memoried voters who, in alarming numbers, get most of their political info from the Jay Leno monologue and can’t name both their own state’s senators.

[Short]

Here is a handy chart for your reference:

Public majority agrees with you, but your representative disagrees: You say “pay attention to your constituents.”

Representative agrees but the public disagrees: You say “S/he is showing real leadership, taking on an unpopular position because it is right”

Both disagree with you: you say “The representative is just pandering to the public to get reelected.”

Both agree with you: you say “A fine example of democracy in action.”

What, me cynical?