Can't let it go

This goes back to that "why people don't vote" business that kicked off the dispute I had recently about 3rd party voting. Recall that part of my argument was that many people are disaffected from voting. It's not just a matter of being too lazy to pay inattention; for a good hunk of the potential voting population, it's truly a matter of "what's the point?"

Rasmussen Reports says that according to a telephone survey done the first week of June,

[f]ifty-six percent of Americans believe that most members of Congress are willing to sell their vote for either cash or a campaign contribution. That view is held by 60% of Republicans, 49% of Democrats, and 59% of those not affiliated with either major party. From a generational perspective, those over 65 are a bit more trusting than younger adults, but even 41% of the nation's senior citizens believe most Congressman are willing to sell their vote. ...

[J]ust 16% believe most Congressional votes are not for sale.

In fact, by a plurality of 39%-34%, members of Congress rank lower than used-car salesmen in trustworthiness.

One upside is that other Rasmussen surveys have found that about half of voters would consider voting for a 3rd party Congressional candidate and nearly three-fifths believe it would be good for the US to have a competitive 3rd party. Now if we could just get people to break out of the "but ya gotta take the lesser evil" trap.

Footnote: In fairness, I should point out that these kinds of surveys can suffer from what might be called the "out there" factor. It has happened in previous such surveys that when people are asked their opinion of Congress, it ranks very low - but when they are asked their opinion of their own representatives, those rate considerably higher. That is, a common belief is, "It's not my members of Congress that are the problem, it's all those other members of Congress." The problem is never close to home, it's "out there." Cynicism and vagueness often go hand in hand.