It's not easy to carry out the will of the people, but it's your job!

[Liberal Dose]

The CBS summer replacement reality series, "Big Brother" has the same basic formula as any other reality show. Contestants form alliances and try their best to not get voted off the show. Every season, BB throws in a twist. For example, one season it was "The X Factor" where houseguests had to play the game with someone they had dated in the past.

In season 8, the twist was "America's Houseguest." A young man named Eric Stein from Yorktown Heights, NY was chosen to do America's bidding. Every week, Eric was given a new task voted on by viewers. Quite often, these tasks went totally against what Eric had promised others in his alliance and against the way he was playing the game. For example, Dustin was a strong ally for Eric in the game. America told Eric to get Dustin out of the game. Eric's reaction was, "Crap, America why do you always have to go against me? You want Dustin out? But, he's part of my alliance." But he did it. Even though it could ruin Eric's chances of winning the game in the end, and went against the promises he made, Eric still did what America requested of him and got Dustin out.

It's sad that some kid on a reality show is the only example I've seen of carrying out the will of the people.

BTW, Eric didn't win the $500,000. Doing everything the viewers asked of him cost him the game. Obviously, if viewers did the voting he would've won. The prize was snagged by a guy named "Evel Dick" haha

[Jack Bone]

1. I've heard that Big Brother 10 will have a political thread to it....

you can read up on the house guests at this link

http://tvgrapevine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=206:big-brother-10-the-house-guests&catid=56:bb10hgs&Itemid=81

[Beer Snob-50]

2. What is the will of the American People?

Polls supposedly show the will of the people, but in actuality show the will of those who were polled. Also, the will of the American People are gleaned from those who call talk shows. Thus the will of all americans are the same as those who call these shows or blog?

[Liberal Dose]

3. The idea of representing a group of people is to carry out what the majority wants. Polls and votes

prove will. Would you say the majority of Democrats want impeachment on the table?

[Beer Snob-50]

7. I don't know if a majority of democrats want it..

I know that a vocal majority of democrats on the blogs and on talk radio want it. We don't elect officials to blindly do the will of the vocal majority. In that case, gays, blacks, and women would have no rights today.

[Liberal Dose]

8. I do not agree with that line of thinking at all. nt

[jpcrecom]

4. Politicians are not supposed to carry out the will of the people

Politicians are supposed to say what they believe. If a plurality of the voters agree with him or her; that candidate wins, and they carry out what they actually believe.

If it turns out that the opinion of the public then later changes, but not the politicians, then that politician will be replaced with someone whose opinions are more aligned with the public.

If the goal was just to carry out the will of the people, we wouldn't even need politicians. We'd appoint Gallup as The Decider, take a poll on every issue and institute that as law.

I'd much much much rather have a candidate who stands his or her ground, verbalizes why, even if I agree, than one who is basically a weathervane with their finger in the air only taking positions when they find what the polls say. I grew up in Massachusetts, and even the conservatives in the state liked Teddy Kennedy because he always said what he felt. He didn't cow-tow or change his mind based on polls. He'd say, this is what I believe. This is what I'm going to do; and he'd do it. No worrying if only 45% of the state agreed with him or if it was 51% or 95%.

[Liberal Dose]

6. What would be wrong with a vote coming up and having the representative find out what the majority

of his/her constituents want and then carrying that out? There will never be a politician with whom I totally agree, but it would be nice to at least have a group of representatives who don't treat voters as some kind of "focus group" with opinions that don't matter.

[stray cat]

5. Was the will of the people for desegregation, women's rights, gay rights?

[Blue_In_AK]

9. No, I think Evil Dick would have won anyway. n/t