elected members of the Congress and the policy preference of their constituents.
In America, inequality is considered differently as compared to other places across the globe. According to most Americans, the political stand of the people determines their belief on the bias, and the ideologies presented by each political party are not viewed as oppression to any group of people. Still, there is a reason or understanding behind that. In Bartels’ arguments, he analyses how the members of Congress and the public are linked in several aspects, especially on income inequality. He makes several observations on Americans’ notion of difference, which is unique, whether in politics or terms of the rich and the poor in the public. This study focuses on understanding how strong the link that should exist between the elected members of the Congress and the policy preference of their constituents.
According to Bartels’ arguments, American democrats believe that government policies are formed based on the will of the people. Hence, every step it makes is irrespective of the inequality it has. Many people think that difference is natural and unobjectionable, which means that equality is not considered to have a significant impact on their political stand. They rarely care about inequality in their country, and any position of the Congress is justifiable. Even in cases of scandals by the officials in the government does not deter the people on matters of inequality. Instead of considering a scandal involving variation, many believe in the view of not playing fair to others, so they remain apathetic about it. It is difficult to change their view of the matter as this is a typical situation for them.
Many Americans, both rich and poor, are of the principle of differentiation rather than equality. This is viewed in the gap between the poor and the rich in terms of opportunities and achievements. In terms of political equality, there is no inequality, but economically, people have a chance to be unequal through being rich or poor, which is where they view the difference. For instance, the wealthy class in America is considered to be people who do not pay the right amount of taxes as per the government requirements. They exploit loopholes that allow them to evade the fees as the majority of the citizens believe that this group of wealthy people are the ones that run the country and make critical decisions in the government. When taken to courts, they are supposed to receive a fair judgment as most of the laws are in their favor.
The facets that Bartels discusses equality present a clear understanding of the link between the Congress and the political stands of the people. Most uninformed people do not have a clear understanding of the political implications of what they believe. Those that are well-informed tend to realign the facts and develop a perception that is in line with what they believe, the reasons, extents, and understanding of the inequality. There is no equality in terms of egalitarian values despite the belief that all people were created equal. Justice is viewed in terms of the economic achievements of the rich. Many people believe that the government has set policies favorable to those who are wealthy and discriminate against those that are poor. Most Americans know of the escalating inequality in the political realm, but they are more concerned about the economic disparities in the country.
According to Berelson et al., democrat people have an obligation in the political arena. The people are supposed to be actively involved in the political affairs in various ways which include providing funds to the party, voting, being enlightened on the party’s stand through reading and listening to campaigns. They are also supposed to participate in political arguments and support their party and also work in hand with the political party candidate. This means that a democratic citizen ought to be an ardent follower and participant of his political party in every way possible and support it fully. In a democracy, people believe that they are motivated to participate in politics actively, but in reality, their motivation is minimal. Their decision to vote is not as a result of analyzing the future consequences of their choice as casting a vote is all they need, and it ends there.
Being knowledgeable about the political affairs of the country is a necessity for a democrat. The citizen is supposed to be equipped with every information ranging from facts, history of the party, party’s stand, and any other issues. A democracy citizen is guided by the principle of the common good and not own interests in voting. This is becoming a challenge for many democrats, as many people no longer follow those principles. People have opted to vote for a candidate, not because of the policy, but because of the group that thy follow in the political arena. In making a voting decision, rational judgment is expected to be made by a democrat. The voting choice is likely to originate from a sense of reasoning and contemplation of the consequences to follow. However, there is an argument on the decision to vote as some voters cast their votes to have a fulfillment and others because it is a requirement.
Popkin analyses on voter awareness, information access, and how they use the gained information to make decisions in voting. With the knowledge gained, some can use it for the greater good of making the right decision while others do this to fulfill the requirements of a good citizen. Citizens obtain information from different channels every day. This can be from daily life information pertaining to their environment and economic statuses. People also search for government program information that will help them in planning. People will source for information to be updated and educated on government policies. The news media is another platform that offers information about the politics of the day. This can be a great source of information that can influence the decision of a voter in casting a vote.
Public opinions are crucial as this influences the voting behavior of the voters. People will discuss a specific issue and spend a lot of time on it. The impact of the decision could result in a change in the choice of the candidate. Not all voters are interested in the information, and those that get it is for personal understanding. Voters are keen on making voting decisions. They relate their situations to what the government is doing to solve them and the steps each leader makes in providing a solution. Those leaders that are in line with the expectations of the voters will get votes easily. Educated voters are expected to make appropriate decisions in choosing the leaders they need. However, education has been seen not to impact as much as expected as people are more influenced by their social life. Their environment is the greatest determinant of their decision to cast a vote. If the society is not pleased with a candidate, then he is not voted for.
Another source of information for the voters is the campaigns from the political parties. This is where they get to learn about each candidate and the political parties in deeper detail, and hence, they are able to determine who is favorable in meeting their demands. Any new information that the voters were not aware of is not guaranteed that it will be absorbed by the voters as they have the freedom to choose what they consider to be okay to them. However, controversial information can affect the choices of the electors, and hence it is critical to have the right information and facts to back it up. According to Popkin, it is up to the voter to decide on what to do with the information gained. He discusses the differences in understanding the government and politics and the means that voters use to bridge the gaps.
The three readings provide an analysis of the voters in America and their views on different aspects of the political class. The link between the elected officials and the voters is significant and well elaborated. From these texts, several issues arise and ought to be discussed concerning the readings. There is an argument on whether a regular citizen is sufficiently interested, knowledgeable, and engaged to make informed political judgments and decisions. According to Bartels, many American citizens make political decisions regardless of the information provided to them. They are adamant about their political stand and believe that the government sets policies for their well-being. They do not regard inequality as part of making a judgment and decision on the candidate as their interest is to vote. Despite being knowledgeable, many distort inequality and consider such a situation on the basis of being fair or unfair.
Berelson et al. view a democratic citizen on several bases in decision making. A voter is expected to be loyal to the political party. He must demonstrate an interest in politics, be knowledgeable and express rationality. However, many average citizens vote not because of the principles but either for fulfillment or meet the requirements as expected. Even those that know about the political affairs of their party fall short of the standards. Regular citizens are unable to make the right decisions. Despite having access to information, as stated by Popkin, many citizens are influenced by their social engagements and hence do not make appropriate decisions when voting.
According to Bartels’ level of responsiveness is beyond an ordinary citizen as the standards are too demanding. If a person was to adhere to these standards, he would end up being a sycophant to the political party. This would mean that the person does not have a chance to make any decision, and the political party decides everything for him. Voters require members of Congress who are in line with providing solutions to their problems. Citizens do not view inequalities in their leaders as a challenge but at the economic level. The gap between the rich and the poor creates an inequality that is considered to impact the national level in governance and policymaking. Congress ought to come up with policies that do not discriminate against the poor, especially in courts due to taxes. They should strive to create a balance between the wealthy and the low-income earners so that the inequality is minimized.
In conclusion, voters in America have the ability and resources to make the right decision to vote for the appropriate candidates. However, many of them do not exercise this despite being knowledgeable and have access to information. There exists a secure link between the Congress and their voters where the voter determines the leader to elect. The voter chooses a leader who will provide help to the problems he has. The policies made by Congress are, however, not in line with the expectations of the poor voter as they favor the rich, and this creates a disconnect. The leaders should ensure that they strengthen the link between them and the voters through setting policies that favor all without any inequalities being demonstrated.