I intended lecture today by 2 former US-congressmen (1 rep, 1 dem) who said "You shouldn't ask your constituents what they want, because that violates the fact that they elected you to use your best judgment"...Agree or disagree with this?
by 
Anti-Semantic - Quaerens Intellectum
ANSWERS: 5
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The congress people are spouting mealy-mouthed bull. How are the elected officials to know what the will of the people is unless they are told by the constituents? By osmosis? This line of reasoning lets law makers claim "culpable ignorance" and escape being accountable. I say baloney. The not only should ask, they have an OBLIGATION to seek out the will of the electorate.
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It depends. If you run your campaign based on certain principles, you should stick to those principles, no matter what. The voters will decide if they want you, and after that, based on your performance, they will decide to keep you or fire you at the next election. However, as a practical matter, if you want to get re-elected, you should be open minded to change on certain things.
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I heartily disagree. While I expect them to use their best judgement to vote for the good of all, I also want them to take into account the sentiments of the people.
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That's a load of crap. It's an excuse for them to do pretty much whatever they want and ignore campaign promises once they're elected. Our representatives are elected to represent the will of the people. If they don't ask us, they won't know what that is. What's the opposite of progress? Congress.
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What a total self-righteous load of dung. It's nothing but arrogant self-justification for the fact that the only thing they care about is being re-elected. That way they can collect as much PAC money as their grubby hands can grasp, while asking against the wishes and interests of their constituents.
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