who said that it was okay to have different public versus private opinions on things, as an elected official
I mean, I actually agree with this in theory. An elected official may not personally agree with something, even if they’re willing to vote it in. That’s just the nature of politics, because a representative should actually represent the people who voted them in, even if they don’t agree with every single fine detail. Sure, it’s worth examining whether their private opinions are affecting their public voting record. But at least in theory, there’s nothing wrong with voting differently than what your personal opinion would dictate.
For instance, what if a closeted racist gets voted in, but votes for DEI initiatives because it’s what their voter base would want? Sure, that’s a rare example, but it would be possible and should even be encouraged in that instance. In practice, it’s more likely that the closeted racist would get elected and then try to enact racist policies that align with their racist views. But at least on paper, the idea of “representatives shouldn’t have to agree with every single thing they vote for” is sound.
I mean, I actually agree with this in theory. An elected official may not personally agree with something, even if they’re willing to vote it in. That’s just the nature of politics, because a representative should actually represent the people who voted them in, even if they don’t agree with every single fine detail. Sure, it’s worth examining whether their private opinions are affecting their public voting record. But at least in theory, there’s nothing wrong with voting differently than what your personal opinion would dictate.
For instance, what if a closeted racist gets voted in, but votes for DEI initiatives because it’s what their voter base would want? Sure, that’s a rare example, but it would be possible and should even be encouraged in that instance. In practice, it’s more likely that the closeted racist would get elected and then try to enact racist policies that align with their racist views. But at least on paper, the idea of “representatives shouldn’t have to agree with every single thing they vote for” is sound.