Erik Jon Brenner

Sept. 8, 2015

*Revised* POLS 300  Assignment 1 : Reflecting on Representation

The concept of democracy in American politics heavily relies on proper representation of the people. Because democracy is defined as a system of government run by it’s whole population, representation is the major link between people and power. My personal idea of proper political representation is when groups of people have elected a leader, by a free, fair and open election, and who is accountable for them, hears what they have to say, and acts upon the needs of the people not for his or her own benefit, but rather the true benefit of the people. There are different levels of representation and varying degrees. An example of “good” representation would be when a group, minority or majority, has representation that covers all the multiple traits of their unique social distinction. Factors that comprise the groups traits range from: age, gender, socio-economic and educational status. More and different factors may be necessary for different groups but these seem to be the most common factors that affect every type of group in politics today. Naturally, If the group is seeking more group cohesion and representation especially when competing against other groups, they would elect someone who is similar to themselves. This poses a potential problem however. Just ‘looking’ like the constituents they represent does not legitimize their effectiveness in manufacturing policies that actually help the people being represented. A candidate or representative that represents a group based on what they actually do is an example of a ‘substantive’ leader. It is important to have substantive representation for groups and it is a major factor in defining what ‘good’ representation is. In my opinion, the highest and truest form of representation is acquiring a healthy balance of descriptive and substantive traits in a leader when representing a group. Ultimate transparency and accountability are also necessary traits for political actors who are representing constituents.

In a world of varying political theories and agendas it is difficult to make sense of everything. However, it is the representative’s job, and arguably their primary interest, to seek out what is necessary in order for who they represent to flourish. Instead of listing ideas or activities a member of congress does in order to represent their constituents, I will list what I believe is a more pragmatic ideology. Concrete behavior of a representative, and perhaps the most obvious is to actually meet face to face with their constituents and the various types and groups of people within and respond to letters from constituents that are sent to the representatives like we saw for Harold “Biz” Johnson. Attending seminars of matters that groups find important and to speak publicly at those events. How will the representative be able accomplish their job of delegating without knowing about, experiencing and listening to the very people they represent? I believe the best behavior a member of congress can engage in is taking the needs and wants from the various constituents and doing everything they can, within the legislative process and without bias towards one group, to represent them. Members of congress must also know when to act more as a delegate with utter transparency versus when to introduce their own judgement or experience, and act more as a trustee. “Any adequate theory of representation must grapple with these contradictory demands” (Dovi 2011) We will not know when we have reached proper and true representation. The reason is because not everyone will be happy or feel represented, mostly due to constituents opposing viewpoints and stances on matters. However, in my opinion, it is the representatives job to seek the most fair and balanced views of his or her constituents and do everything within their power to represent those views.

/ / / *REVISED* / / /

*Revised* POLS 300  Assignment 1 : Reflecting on Representation

The concept of democracy in American politics heavily relies on proper representation of the people. Because democracy is defined as a system of government run by it’s whole population, representation is the major link between people and power. My personal idea of proper political representation is when groups of people have elected a leader, by a free, fair and open election, and who is accountable for them, hears what they have to say, and acts upon the needs of the people not for his or her own benefit, but rather the true benefit of the people. There are different levels of representation and varying degrees. An example of “good” representation would be when a group, minority or majority, has representation that covers all the multiple traits of their unique social distinction. Factors that comprise the groups traits range from: age, gender, socio-economic and educational status. More and different factors may be necessary for different groups but these seem to be the most common factors that affect every type of group in politics today. Naturally, If the group is seeking more group cohesion and representation especially when competing against other groups, they would elect someone who is similar to themselves. This poses a potential problem however. Just ‘looking’ like the constituents they represent does not legitimize their effectiveness in manufacturing policies that actually help the people being represented. A candidate or representative that represents a group based on what they actually do is an example of a ‘substantive’ leader. It is important to have substantive representation for groups and it is a major factor in defining what ‘good’ representation is. In my opinion, the highest and truest form of representation is acquiring a healthy balance of descriptive and substantive traits in a leader when representing a group. Ultimate transparency and accountability are also necessary traits for political actors who are representing constituents.

In a world of varying political theories and agendas it is difficult to make sense of everything. However, it is the representative’s job, and arguably their primary interest, to seek out what is necessary in order for who they represent to flourish. Instead of listing ideas or activities a member of congress does in order to represent their constituents, I will list what I believe is a more pragmatic ideology. Concrete behavior of a representative, and perhaps the most obvious is to actually meet face to face with their constituents and the various types and groups of people within and respond to letters from constituents that are sent to the representatives like we saw for Harold “Biz” Johnson. Attending seminars of matters that groups find important and to speak publicly at those events. How will the representative be able accomplish their job of delegating without knowing about, experiencing and listening to the very people they represent? I believe the best behavior a member of congress can engage in is taking the needs and wants from the various constituents and doing everything they can, within the legislative process and without bias towards one group, to represent them. Members of congress must also know when to act more as a delegate with utter transparency versus when to introduce their own judgement or experience, and act more as a trustee. “Any adequate theory of representation must grapple with these contradictory demands” (Dovi 2011) We will not know when we have reached proper and true representation. The reason is because not everyone will be happy or feel represented, mostly due to constituents opposing viewpoints and stances on matters. However, in my opinion, it is the representatives job to seek the most fair and balanced views of his or her constituents and do everything within their power to represent those views.

