The Founders of our nation and the framers of our Constitution surely did not foresee the day when, of our three branches of the federal government, the public would have the least confidence in Congress. In fact, the public has a little less confidence in Congress than it has in HMOs. At 14 percent, the fraction of Americans with a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress is the lowest in Gallup's history of this measure — and the lowest of any of the 16 institutions tested in this year's Confidence in Institutions survey. The Supreme Court received 34 percent confidence and the awful presidency of George W. Bush received 25 percent. We must understand why Congress has persistently failed Americans.
First, in view of the 2006 congressional elections, it is critically important to recognize that switching power between the two major political parties is an act of utter futility. We have a bipartisan failure of Congress to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities and serve the interests of the public. In the end, Democrats may have a different style, but they are as corrupt, arrogant, and incompetent as Republicans in Congress. Things have gotten so bad institutionally and culturally that we cannot vote our way out of a dysfunctional and destructive Congress as long as the two-party duopoly maintains its grip on our political system.
We no longer have a significant number of members of Congress who rise above partisan political priorities to put the good of the nation and the integrity of our Constitution first.
For out constitutional republic to really work it is absolutely necessary for Congress to have the courage and integrity to use its constitutional powers to safeguard Americans’ freedom, security, health, safety, and welfare.
Congress has done next to nothing to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities and even the most distracted and cynical Americans have now seen the truth.
Congress has allowed the Bush presidency to accumulate far more power than our Constitution permits. Even after years of arrogant disrespect by Bush and Cheney for our Constitution and Congress itself, Congress is too cowardly to do what they are supposed to do to maintain the structure of our federal government. It has not used the constitutional remedy of impeachment – not to punish Bush – but to preserve the constitutional limits on the presidency.
Article comments
1 - Dr Dreadful
You miss an important point. Of that 86% who did not express great confidence in Congress, I suspect that a fairly large number, if asked, would say that unlike those other bastards, their Congressman is a good guy.
That, as well as partisanship, is something you'll have to address if you're going to break the cycle of the same people getting elected over and over again.
2 - Joel S. Hirschhorn
Dear Dr. Dreadful: Other recent survey data have shown that most people no longer have a high regard for their own congressional representatives - that's how bad things have become!
3 - moonraven
Doc,
I don't see any evidence to support your claim that each voter thinks HIS or HER congressperson is okay.
In a representative democracy, how would you expect the congresspeople to be better than their constituency?
US voters are lemmings.
So are their representatives.
Makes perfect sense to me.
You want better congresspeople?
Become a better person.
4 - Nancy
The first step is, how to break the lock the two parties have on elections & the MSM. Without the MSM, independent candidates haven't got a chance. The MSM is owned & controlled by the corporations that also own & control the 2 parties & congress, & these same corporations/plutocracy/parties have a lock as well on the bulk of the funding necessary to run such a campaign which of necessity would entail defending 3rd party candidates against not only political spin by both parties, but skullduggery as well. I wouldn't put anything - including lies, libel, slander, falsified documents, false witnesses, blackmail, extortion, kidnapping, or anything else up to & including murder - past the people in power if they are fighting for control. People have done worse for a lot less.
Any 3rd party candidate who wants to circumvent the 2-party system will need to draw heavily on the blogosphere, for certain, & the donations of "little folks" like us - & even then it's a crapshoot, because how many will prefer not to waste their vote on an uncertain win as against a more probable win by a 'certified' & endorsed official party member? And THAT is a MAJOR, major problem, right there.
5 - ruff
It is really hard to believe that we americans hold Congress in such low regard, yet Bush still has 25% of people who like him and his policies. THAT is the real kicker.
6 - Destin Tanero
Why do you think I wrote my books? Being in touch with reality is like the keen senses of animals. Folks, when you watch TV you need to realize those people are trying to guide your life to suit them and their constituents. And the only thing they are ever truly on your side about is how you can help get them money and attention, no matter whose pocket it comes from. If you are not that interested in going the rest of the way to Hell with them and your politicians, I suggest you get in touch with my writings, and react positively.
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7 - Dave Nalle
And here I thought you wrote your books to have an excuse to become a spammer.
Dave
8 - Dave Nalle
Joel, as usual, your Article V obsession reminds us all how completely out of touch with reality you are.
THe partisanship and venality of our representatives is just a reflection of the constituencies they represent. Hold a convention to revise or replace the Constitution and you are literally sowing the whirlwind, and what you reap could be very, very ugly indeed.
We should be on our knees every day praying that they just leave the constitution the hell alone, and doing everything we can to see that it is properly applied.
Dave
9 - moonraven
Anyone who disagrees with Nalle is "out of touch with reality".
Yet Nalle lives in a trailer in Texas and flies a confederate flag from his mailbox....
Something is wrong with this picture.
10 - Zedd
Funny as usual.
11 - Dave Nalle
Something is always wrong with pictures taken with the distorting lens of unreason and hate.
Dave
12 - Charlie_Tofu
The taxpayers of this great land would do well to ask the question:
Why is it that the worlds greatest military power FAILED to defend even its own HQ?
13 - moonraven
I could not have described Nalle's perspective--unreason and hate--better than he did.
14 - steve
anyone smell the bacon? how about all of the proposed pork-barrell spending the DemocRATS have planned? maybe its a good thing the dems won back congress...to remind americans why they lost it in 94...
15 - Nancy
Steve, the GOPs are the ones that have been the most blatant about it recently; witness the good Republican senator from Alaska & his vaunted Bridge to Nowhere (even the natives don't want it) & his temper tantrums if any of his pork gets cut. Face it: BOTH parties are hogs, they just take their turns putting their fat jowels in the trough. I don't know which is worse, someone like Stevens who's utterly shameless about it, or those who do it in stealth. They're ALL vile, & in the end, all shameless, greedy, & corrupt.
I do wish someone would come up with a strain of Ebola that would only infect corrupt politicians & lobbyists. We'd have to fill up the grand canyon burying the carcasses, perhaps, but ... wouldn't it be worth it?!
16 - gonzo marx
for number 14 - go and look it up...most pork ever was in 2006, which beat out the previous record of 2005...current proposed has about half as much pork in it as those did
go an dlook it up, bad as the Dems are about that kind of thing, turns out the GOP have been worse from '00 - 06 when they had control
nuff said...
Excelsior?
17 - Ray Ellis
Slightly off-topic, but isn't it amusing that for all that talk of "cut and run," it's the top aides in the Bush Administration who are jumping ship? The smart rats do indeed leave the ship first.
18 - moonraven
Pretty scary, then, to think the only ones left are the stupid rats.