Another upstanding repubican

[DanaC]

Very few politicians could actually survive and succeed at their job if they didn't know when to separate their personal beliefs/opinions from the job of representing their constituents. But constituents vote politicians in based at least in part on the campaigns they've run and the opinions they have espoused as their own and their partys'.

Politicians are not just your voice in government, they are your eyes and ears. If they are dishonest then they will paint a dishonest and misleading picture of government for you. They do a lot more than merely vote the right way when it comes time. Their effect on the country comes from their words and their campaigns as much, sometimes more so, than their voting record.