Rick Monteverde <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Even more to the point, voters are liking it about 10:1 against. So who's > doing the representin' here? As I mentioned, the U.S. system is not direct representation. Representatives are supposed to use their own judgment. Nothing in the Constitution compels Representatives to do the popular thing. > And Jeff is right, twice. Dems have the majority, no matter how slim. If > it's good for Democrats and good for America, they need no Republican votes > to pass it But in this scenario they do need Democratic votes, and they got only 60% of them. There was never any chance they would get 100%; many Democrats said all along the bill should not be passed. You may have noticed that Representatives can vote anyway they like; there is no law that says they must vote with the party leaders. You seem to be saying that the Democratic party leaders should be held responsible for the votes of Democratic Representatives. They should magically impose their will on the party if they honestly believe it is "good for the country" and make people go along with them. (How? Waterboarding?) Does that standard also apply to Republican leaders? How about the head of the party, Pres. Bush? He feels it is good for Republicans and good for the country, so is it okay for 60% of his party to vote against him? How about the party nominee, McCain? He is reportedly in favor of this measure, although he has not actually said so, as far as I know. - Jed
