"We will never really be able to change Washington, no matter who is elected president"

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

I am not endorsing this view, merely noting one of the more provocative poll results I've seen this year.

CNG4. Which comes closest to your view?

If we elect the right person as president, we can really change how things work in Washington

2008 Obama voters - 36%
2008 McCain voters - 53%

We will never really be able to change the way things work in Washington, no matter who is elected president

2008 Obama voters - 63%
2008 McCain voters - 47

http://surveys.ap.org/data/KnowledgeNetworks/AP_Election_Wave12_Topline_First%20Release.pdf

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. I agree with this guy.

"When politics enter . . . government, nothing resulting there from in the way of crimes and infamies is then incredible. It actually enables one to accept and believe the impossible."

"In . . . politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing."

"The government of my country snubs honest simplicity, but fondles artistic villainy, and I think I might have developed into a very capable pickpocket if I had remained in the public service a year or two."

"Right here in this heart and home and fountain-head of law, this great factory where are forged those rules that create good order and compel virtue and honesty in the other communities of the land, rascality achieves its highest perfection."

"What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin."

"History has tried to teach us that we can't have good government under politicians.  Now, to go and stick one at the very head of government couldn’t be wise."

Mark Twain

[TBF]

2. So do I -

If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal - Emma Goldman

[liberal N proud]

3. Fundamental changes come slowly in Washington

To the average viewer, it appears as though nothing changes.

It is true that power corrupts, but things do evolve and the corruption has grown much worse as time passes, but there are positive changes from time to time. The problem with the title statement in the OP, is that it is a statement of surrender. Giving up on affecting changes, giving up on the positive and allowing the corruption to swill through the halls of Congress and the White House.

We the people must demand positive change and to never give up.

[Demoiselle]

5. Exactly.

Much as I admire Mark Twain and Emma Goldman, I can't accept the absolute cynicism. If we give up, we might as well all go live in caves.

[xchrom]

7. more often -- change comes TO washington not the other way around.

politicians simply do the right thing by acceding to the overwhelming demands of the times or the people.

[blindpig]

9. Real change does not come incrementally

but rather in big jolts. In this Darwin finds himself agreeing with Marx. See punctuated equilibrium.

[snappyturtle]

4. I don't think we can ever change the way things work in Washington regardless

of who is President. I hate sounding so bleak but having voted for over forty years I've become aware of "something" that happens between presidential elections and inauguration that changes the president-elect, imho. Is there really a shadow government? I'm beginning to believe so.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. Once they're briefed on Area 51 the game changes.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

8. Who do you mean by "we"?

Clearly, American political culture *does* change, as proved by the differences between now and 150 years ago.

But the whole *point* of a Democracy is to prevent small numbers of people wielding large amounts of power, so unless the change you want to bring about it something sufficiently broad that a large number of people agree on it, a given "we" isn't likely to be able to change very much very fast.

[TheKentuckian]

10. The system has taken on too much entropy to function.

Popular sentiment means little to DC (or even your state house). Change is what the elites want, not the desire of the people.

It is the structure that is broken from the corporate media to the corporate dollars in our elections and used to shape policy to the fear the population feels at upsetting the corporate apple cart if responsible taxes are paid or our environment is protected or we are paid living wages.

[treestar]

11. There's also the unwarranted assumption things don't work there

adequately. Most government programs are functional. WTF do people want? If they disagree with how left/right things are, they can work on Congress. It's lazy to just assign it all to the President as if he has dictatorial powers.

The Founders meant for the system to be hard to change. And it is a good system.

[stray cat]

12. the tea partiers can and Bush did - just not in the direction you want

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

13. I notice you didn't include yourself in this "wanting". EDIT: And it's "teabaggers".

Freudian slip is Freudian.