have a say but not dictate. so my point isn't that the response says things but that it advocates for policy/governance.

In a liberal democracy, a common citizen 'dictating' simply means saying something with a jackass commanding tone. Such advocacy for policy/governance is a protected right in liberal democracies.

It is my right to say: "I command you to dye yourself blue and dance for my amusement." And it's your right to tell me to fuck off.

read my words carefully: i didn't say anything about the words themselves, nor the act of speaking those words, i said the ideas and positions are antithetical.

The idea to which you responded was the assertion that people have a right to vote in matters that don't concern them. This is the central premise of liberal democracy.