Modern Consequences, by Martha Thomases – Brilliant Disguise

March 12, 2011 Martha Thomases 21 Comments

Every Republican I’ve seen on television for the past month or so says some variation of this: “The people made their wishes known in November.”  They mean that the people elected Republicans.

Except “the people” didn’t do that.  Most people don’t vote.  Even fewer vote in mid-term elections.  Like primaries, mid-terms attract more passionate partisans.  (I include myself in that generalization, since I vote whenever I get the chance.)

Five years ago, in the 2006 mid-term elections, “the people” made their wishes known by voting in Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.  In 2008, “the people” overwhelmingly made their wishes known by increasing the Democratic majorities in both houses and also electing a Democrat to the White House.

At the time, that Democrat, Barack Obama, said, “Elections have consequences.”

At that time, the Republicans didn’t decide to roll over and do whatever the Democrats wanted.  Instead, they used every tool available to thwart the Democrat’s agenda, including the rather arcane and unwritten rules of the Senate.

For some reason, they are surprised when the Democrats do that now.

They’re both wrong, and they’re both right.

I know this doesn’t fit into our sound-bite driven political discourse, but democracy is more complicated than this.  We have hundreds of millions of registered voters, and several thousand elected officials at various levels of government, from town councils to the federal government.

These different voters have a lot of different opinions.  Depending on where one lives, the will of the people might be conservative or progressive.  When we vote in national elections, our local concerns affect our decisions.

For example, I live in New York City, in a very progressive district.  My representative, Jerry Nadler, reflects the views of his lower Manhattan constituents. If you take the ferry to Staten Island, you’re more likely to find a Republican.

Many people, in 2010, voted for Republicans.  At the same time, many people voted for Democrats.  We expect the people we elected to champion the issues important to us.

These are not all the same issues.

I do not fault the Republican majority for trying to do what they said they’d do in the campaign.  (Side note:  I do fault them for trying to do things they didn’t widely discuss during the campaign, like de-funding Planned Parenthood.)  My problem is when they suggest they are the only ones who won.

I didn’t vote for this.  My fellow New Yorkers didn’t vote for this  The people of California did not vote for the Republican agenda.  The people of Connecticut explicitly rejected a Republican for the Senate, even though the Democrat who won made several bone-headed mistakes during the campaign.

Our votes count, too, just as the votes of those who elected Republicans in 2006 and 2010 count.

Having said all this, I don’t agree with everything my representatives say and do, nor do I expect to.  What I really want from them is to be effective in the craft of governing.  This means, sometimes, making compromises – even compromises I don’t like.  I don’t want them to stick to their talking points and public positioning at all costs, even to the point of closing down the government.

I’m pretty sure that’s not what “the will of the people” would be.

Media Goddess Martha Thomases is taking suggestions for other places to live with representatives as great as Nadler.