by Theodore Johnson
In my corner of America, there’s a common feeling emerging about the viral videos of constituents angrily confronting congressional Republicans: That’s what they get. But the snark isn’t intended for the elected officials so much as for their voters. The thinking goes that those who supported politicians campaigning on callous policies toward others shouldn’t be surprised when they end up harmed, too. It’s a variation on the adage that people get the government they deserve.
The people filling those town halls in Republican districts across the country—in California and Kansas and Wisconsin and elsewhere—no doubt see it differently, believing they’re getting a government they didn’t vote for. In Texas, they are mad that an unelected billionaire seems to be exercising the presidency’s executive powers, unchecked. In Georgia, they are upset about the White House’s position on Ukraine and about its ham-fisted federal funding and staffing cuts. And they are angry that their representatives don’t appear interested in doing much about any of these things. Their message, chanted by unhappy voters at a Wisconsin listening session, is directed solely at the elected official: “Do your job!”
Agreement on what exactly the job is, though, can be hard to find, no matter where you are. I remember years ago, at a fancy dinner for public policy fellows from all walks of life, our table of idealistic mid-careerists got lost in a tense debate over what makes for a good leader in government. Some argued that congressional representatives’ primary job is to take their cues from their constituents when deciding matters of law and policy. Others countered that voters entrust representatives to make choices on their behalf using personal judgment instead. Each side believed government must be responsive, we only differed on how best that could be achieved.
It’s a debate that’s as old as the country— whether popularly elected representatives are delegates who act as vessels for the people’s voice or trustees who do what they think is best. The heated town halls suggest the main frustration is with representatives who are bad delegates, offering no resistance to a White House run amok in their communities. Those who think Republican voters are getting their just deserts fault them for choosing poor trustees. Polls confirm that the resulting dissatisfaction with the whole system is widespread: Government is cited as the most important problem facing the country, even more than the economy or immigration; two-thirds of us are unsatisfied with our democracy; and Congress’ approval rate remains dismal. Is this the government we all deserve?
Voters put politicians in Congress, so we certainly have a government that someone has asked for. But when that government doesn’t seem representative, people want accountability for all those they hold responsible. There are no recall elections for senators and representatives—while in office, only they can sanction themselves. This leaves lots of people stuck until the next election with a government they didn’t vote for or with leaders they no longer trust. And when this happens in democracies, that dissatisfaction gets aimed at the system, and at the majority.
Some of the snark for the constituents with buyer’s remorse is satisfaction at their comeuppance. But part of it is also a hope that the majority will come away wiser and choose better leaders. As one old classmate of mine put it in response to a video of screaming Republican voters, “Some people gotta touch the stove for themselves.” It’s the same idea behind the counsel from some in the party to the Democratic caucus: Step aside, bite your tongue and let the country learn its lesson the hard way.
The public confrontations racking up views on social media are chronicling part of that process. They are snapshots of supporters who, after just a 30-day sample of the government they elected, feel duped. The representatives were caught flat-footed by the anger, and often responded with the same party-line talking points that disgruntled crowds can get from the news. These encounters mostly read like a misunderstanding between people who say the job is to be a good representative and a politician who believes the more pressing job is to be a good Republican.
For their part, the White House and Republican leadership say the backlash isn’t real, instead labeling it a coordinated campaign of “paid protesters” and directing representatives to shut down the town halls altogether. They interpret their election wins as broad mandates that not even their supporters can recant, reducing dissatisfied constituents to little more than unhappy customers.
The group of us arguing around that fancy dinner table years ago finally found consensus only in the idea that good representation, whether trustee or delegate, requires putting the public’s interests first. It is the only way to deliver a government worthy of its people. The failure to do so is, at heart, the chief complaint in those confrontational town halls. The unhappy constituents share something in common with folks who revel in their disappointment: Both sides long for a government that will address the nation’s problems and not be its primary one.
(The Washington Post)
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