[jostmey]

It's sad because congress is where our individual vote carries the most weight. It's a crucial institution for our country, without which we'd be nothing more than an empire (in my opinion). Now more than ever it is important to root out the cronyism, nepotism, and big-money that has corrupted this important branch of our government.

[honkhonkpants]

You can't clean up Congress because you only get to vote for one of 438 members. In general the problem with members of Congress is that their constituents actually like them and frequently re-elect them.

[plandis]

This fact is quite sad when you consider that there are some representatives who state that it's their job to make sure nothing happens. Then people elect these people!

[zappo2938]

Maybe people have higher confidence in their own Congresspersons. Perhaps, they disagree strongly with their counterpart voting constituents on the Coasts. If this is the case, democracy is working as expected.

[eldavido]

I also believe democracy is "working as expected".

It's hard to see locally, but we're a country that's deeply divided on some core issues. Half the country wants gay marriage, the other half doesn't. A single-payer-advocating socialist almost won the Democratic primary, where his opponent is talking seriously about trying to "roll back" the ACA ("Obamacare"), this president's legacy domestic policy achievement.

I feel like half the country wants to become more like Europe -- more socialist, higher minimum wage, high taxes, big social safety net, free universities, lots of job protections (and the reluctance to hire that goes with it), minimal/no religion, less marriage, whereas the other half wants to step back about 50 years to picket fences, nuclear families, and a more isolated national existence.

We aren't going to have another civil war but I wouldn't be surprised if, looking back, we're more ideologically divided now than the country was, then.

[maxxxxx]

That divide is fabricated by political strategists (see "wedge issues"). When you talk to people about topics where the parties haven't staked out a position yet most people are willing to compromise or simply don't care.

[dragonwriter]

> Half the country wants gay marriage, the other half doesn't.

closer to 2/3 : 1/3 than half/half [0]

[0] http://www.gallup.com/poll/117328/marriage.aspx

[throwanem]

As many American soldiers died in the Civil War as in every other war we've ever fought combined. If we were as divided now as we were then, I think it'd be surprising as hell.

[dragonwriter]

The Civil War didn't occur just because of how deep the divisions were, but because they were strongly correlated with geography and not strongly correlated with class (particularly, that the divisions were quite present among the upper class with disproportionate influence on governments, and, while not perfectly aligned with geography, strongly correlated with it especially among the upper classes.)

The same degree of division with different geographic and class distribution could very well not have similar results.

[pigpaws]

My senators are douchebags. They (almost purposefully) split on nearly every important vote, thereby saving the 'state' from being on the 'losing' side... never mind having a united front on anything...

we definitely need term limits.

[sehugg]

Extreme polarization is keeping Congress from functioning properly: http://www.pressherald.com/2012/03/04/analysis-shows-congres...

[berkeleynerd]

I'd call it an almost complete breakdown of the parliamentary process in this country. The unwillingness of Congress to advise and consent with regard to filling a supreme court vacancy is unprecedented and the media is essentially ignoring it given the constitutional crisis it truly represents.

[pigpaws]

Then you must address the fact that SCOTUS is now adjudicating law based not on the law itself or precedents or logical reasoning, but how the individual judges personally feel the law should apply... which is why congress is hemming-and-hawing over it.

also, much like Soylent Green, companies are now 'people'...

[vkou]

SCOTUS has been adjudicating law based on how judges feel for almost 250 years.

Corporate personhood has also been a well-accepted legal practice since the 19th century.