Q&A: Political Paternalism
Political Paternalism
Question
Good evening!
What, in your view, is political integrity?
- To act according to the voter's interest (in your opinion), even if that goes against his stated position.
- To act exactly according to the voter's wishes, even if you think it is a mistaken move. (With regard to the voter's own interests)
- Once you have been elected, your duty is to act solely according to your own judgment, even if it conflicts with the opinion or interests of the public that elected you.
I’m asking in the context of polls I’ve seen, which show an overwhelming majority of the public supporting a hostage deal. Even among Likud voters there is a majority in favor (this was brought on Amit Segal’s WhatsApp channel not long ago).
So if we assume for the sake of discussion the far-fetched assumption that Likud members are guided by political integrity, what should they do?
Say, “the people are stupid” (or more gently: they don’t understand the costs, etc.), or act in accordance with the people’s “will”?
Answer
These polls say nothing at all. The usual nonsense. Did they explain to people what ending the war means? Leaving Hamas in place? Committing not to eliminate it? If they spelled that out, they would get completely different answers. So these polls are worth nothing. As usual.
If there is a clear will of the people (which does not exist here), and if the people are not missing relevant information (because then their wishes do not carry much meaning), it seems that morally one should follow their will. But this is entirely hypothetical, because that is never actually the situation.