Dovi, Suzanne, “Political Representation”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/political-representation/>.

Ian Kelley
What is Political Representation?
For me personally my local United States Representative and California’s United States Senators have not provided what I would consider to be adequate political representation throughout the years that I have been politically active. My personal definition of political representation is as follows, representatives provide political representation when they use the legislative process in an endeavor to give what the constituents want from their government. This might include legislation to create new programs, continue to support already implemented statutes, and even in some cases the removal of funding going to a specific program. It is also helpful if a representative is aware of causes that are relevant to the representative’s constituents. When the representative holds similar ideological beliefs to the constituency that elected them this fact may help the representative to garner support for reelection it is not always helpful. When a representative has been elected and is doing the job I would expect some clear steps be taken while in office to ensure proper representation for a constituency. One way would be, participation in legislative debates about upcoming bills that have an impact on constituents. Using political capital to maintain funding for programs that have been deemed worthy of support by the constituency is another concrete step that representatives could take in order to ensure representation for their constituents. A representative’s re-election campaign is another step that I think is necessary to ensure proper political representation. Even if you may not agree with the policies of the incumbent representative the opportunity to hold them accountable through the electoral process may be our American political systems greatest asset. I stated at the beginning of this paper that I did not believe that I have had adequate political representation from my representatives over a number of election cycles, now I am not so sure. After the discussion in class about the different forms of representation I now can think of many examples of personal political representation. My mistaken belief that I was not being represented was based on my only intuitive understanding of the different forms of representation. I live in Thousand Oaks which is a conservative area and while on a substantive level the representation I have gotten may seem inadequate this is not the only measure of representation. After last week’s lecture and personal reflection I now see that no matter what political parties have been elected to the position of representing my district the very act of electing them has allowed this person to be my political representative. Elections are an exercise in Formal Representation that political parties use to maneuver themselves and their candidates into better positions in the government. Working with the documents of Bizz Johnson in class I think definitely gave me a better idea of how an elected official tries to provide substantive representation to their constituents while at the same time seeks to maintain some level of symbolic and descriptive representation. When his office would field inquiries about broad questions of continuing or ending the Vietnam War the response would mention large legislative votes or respond in a very normative fashion. All while still saying that he wants all troops to be safe no matter what policy the president engages in. Even with inquiries that were very specific to one piece of legislation Bizz’s office would draft statements that would provide non-normative details related to either implementation of the legislation or ways the constituent could help affect the vote. My new way of looking at political representation makes me believe that I may think certain policies are unwise but that does not mean I am not being political represented when those policies are advocated for

Political Representation

There is not one single universal definition of political representation that is accepted by all. Due to this difference in opinion, political representation is defined in many different ways, by many different political scientists. My personal definition of political representation has been developed by utilizing various components of definitions and is as follows. Political representation is the operation of political compensation by representatives, in an attempt to express the viewpoints of citizens within their political domain, as well as representing their thoughts and statements in politics. Political representation is made up of four factors, all that vary from case to case, but all cases still require a group, organization, or party that is being represented, the representative, the values, opinions and viewpoints that are being delineated, and finally, the setting and background in which it is being represented. Political representation is necessary within a state because it allows for power amid citizens to be shared rather than unequally distributed.

Two different forms of representation include delegate and trustee representation. Delegate representation requires the representative to represent specific groups within society, while trustee representatives represent the common interest of society. Delegate representatives are responsible for how well their actions benefitted the individuals of the group they represent, while trustee representatives are answerable to how they influenced the nation.

When representing constituencies, representatives are faced with two conflicting plans of action. They can either go along with the plans and interests of the constituency, or they could follow through with the plan of action that they feel is the best for the constituency as a whole.

Congress’ job is to represent the citizens by acting in the interest of the majority, and determining the decisions the majority would support if they had been given the same information that Congress had received. Therefore, they must take into consideration not only how the majority feels presently, but also how they will feel in the future. While most legislatures represent in this fashion, some believe that it is up to them to determine the best course of action for the majority.

The representative must also take into consideration his future plans for reelection while representing the constituencies. If the representative plans on attempting to be reelected, he must appeal to his constituency and represent them in a way that they are not irritated or harbor any hatred towards him that could essentially keep them from voting in the representative’s favor.         Typically while running and representing, legislatures tend to target their supporters rather than their opponents. Supporter’s votes already lay with the representatives and are easy votes to maintain, while obtaining the votes of the opponents would be a challenge. A representative will change their concrete behaviors according to various characteristics of groups. Factors that have to potential of altering the representative’s manner of representing are the economic status of a nation, diversity within the group they represent, as well as the values of the group they are representing. A representative’s tactics must adapt to the characteristics and values of the party they are representing. The diversity within the group makes it difficult for a representative to find a way to appeal to all the members of a certain area. A representative must be adaptive to be successful in representing a party.