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could any American explain to a foreigner how much freedom do federal legislators have to ignore their party, even to vote against it? (linux.community)

submitted 1 day ago by lenore582@linux.community to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

federal legislators includes representatives (HOR) and senators.

one could be tempted to think that on a fptp system the representative actually represents his district and not his party, something that should be clearer on a senatorial level.

However, there are no limits to political donations in the US afaik, which I guess means the rich and powerful ones can invest as much as they can to denigrate the other side, usually a democrat (correct me if wrong).

I don't know if there are like party federal committees that raise money nationally for or against abortion, death penalty, tariffs... and then each party decides how to allocate that money. I don't know if there are staffers in each party that decide which candidate is compliant enough to follow blindly what the federal committee decides and is not going to be a dangerous maverick because he actually has an independent moral compass.

Is it possible for local candidates to run against their own party and actually win? Like a republican that lost his party's nomination for a district, then becomes an independent and actually wins against his former party?

Or are HOR races much more local than I imagine and each representative campaigns exclusively on local issues, raises money only in the constituency to be invested exclusively in the district' election?

Do candidates have to give back the money that was given as a donation that wasn't actually used to try to win an election?

Can a politician actually pretend to raise money for a campaign and then simply pocket it?

I have the feeling that most members in the HOR are careerists that usually go with the motions and repeat the official position of their party and only selected individuals are brave or reckless enough to say out loud and clearly what they believe in (extreme example, Marjorie Taylor Greene). Most representatives, when pressed upon a problematic issue will first give you an elusive answer, then contact their party for instructions about what the correct answer is. This applies to both democrats and republicans.

I have no idea if federal senators are also mostly followers and not leaders.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 14 points 22 hours ago

Nothing makes them vote with the party outside of money and the next election. We have far to many politicians who are not willing to not be politicians.