Whip, I'm dumb enough to think I know how to solve the biggest issues with politics, but also fear the solution is unattainable in this society. In my opinion, WE are the problem with politics. If we are Dems, we bash any and everything the GOP does, yet cheer when the Dems do the exact same thing. If we are Reps, we bash everything the Dems do and cheer when we do the same thing. If we are conservative, we bash the Dems and most of the Reps, while cheering when we do the same things.
Our system has become rigged by the El Rushbos, Fox Newses and MSNBCs of the country. They have taught us to embrace being lied to by "our" side, hate everything there is about the other side and show blind loyalty to "our" side pretty much no matter what they do. Doing that gives the politicians a free ride, as we are going to vote for "our side" pretty much no matter what they do. We will defend "our" side for doing the exact same thing we climbed to the top of the tallest building and screamed as loud as we could when damning the "other" side for doing the exact same thing the week before. If you ever doubt that, spend a week reading the comments on all the political stories the Milwaukee JS publishes. You'll see the overwhelming majority of posters divided along political lines, doing nothing but defending everything "their" side does and bashing everything the "other" side does, even if they just bashed the other side for doing it the day before.
IMO, what we need to do is stop worrying about what the "other" side does and focus on holding those we DID vote for accountable for their actions and sins. For example, when Walker appoints the completely unqualified son of a big donor to a key position, it shouldn't be the Dems that are screaming about it. It should be those that voted for Walker that scream, as he just betrayed your trust and he should lose your vote because of it. When the next Dem becomes Gov and does the same thing, those that voted for him/her should be the ones screaming and they shouldn't vote for them again.
If that occurred, I believe that most of the biggest problems with politics would be solved within 10 years, as the politicians would be forced to represent the best interest of those that voted for them, not those that funnel them $$$$$$$$ for their election runs. After all, if we held those we vote for accountable, they won't get the votes no matter how much $$$$$$$$ they spent if they didn't watch out for their voters' best interests. As it sits now, virtually none of the politicians on either side gives a pinch of feces what we want/think, as we're bashing the "other" side and ignoring what those we trusted enough to actually vote for are doing. The Rep voters are too focused on if Obama really is a radical Muslim, hell bent on destroying America by turning us into socialist utopia and trying to find his birth certificate to notice that the Rep House is doing all they can to block anything he was trying to do to help get our economy turned back in the right direction. At the same time, the Dem voters are so focused on how the Rep House is willing to throw the entire country under the bus, just to get a Rep in the white house, that they ignore that part of Obama's stimulus package was used by schools to buy computers from Canada (and that's exactly what the school my brother teaches at did) and forget to ask where all this hope and change we were promised is.
If we all held those we voted for accountable, it'd be short sighted to use our natural resources as chips to give away to our "friends." If we don't, it's almost as if we are giving the politicians our permission to ignore what's in our best interests, as they pay no price for doing so at all.