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Congress

yokeyoke Posts: 1,440
edited November 2008 in A Moving Train
I have a question for everyone. If Congress has such low marks and I think the last I looked it was like 18%.

Why do we keep voting them back in? I don't understand how this happens. I know a lot of people focus on the Presidental runs but there is more to Washington(and your state) then the President.

http://media.gallup.com/poll/graphs/080513ApprovalsGraph1_infh30oins.gif
Thats a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?

www.seanbrady.net
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Comments

  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    b/c the majority won't vote for anything other than the 2 parties and so they know they don't have to do anything b/c no one will hold them accountable b/c they don't want to vote for the other party
    standin above the crowd
    he had a voice that was strong and loud and
    i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
    eager to identify with
    someone above the crowd
    someone who seemed to feel the same
    someone prepared to lead the way
  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    Because the problem is seen by a lot of people as congress is terrible, but my representative is ok.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    El_Kabong wrote:
    b/c the majority won't vote for anything other than the 2 parties and so they know they don't have to do anything b/c no one will hold them accountable b/c they don't want to vote for the other party

    truth :)
  • LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSunLikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun Posts: 6,097
    the biggest problem is that lifetime congressmen from the most extreme blue and red states are the most likely to get reelected, AND those are the ones who end up heading commitees and running the party. Career politicians shouldnt be the ones automatically in charge.
  • jeffbrjeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    blackredyellow wrote:
    Because the problem is seen by a lot of people as congress is terrible, but my representative is ok.

    Yup.


    And if people would quit reelecting incumbants we'd get out of our mess in a pretty big hurry. Quit voting to send people back. It just entrenches them. They get deeper with their lobbiests, with their coalitions, with their good ol boys club. We could have fresh faces and fresh ideas every couple of years. They wouldn't be spending their time figuring out how to get reelected, but instead would spend their time getting shit done in their short term.

    We could have a new house and 1/3 of a new senate every 2 years. That would be real change. But people don't want real change.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • Shawn Smith CollectiveShawn Smith Collective Posts: 986
    blackredyellow wrote:
    Because the problem is seen by a lot of people as congress is terrible, but my representative is ok.

    I think it's even simpler than that...it's name recognition.

    Outside of a Presidental election, most people don't know any of the candidates on the ballots unless it's a high profile candidate or a name they already know from the past. So even if the incumbent is part of the larger problem, but hasn't done anything explicitly to give constituents a reason to vote against the incumbent, then the voters aren't simply going to hand their vote over to "the new guy," when that person might be worse. In their mind, they'd rather stick with the "devil they know." Poll most people on their votes outside of Obama vs McCain this year...the overwhelming majority will say they voted party lines and/or names they recognized.
    <a href="http://www.shawnsmithsinger.com">Shawn Smith</a> / <a href="http://www.thebandbrad.com">Brad</a&gt; / <a href="http://www.allhailthecrown.com">All Hail the Crown</a> / <a href="http://www.satchelpartnership.com">Satchel</a&gt;

    (Shawn Smith's official website, but not Thee Shawn Smith)
  • cincybearcatcincybearcat Posts: 16,508
    yoke wrote:
    I have a question for everyone. If Congress has such low marks and I think the last I looked it was like 18%.

    Why do we keep voting them back in? I don't understand how this happens. I know a lot of people focus on the Presidental runs but there is more to Washington(and your state) then the President.

    http://media.gallup.com/poll/graphs/080513ApprovalsGraph1_infh30oins.gif


    Good question.

    It's because while people bitch about how bad congress is, they somehow seem to think it's not the guy/gal that they voted in, it's all those other incumbents...weird.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • HermanBloomHermanBloom Posts: 1,764
    We're fools
    SLC 11/2/95, Park City 6/21/98, Boise 11/3/00, Seattle 12/9/02, Vancouver 5/30/03, Gorge 9/1/05, Vancouver 9/2/05, Gorge 7/22/06, Gorge 7/23/06, Camden I 6/19/08, MSG I 6/24/08, MSG II 6/25/08, Hartford 6/27/08, Mansfield II 6/30/08; Eddie Albany 6/8/09, 6/9/09; Philly 10/30/09, 10/31/09; Boston 5/17/10
    I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
  • yokeyoke Posts: 1,440
    Shawn Smith Collective wrote:
    the overwhelming majority will say they voted party lines and/or names they recognized.


    See thats the biggest problem I think. When people walk into that booth and vote on the right sidor left side all the way down the line. They don't look(or research) the people they are voting for. It really doesn't make any sense to me and I don't know why people continue to do it.
    Thats a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?

    www.seanbrady.net
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