Spare me the stories of electorate discontent...

[misanthrope]

...I keep reading and hearing about the ratcheting discontent among the citizenry, how the debt ceiling fracas has disgust at an all-time high. Some are quick to postulate about the coming incumbent bloodbath at the polls.

Give me a break. We all know what this really means: "Throw out all the bums...except mine."

Come the next election, it will be the same old story. The incumbents will take advantage of their innate advantages, something the Citizens United ruling has only enhanced. Their constituents will dutifully march in and vote for good ol' Rep. So-and-So because "they're doing what we sent them to DC to do." There's reasons they are incumbents, folks and reasons the turnover rate is so low.

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." I hate it as much as the next guy because we are so far down a disastrous path, but I don't foresee any change.

[LWolf]

1. I could argue your point,

but won't. Unfortunately, you are probably correct.

How many votes will be determined on the "lesser evil" or "fear of the enemy" premise?

WAY too many.

[elocs]

2. Come next election I hope Democrats take advantage of that quaint little right we have,

the right to show up and cast our ballot and be counted.

Now last November here in Wisconsin, as stupid as Republican voters may be, they grasped that complex notion that elections are won as a result of those who choose to show up and participate in the process as Walker got 90% of the vote the number of votes that went to McCain in 2008 and that's not bad for an off year election.

Even in our recent hotly contested state Supreme Court Justice election everyone was thrilled with a 40% turnout for a spring election. Kloppenburg lost by some 7000 votes but I would reckon that maybe 10-20,000 or more Democrats statewide didn't bother to vote and in that election it should have been the Democrats who were much more motivated to vote than the Republicans.

So last fall here there was electorate discontent: Republicans showed up at the polls to demonstrate theirs and too many Democrats chose to stay home (and greatly regret that decision now).

[misanthrope]

3. Even with last year's "upsets"...

...the vast majority of Congressional incumbents waltz back into office, repeatedly.

[Urban Prairie]

4. I have heard anger and frustration expressed over the debt ceiling impasse from quite a few people

amongst my neighbors, acquaintences, and the clerks who I know in stores that I frequent that rarely if ever have mentioned or discussed politics before, dunno if that will carry over or last long enough to affect their decision to vote, or who to for, but I imagine if the repercussions from any "deal" or default negatively affects them in any way personally and/or to their family members, it might very well motivate them, I suppose.

:shrug:

[provis99]

5. most people don't pay any attention to politics.

Why should we expect a nation of fat-ass ignorant Reality-tv watchers to do anything to save the country?