Free Yourself and We Can Follow

When logic fails, claim to be at the mercy of public opinion.  This is an old last resort for the practitioners of one of our oldest professions.  “Gee, I’d like to be able to go along with you on this one, really I would … but look at how my constituents feel.  You can’t expect me to go against their wishes, can you?”  It sounds reasonable enough, until you think about it. 

First of all, we don’t have a representative democracy by accident.  The men who founded our country were worried about the majority dictating policy, so they went with a system where policy could be decided by knowledgeable and fair minded folks who are guided but not completely ruled by the opinion of their constituents.    It’s a great system, unless the elected representatives refuse to ever make unpopular decisions. 

Second, since when is “geez, that’s what those people think” a good argument?  If you are old enough to remember Members Only Jackets and Parachute Pants, I shouldn’t have to say much about the folly of believing that popularity is evidence of anything besides popularity.  If you’re not that old … what about “Jersey Shore”? 

Third, and most important, you aren’t at the mercy of popular anger if you purposely arouse it.  If you tell people that healthcare legislation is a plot by socialists and fascists to kill old people and turn us all into homosexuals, then chances are they won’t favor it.  In fact, many will be very vocal about opposing it.  Those who favor it are likely to raise their voices and boost their rhetoric in response.  This is how the space for compromise and cooperation is destroyed.   This is why in between elections little gets done.  Folks do indeed get elected, but very few problems actually get solved. 

So, if someone starts taking some responsibility for public opinion rather than blaming it, we might start solving the problems facing our country.  There are two ways to do this.  One is for the elected representatives to stop using public opinion, and start informing it.  The other option is for the public to start informing their own opinion.  Either way, we need to stop using public opinion as proof of anything but the opinion of the public.