… Americans are now as negative about the way their representative democratic system is working as at any time in polling history. Confidence in Congress as an institution is at 7%, the lowest measurement in history and lower than any other institution tested, including organized labor, banks and big business. …
Americans tell us that this disdain for the men and women elected to represent them in Washington is based on these representatives’ inability to cooperate, guide the government into efficient and effective operations, and to work together in the interests of their constituents. It would seem to follow that Americans would demand and look for challengers to incumbents who would promise to do these things. But, the huge majority of incumbents running for re-election have been re-elected in the past and will be re-elected this year.
This is Fenno’s Paradox — the fact that people don’t like Congress as a whole, but like their individual representative. CONT.
Frank Newport, Gallup