I take your points, Ardy, and I take them seriously. But... I disagree. Poll after poll shows that the issues that people care most about are the ones the Democrats support, not the GOP. E.g., Polling Report, Priorities. The difference, I think, is the political organization of the country. Between the over-representation of small States (two Senators and at least one Representative, no matter the population), the skewing of Districts favoring rural over urban voters, and the overlay of gerrymandering and vote manipulation (primarily by the GOP), the GOP is greatly over-represented compared to their relative favorability. Republican Party Favorability, Pew Research. Why? The Great Gerrymander of 2012 (Democrats received 1.4 million more votes for the House of Representatives, yet Republicans won control of the House by a 234 to 201 margin.)

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich