Thoughts on Speaking for All Americans

Over the past year, it has become increasingly apparent that our major political parties have become infected with members who insist they speak on behalf of all Americans. Yesterday, I heard Rep. John Boehner continue to insist to CNN that “Americans don’t want this health care bill,” which no matter how you feel about its passage, is clearly both untrue, and arrogant. No matter which party you may support, we can all agree that there is only one elected official who has been sent to speak on behalf of all Americans, The President of the United States.

Whether you support the right, left or the middle, it is simply not true that a Senator or Congressman/woman is sent to Congress to represent anything other than the needs of their particular state or district. If you represent Virginia, don’t tell someone in Texas what they think, they didn’t elect you. If you support a bill, or are adamantly opposed to something, speak on behalf of your constituents, not the entire nation. It reeks of arrogance, and turns off many people who don’t appreciate being told what they believe.

The recent Health Care Summit was a prime example of this, with both sides collectively claiming things that are not unanimous by any means, and even though there may be polling that shows favor towards on side, it still does not mean that all Americans feel a certain way about it. This infection has spread like a wildfire through the minority party as of late, which is very ironic since Republicans are not in a position to truthfully claim they represent the prevailing interest in this country. If that were true, Barack Obama would not be in the White House, which leads to a closing thought.

In my opinion, it is a sign of disrespect to most Americans when officials who represent states with tiny populations claim to represent the entire country. There is a reason why the representatives of the 50 states are sent to a chamber where they are to collectively determine the best interests of the country. The purpose of the Senate and US Congress is not minority rule. When the collective of the Congress is in favor of a measure, even still they cannot claim to speak for all Americans, just a majority of Americans. The minority party, to be truthful, would have to pre-phrase their statements with “a minority of Americans feel” or “the people of my state feel.” These recommendations, though they will most likely be victim to deaf ears, may be the recipe for more realistic political statements. Let the current President speak for the Americans who voted for him, and let the Senate and Congress collectively speak for their respective States. Anything more is simply outside of the scope of reality.