Whose Representative?

Here's an interesting question, Dear Readers: who does your Senator or Representative actually represent?

In the American version of representative democracy as laid out in the Constitution (as amended), each eligible citizen gets to cast a single vote for his or her national-level elected officials - the President/Vice President (it's a package), two Senators, and a single Representative - and we expect each of these officials to represent all of their constituents, not just those who voted for them.

But is that how it really works? There are plenty of examples to demonstrate that it doesn't. 

The most immediate and pressing example deals with the subject of "gun control" (to use a loaded and not-totally-accurate term). Each time the country suffers a mass murder by a murderer using a firearm (which virtually all of them do), there is a sudden burst of outrage over how can this happen here and what can we do about it?. Makeshift memorials spring up and are removed after a few days, the media reports in nauseating detail about the lives lost (particularly if children are involved), and everyone soon moves on to Ukraine, monkey pox, the economy, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, or the next topic du jour. According to a survey conducted between 2008 and 2017 by the Gallup Poll, the nationwide sadness and anger engendered by a mass murder lasts - on average - four days before it fades into the background and we move on*. This means, of course, that the window of opportunity to take effective action while tragedy is still fresh is, in policy terms, quite short and conducive to stonewalling.**

Which brings us back to my original question: who do your Senators and your Representative actually represent?

In theory, of course, they represent you, the voting citizen. But you're not the only citizen who votes, and a lot of the other voters don't agree with you. So whose position does your Senator or Representative support?

The answer is, to me, twofold: (1) the loudest and best-organized group of voters; and, (2) the views and desires of those who are the biggest financial contributors to their campaigns ... and Number Two*** is probably the leading answer.

Ever since the Supreme Court decided (in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission) that financial contributions to political campaigns equate to free speech, and as such can not be regulated by the federal government, your voice has been drowned out by the unending whine of the banknote counter. What this meant is that the larger the monetary contribution to a particular candidate or party, the louder the voice that candidate or party is hearing, and the more likely it is that the views and desires of that contributor will be heard and acted upon. If you, Dear Reader, are an average low-to-middle income person like me, you probably won't be contributing millions of dollars to ensure the election of Senators and Representatives who support your modest desires: things like affordable health care and medicines, safe products, wholesome food, safe streets, and the like. The interests - which are not likely to be the same as yours - of those who can make those huge contributions will always trump^† yours.

Number One is also accurate, which is why a strongly-organized and focused political group will also wield outsized influence over an elected official. The single letter you write or phone call you make to your Senators or your Representative may be eloquent and soundly reasoned, but it will be swamped by the vast letter-writing, e-mail, and telephone scare campaigns organized by passionate and well-organized parties^†† and special interest groups^†††.

So, do you give up? Do you accept that your vote will always be lost amid the flood of special interests and their money?

No!

I know from personal experience that direct contact by letter or phone with my elected representatives gets noticed. But you have to be smart about it.

Don't just write a letter and grouse about something you don't like. Worse, don't send a form letter or e-mail provided by your party or group. Any moron can do that. Instead, write a letter, grouse about what you don't like, and then offer reasonable suggestions for what you want them to do.

Follow up. I almost always get a written reply to letters, even if they are boilerplate and don't always directly address my points ("hey, aide, send the #4 letter to Bilbo.") If you agree with their response, write back and say so. If you don't, write back or call and ask why they can't support your position. A while back, an assistant from my Representative's staff actually called tell me that Mr Beyer had received my letter advocating 100% tax deductibility for medical expenses and supported increasing the allowable deduction, but couldn't support 100%. She asked me to call back to discuss my ideas. They listened to me, a cranky old retired fart with no political power, money, or influence.

Our democracy is in danger from many directions - the flood of unrestricted money used to purchase power and influence, the desire in some quarters for a strongly authoritarian leader, a lack of reasonable civic education and engagement, the desire to impose particular religious ideas and standards, and a my-way-or-the-highway approach to solving problems. For better or for worse, your Senators and your Representative are the focal point for your voice. Let them know how you feel.

And, above all, VOTE in November. The stakes are high. If you think things are bad now, imagine hard-core conservative control of Congress and the judiciary.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* The level of sadness and anger remain higher in the immediate locale where the murders took place, but it fades out, too. It just takes a little longer because the impact is felt more personally.

** Can you imagine Congress taking action on anything in just four days?

*** I think "number two" is semantically appropriate for a lot of political discussion.

† Sorry.

†† Say what you will about the GOP (and I have), they're laser focused on simple, direct, bumper-sticker level ideas devoid of nuance ... guns are good, white majority interests are being undermined by evil outsiders, Democrats spend your money frivolously, abortion is bad, etc. On the other hand, as Will Rogers once pointedly commented, "I do not belong to any organized political party ... I'm a Democrat."

††† Think "NRA," "AARP," the AMA, Big Oil, Big Pharma, religious groups, etc.