Congress’s approval rating just dipped to a mere ten percent — a new all-time low even lower than the all-time low set just months ago when their abysmal approval rating was even lower than the historic low hit a few months before that.
No, Congress, we don’t want to be your Valentine.
About now someone somewhere is saying that folks may not like Congress, but they do like their own member of Congress. 
Not so. A recent poll showed that voters don’t want their own so-called representative re-elected, either.
So, why do incumbents still get re-elected? Well, in most congressional districts, there is a dominant political party — either the Democrats or the Republicans. The winner of that party’s primary is a virtual shoo-in in the general election.
Most folks turn out to cast their votes in the general election, when in most districts it’s already been decided, but fail to show up in the all-important primary election, when they could actually make a difference.
What to do? Well, several patriots hopped into a phone booth and changed into a SuperPAC, called the Campaign for Primary Accountability. The group says, “We have two parties. Both are irresponsible. Both are unaccountable.”
And already the SuperPAC has raised $1.8 million to target, in their primaries, a number of supposedly safe House incumbents: Representatives Spencer Bachus (R‑Ala), Bob Brady (D‑Pa.), Jesse Jackson Jr. (D‑Ill.), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D‑Texas), Tim Johnson (R‑Ill.), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D‑Ohio), Don Manzullo (R‑Ill.), Tim Murphy (R‑Pa.), Silvestre Reyes (D‑Texas), Jean Schmidt (R‑Ohio).
There could be no better Valentine for our republic than seeing entrenched incumbents defeated. The primary is a smart place for that battle. You might even want to send your own heartfelt message.
This is Common sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
6 replies on “To America With Love”
Perhaps a good first step to a “Anybody But The Incumbent” party. One early idea for a party symbol might be a donkey-headed elephant(or elephant-headed donkey) within a red circle with a diagonal line. I’ll defer on whether a bulls-eye ought to be included.
Please do not leave out Lamar Smith from Texas 21 — I vote ‘R’ generally, and he’s not my congress critter (I’m so blessed with the unbeatable Lloyd Doggett, Barack Obama’s lapdog), but being the main backer of PIPA and SOPA, he deserves to go.
Uh, they left out the worthless Lamar Smith in TX. A friend of almost everything big: Big Banks, Big Military Hardware; Big Pharma…Why? Because they all have big pockets. He has drawn a liberty loving sheriff as a primary opponent. Hooray for freedom from the jerk who stole your tax dollars.
Sorry but the people who don’t like their own incumbent have no excuse for not voting them out. I’ve been willing to vote in a primary but what good is it when the candidate has no opposition?
Anyone who doesn’t like their own member of Congress (or their state legislature or town council) but isn’t willing to vote for someone else just once has no cause to complain.
Anyone that doesn’t like their own member of Congress (state leg, town council, etc.) but is willing to let them run unopposed has no cause to complain.
[…] some folks didn’t see it coming. Sadly, not everyone reads Common Sense. Back in February, I said there may be “no better Valentine for our Republic” than the effort by a new SuperPAC, the […]