[Marcella]

All of us elected our house reps. and senators to do a job. That job did not include taking orders from some Republican in the House or Senate. It appears when someone is elected, no matter what they stood for during their election process, they go to Washington and have to do whatever their “leader” says do.

A pox on that. Since that is the case, I'd be in trouble the first day because I would represent the people who sent me and ignore Boehner and McConnell. Guess I wouldn't get any committee assignments - at least I could live with myself.

[Jacquerie]

Boehner determines who gets funding from the NRCC. Current members probably got funding for their previous campaigns. Play along, get money for your next contest. Very few men are virtuous enough to risk their jobs for an idea. Politicians are no different.

But there is no doubt the system has been corrupted, such that both representatives and senators are creatures of their parties. They must continually whore for money.

As long as both houses of congress are largely responsible to party leaders for their jobs, there is little chance our republic will survive.

It is time to return to our framers’ design of divided power, between the states and federal government. It wouldn't be a panacea, but making senators responsible again to fifty state legislatures would break the lock that party leaders have on their members.