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I'm referring to Congressmen and women, Senators, governors, mayors, etc: people who were elected by a majority vote to represent that majority.
There are other kinds of politicians (re. bureaucrats, etc), but I'm not referring to them here.
The job of such a politician entails many things, but generally speaking, one of that person's functions is to represent the people who elected him/her. However, many people see politicians as leaders: symbols of something larger than themselves - whether we're talking about ethics or morals or some political ideology, etc.
My question is about the juxtaposition of these things, as well as the politician's need to stay employed. When faced with the choice of whether to do the right thing, or to do the thing the majority wants - how should the politician decide?
In a representative democracy, I'd argue that representing the politician's constituents is slightly more important than representing all voters, or than holding up that politician's personal values.
I know this position is "controversial", in that many people want politicians who are principled, and who live according to those principles. But - shouldn't a representative be a megaphone for his constituents, instead of trying to make other people live by his own personal standards?
There are other kinds of politicians (re. bureaucrats, etc), but I'm not referring to them here.
The job of such a politician entails many things, but generally speaking, one of that person's functions is to represent the people who elected him/her. However, many people see politicians as leaders: symbols of something larger than themselves - whether we're talking about ethics or morals or some political ideology, etc.
My question is about the juxtaposition of these things, as well as the politician's need to stay employed. When faced with the choice of whether to do the right thing, or to do the thing the majority wants - how should the politician decide?
In a representative democracy, I'd argue that representing the politician's constituents is slightly more important than representing all voters, or than holding up that politician's personal values.
I know this position is "controversial", in that many people want politicians who are principled, and who live according to those principles. But - shouldn't a representative be a megaphone for his constituents, instead of trying to make other people live by his own personal standards?
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