Aiken is referring to how Congresswoman Renee Elmers voted based on how party leaders told her to vote instead of how her constituents wanted her to vote.
This definitely seems to be the tune that Aiken seems to be singing for his campaign (pun intended). Aiken made a similar comment to The Daily Tar Heel this month, reinforcing his opinion that it is a congressperson's job to represent their constituents, rather than the party heads. That being said, I find it interesting that he ardently claims that he is not interested in being a politician, but rather a representative. These were his exact words: "'I want to be a representative, I don’t want to be a politician because politicians are full of it. I want to be a representative because that’s what the job description is — to represent people,' he said in an interview, adding that he took issue with politicians being told to vote with their party (DTH)." I think in this day and age, the two roles are hard to separate, but I think he has valiant intentions. We'll see if he can beat his second place streak this time around.
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Sarah Love
2/23/2014 10:19:02 pm
I agree that politicians should hold tighter to the opinions of constituents than those of party leaders.What is the point of having representatives if they do not listen to the voice of the people? However, party loyalty is a reality of politics.
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Laura Gamo
2/24/2014 12:03:53 pm
I think Clay Aiken brought up a good point in regards to the varying roles of representatives in our democracy of whether they choose to be delegates- and vote according to the will of their constituents- or that they behave as trustees- making decisions independent of the opinions of constituents, based on their higher knowledge/experience. But I think, recently, this role of trustee has been used as a justification for the severe party polarization that has been occurring in recent years. Politicians/representatives- whatever you choose to label people elect to government office- are supposed to work to benefit the people, rather than jeopardizing constituent benefits in order to accomplish a party agenda.
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Paige Ladisic
2/24/2014 12:26:19 pm
I think this is a really valuable point that Clay Aiken made here. He is clearly taking advantage of this incident to say that he won't be like the other congressmen who only listen to their party leaders — whether or not this is true, whether or not he will be like this. I know it's a tendency of politicians to use the mistakes of their opponents and predecessors as fuel for their own campaign, but if this is what Clay Aiken is doing, he's doing it well.
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Alex Walkowski
2/25/2014 09:19:15 am
I certainly agree with what Clay is saying here. The current representative is weak if she is only voting along party lines, and now in line with the needs of her constituents. That being said, how much better is he really going to be?
As a celebrity who does not seem to have much formal political experience, when will that start to show? Yes, it's great to see an adamant Democratic try and challenge Elmers for the position. I would love to see him in office, but I do have to wonder when his celebrity status will fizzle out and his inexperience will start to show.
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Cody Dawson
2/25/2014 09:51:32 am
Clay Aiken throwing his hat into the race for Congress is bold and completely out of left field. Statements like this, however, help to cultivate the notion that his lack of formal experience could contribute to a more grounded approach to politics. I agree that congressmen and women are representatives of their constituents, but regardless of how much communication between us and the elected official is conducted, if they don't act in a way that we ask of them, then why are they in office? It's a very severe issue and one Mr. Aiken was correct to point out. His campaign is charming and grounded, but it's another story if he actually makes it to office. If a veteran politician can be so easily convinced by his/her party leaders, how would a 'nobody' stand up in opposition to that kind of influence?
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Shelby Bass
2/27/2014 08:26:49 am
At first, I was totally thrown by Aiken's announcement that he's running for congress. Another celebrity using name recognition to move into politics, perhaps?
The most I read, however, the more I realize he's actually quite qualified. His desire to actually represent his constituents is refreshing when compared to Renee Elmers' track record. She is, if you'll recall, the congresswoman who raised a stink about not getting her paycheck last October during the government shutdown (such empathy).
Aiken seems like he has good ideas and a feel for what NC needs - lets see if he can break his second-place streak this time.
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Alison Puzia
Senior public relations major from Charlotte, N.C.
Megan Carroll
Senior public relations major and Spanish minor from Cary, N.C.
Jordan Carmichael
Senior public relations major from Charlotte, N.C.