David Sirota: An Unrepresentative Democracy

[marmar]

from truthdig:


An Unrepresentative Democracy

Posted on Mar 8, 2013
By David Sirota


Why are ideas widely supported in most of the country so often portrayed as controversial, polarizing and divisive once they are taken up by legislatures? Why does the professional political class seem like a wholly separate society that does not understand the constituents it is supposed to be representing? These are the existential questions at the root of America’s political dysfunction—and a new study marshaling reams of data finally provides some concrete answers.

Conducted by the University of California’s David Broockman and University of Michigan’s Christopher Skovron, the survey of nearly 2,000 legislators from across America documents politicians’ perceptions of their constituents’ views on hot-button issues like universal health care and same-sex marriage. It then compares those perceptions with constituents’ actual views.

The juxtaposition reveals a jarring truth: Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers hugely overestimate the conservatism of the very people they are supposed to represent. In all, the report finds that “conservative politicians systematically believe their constituents are more conservative than they actually are by over 20 percentage points, while liberal politicians also typically overestimate their constituents’ conservatism by several percentage points.” Ultimately, that has resulted in a political system inherently hostile to mainstream proposals and utterly unrepresentative of public opinion.

The first obvious question is why: Why do politicians—aka people who are supposed to be professional experts in representing others—so misunderstand their own communities? ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/an_unrepresentative_democracy_20130308/

[malaise]

1. Because Representative Democracies in liberal democratic societies

exist to protect the rich and their property. Political society - the state aka the coercive level of the superstructure is merely a protective ring around the economic base and civil society is the propaganda level of said superstructure.
Gramsci was 100% correct and Ralph Miliband's - The State in Capitalist Society is a must read on the subject.

Tear down that market economy and we will see changes. Why do you think they hate socialists or even social democrats so much.

[Freddie]

2. It's built in from the Constitution

Between Wyoming having as much say in the Senate as New York, and gerrymandering, this nation is ruled by the minority even with a Dem in the White House. I don't think that's what the Founding Fathers intended but good luck changing it.

[Bandit]

3. IMO it is because the squeaky wheel gets the grease....

Republicans aka (the squeaky wheel) have been squeaking now for at least two decades...Non-Stop...It did not begin with Rush Limbaugh but he really kicked it in the ass. It has been a steady "squeak" now for decades and politicians are happy to slop on the grease...Liberals are no where near the cry babies and scaredy cats Conservatives are, and that is why they get far less attention/grease...

[trof]

4. K&R UP w/Chris Hayes had graphs on this.

Just an hour ago.
No surprise that repugs far 'overestimated' their constituents' conservative leanings
Much more so than Dems.