Republicans don't get it
The debate in Congress on the objection to the Ohio electors was
instructive. The Republicans' repetitive claim, that this two hour debate
was keeping them from attending to the "important issues" they had been
elected to deal with, was belied by the fact that, when they got done
talking, both houses adjourned and went home for two weeks. Not to mention
that a quarter of the Senate never showed up in the first place.
But, what I finally realized in listening to these Representatives is that
they have a somewhat different idea about what their position entails than
the voters do.Republicans, and not a few Democrats, seem to think that
the election is about them. That it's a contest they win and, having won,
they get to assume a position, not unlike colleges and universities used to
do, in loco parentis--to make decisions "in the interests of the citizens,"
regardless of what the citizens actually want. Why? Because they know
better!
It's this perception of the election as a contest which makes them prefer
not only minimal competition in the race itself, but as few hurdles to
overcome (voters to convince) as possible. More voters just make the
contest harder and longer. So, anything that reduces the turnout is good
and explains why the Secretary of State of Ohio is actually proud of the
mess he planned and delivered.
That the voters might actually be casting their ballots on the basis of
issues they care about and want to see developed into law doesn't even
occur to our modern representatives. Obviously, that's got to change.A
good place to start might be how we refer to them. If they don't
understand the meaning of "representative," perhaps that old fashioned
term, "public servant" will clarify what the voters expect.