The American people are growing increasingly disillusioned with politics. Broken promises are now accepted as part of the "political process," partisan in-fighting increasingly prohibits legislative progress, and front-page scandals are more likely to induce a yawn than outrage. As a result, the American people are consistently giving Congress some of its lowest marks ever.
A recent Rasmussen poll shows that 64% of Americans think our legislative branch is doing a "poor job." Only 11% of voters believe Congress is doing a "good" or "excellent" job. For those who might blame this exclusively on Obama and the Democratic congress, it is important to note that this these numbers have been consistent since late 2007.
As Scott Rasmussen says in his new book, In Search of Self-Governance,
If we ever found a Little League team behaving as poorly as the Republicans and Democrats or the congressman and senators, we'd probably disband the team and go home. Heck, we might even disband the entire league and bulldoze the field.
Rasmussen isn't alone. Several political groups carrying the banner of self-governance are now shouting, "Enough." They believe that Americans are better off ruling themselves instead of relegating our affairs to "professional politicians."
One such group that is gaining some attention is Get Out of Our House or GOOOH (pronounced "Go"). They believe we should "fire" all 435 career politicians in the U.S. House of Representatives and replace with them with everyday Americans. They claim Congress has become a corrupt bureaucracy in need of a complete turnover. The founding fathers intended this country to be run by everyday citizens, GOOOH says.
It's a highly unlikely but interesting mission. Imagine if our country were being run by firefighters, school teachers, doctors, and accountants. There would be a lifeline between the decision makers and regular Americans. The entire nation--and especially the District of Columbia--would certainly look differently than it does now. Despite it's improbability, with Congressional approval so low, complete turnover may be music to the ears of more than half of all voters.
Jonathan Merritt is author of Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet and blogs regularly at www.JonathanMerritt.com.