‘A Disfunctional
Congress’
THEY KEEP GETTING RE-ELECTED
It’s no news that Congress is unpopular. In fact, at times it
seems like the only real novelty on Capitol Hill would be a
jump in its approval rating. So here’s the interesting thing:
nearly three-quarters of Americans want to throw out most
members of Congress, including their own representative,
yet the vast majority of incumbents will be returning to
Capitol Hill in January. In other words, Americans scorn
Congress but keep re-electing its members. How could this
be? The first thing to remember is that members of Congress
didn’t get there by being lousy politicians. They know as well
as you and I that Congress is unpopular, and they’re masters
at running against it — appearing to be outsiders trying to
get in, rather than insiders who produce the Congress they
pretend to disdain. Just as important, incumbents enjoy
an overwhelming advantage in elections. They have a large
staff whose jobs focus on helping constituents. They’re paid
a good salary, so they don’t have to worry about supporting
their families while they campaign. They get to spend their
terms effectively campaigning year-round, not just at
election time, and they are able to saturate their
state or district with mass mailings.
Incumbents get the honored place in the parade,
the prime speaking position, the upper hand
when it comes to raising money; challengers
have to fight for visibility and money. In fact,
challengers are at a disadvantage at almost
every point in a campaign. From building
name recognition to arranging meetings to building
credibility with editorial boards, donors, and opinion
leaders, they’re trudging uphill. But there’s another reason
incumbents keep getting re-elected that’s also worth
considering: voters — that’s us. Most Americans don’t
vote, and those who do often cast their ballots for narrow
or unusual reasons. They like the way they got treated by
the incumbent’s staff, or they shook his or her hand at a
county fair, or they like his or her stand on a particular
social or economic issue.
Whatever the case, they don’t look at an incumbent’s
entire record: votes on a cross-section of vital issues;
willingness to work with members of different ideologies
and backgrounds; ability to explain Washington back
home and represent home in Washington; skill at forging
consensus on tough policy challenges. It’s really no
mystery that incumbent
members get re-elected. Their advantages are baked into
the system.
– The Center on Congress at Indiana University
Reprinted from the EDITORIAL PAGE OPINION
PALATKA DAILY NEWS • SATURDAY, AUGUST
9, 2014 Wayne Knuckles, Publisher Al Krombach,
Editor Community Newspapers, Inc.