Throw the Bums Out!

The latest approval rating for Congress is at a historic low of 9 percent.

That's the good news.

The bad news is most of these bums will be returned to office in November. You know it, and I know it.

They say people get the kind of government they deserve, and if my prediction is accurate, this will be the proof. It's so unfortunate.

Maybe the problem is the two-party system. As much as Americans detest incumbents, mostly Democrats, the Republicans offer up not much of an alternative. The truth is that neither party deserves to wield the power vested in the U.S. Congress.

Maybe the problem is incumbency and what it does to those who get comfortable in Washington. Instead of returning 90 to 95 percent of incumbents, as Americans traditionally do on Election Day, wouldn't it be wonderful to see 90 to 95 percent sent packing?

Maybe the problem is the American people themselves. Perhaps most of us have just forgotten the proper role of members of Congress. Perhaps we have forgotten these guys work for us. Perhaps we have forgotten they are bound to uphold a Constitution that strictly limits their power.

But I don't want to be a pessimist today. Instead, I want to urge you to forget about the presidential race for the next four months and do everything in your power to dethrone the worst of these congressional incumbents. Can it be done? You bet it can. Sure, there are tremendous advantages to incumbency. Sure, it's difficult. Sure, it will take hard work and sacrifice and an intense mobilization. But isn't America worth it?

Do we really want these pretenders to destroy our country? Wouldn't you like to live in a country where you are proud of your elected officials? Wouldn't it be nice if your children and grandchildren grew up in a country served by true patriots and slaves to the Constitution?

Call me a dreamer, but four months before Election Day, it's still possible to start a peaceful electoral revolution this fall. Americans have faced tougher challenges. We've overcome tougher odds.

Part of the problem with making that happen is our national obsession with the presidency.

For my money, neither major-party candidate is worthy of holding the highest office in the land. So why do we worry so much about which unworthy candidate is going to win? It doesn't matter that much. We also know no third-party candidate is going to save the day. So why not use our energy where it can make a difference — a big difference? Why not see whether the American political system is hopelessly broken? Why not put it to the test? Why not get excited about a national movement to throw the bums out?

Look at it this way: No matter who wins the presidency, it will be someone who favors amnesty for illegal immigrants, actually believes in global warming (or knows it's a hoax but thinks it's one that can benefit him politically), doesn't have the faintest understanding of economics, and doesn't support a literal interpretation of the Constitution.

So forget about it. You don't have to vote for either of the major-party candidates — and you shouldn't. You literally can't make a difference by choosing between them.

But there are still two ways you can make a huge difference. In fact, you still have a chance to make history in this election. Here's my prescription, one I will be talking about and writing about much more between now and Nov. 4:

— Don't vote for either John McCain or Barack Obama. Make your vote really count this year by voting for none of the above for president. Choose your favorite third-party candidate, or write in Mickey Mouse, but for heaven's sake, do not participate in this presidential electoral charade by voting for the lesser of two genuine evils.

— Mobilize yourself and your friends to take out your local member of Congress in November, assuming that person is one of the 90 to 95 percent deserving of that fate. Go to the mat to change the character of the House and Senate this year. Stop obsessing about the presidency, and start obsessing about the Congress. There's still time to make a difference. There's still a chance to take our country back.

Are you with me on this simple agenda? You want to know what it will take to rescue America from the brink? It will take hard work. It will take a revolutionary movement. It will take a national uprising.

But the good news is, according to the latest polls, 91 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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