Comments on: On Representative Leadership http://federalistpublicola.com/2008/09/07/on-representative-leadership/ Sat, 19 May 2012 13:38:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Publicola http://federalistpublicola.com/2008/09/07/on-representative-leadership/#comment-913 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:43:52 +0000 http://federalistnowandforever.wordpress.com/?p=150#comment-913 Thank you Amanda and might I point out one error, we are not a Democratic Republic. We are a Republic with Democratic tendencies. A Democratic Republic is a Communist state.

While I agree with your sentiments, I must disagree. The reason Slavery, segregation, and all those other evils were able to persist was because the representatives of those people wanted it just as badly as the people did. Slavery was wholly accepted as a part of life in the Antebellum South. Segregation was enforced not just by the government representatives in the South, but by Americans in general. McCarthyism too was an accepted part of life. Evils persist not because of a few government officials want them to, but because the people want them to.

]]> By: Amanda http://federalistpublicola.com/2008/09/07/on-representative-leadership/#comment-904 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:41:20 +0000 http://federalistnowandforever.wordpress.com/?p=150#comment-904 A well written argument. Switzerland is a true Democracy. They have elections once a month. We are not a Democracy, we are a Democratic Republic, and as such, we elect leaders with the hope that they will use their intellect and good judgment for our common good. For example, while it MAY be absolutely reasonable for people to tote guns in an open area like Montana’s countryside, it certainly is not in Newark, New Jersey. The people who live in those places have strong opinions about their rights to either carry or be protected from guns. I know this isn’t the best argument, since State’s Rights can be helpful in this case, but my point is that in such a diverse, mixed country as ours, a fact we take pride in, the majority isn’t always right. Think slavery, segregation, McCarthy Era. It took the voices of the minority to correct these wrongs. Many of them our leaders. Had some of them listened to their conscience, rather than their constituency, these evils might have been purged earlier.
I believe that”a representative owes the People not only his industry, but his judgment, and he betrays them if he sacrifices it to their opinion,” is a correct statement in most cases. But this is America, and we can agree to disagree. Isn’t that fabulous?
I’ve battled whether or not to point this out, since your essay is so well written, but decided to, since I would want to know had I written it–the correct way to say it is “supposed to,” not “suppose to.”
Many thanks for an intelligent, well thought out argument.

]]> By: Emmett http://federalistpublicola.com/2008/09/07/on-representative-leadership/#comment-765 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:32:54 +0000 http://federalistnowandforever.wordpress.com/?p=150#comment-765 Excellent argument! Thank you for posting this.

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