Nate Silver of five-thirty-eight says that less than 40 congressional seats in this county are competitive. So, why is Congresses approval rating so low if we keep electing the same clowns?

Gerrymandering is a big reason – but it comes about with a census change ever ten years. Then, states go through years of expensive court battles with varying outcomes.
Term limits would be the answer. But, I doubt we’ll ever see it in our lifetime for many reasons.

So, what’s the answer: CHANGE THE MINDSET OF THE VOTER

Voters are creatures of habit as evident in Nate Silver’s analysis.

I’m a centrist – and I don’t believe the Founding Fathers intended people to make a career out of a congressional seat. I say, give our elected officials 6 years in a representative seat. If they want more they should run for the Senate.

But, voters have to do their part – because Congress won’t do it for us. We have to change the mindset that one person should be elected over and over again. It should be a revolving seat.

Why? Lobbyist and the money machine. After someone has been in Congress long enough, it become more about them and less about their district.

The first thing a newly elected Representative does is get taken by the arm and thrown into what the FEC calls “widely held events.” Those events are nothing more than lobbyist meet and greets.

From the very first day – the Representative you voted for is forced to start raising money for the next election. Some of it is cloak and dagger – but it’s all right out in front of our eyes if we take the time to see it.

America will not be able to get rid of lobbyist in Washington. We won’t be able to stop the revolving door.

But, we can start voting out congressmen in an effort to reduce the leverage they have over their seat.

The old theory is that we need Representative who know how Congress works and we need longevity so they can make a difference for their district.

I disagree – it doesn’t work that way anymore. The longer a Rep stays in DC – the less effective he becomes to the district he represents.