The public has increasingly soured on Congress — and now, some House lawmakers are starting to agree.

With legislating all but brought to a halt and partisanship at an alarming high, members of Congress in both parties are running for the exits, opting out of another term on Capitol Hill to vie for higher office or, in some cases, leave politics altogether.

It is a trend that skyrocketed in recent months — amid a tumultuous 10-week stretch on Capitol Hill — and one that is likely to continue through the end of this year, highlighting the challenges of navigating a polarized, and oftentimes chaotic, era of Congress.

“Right now, Washington, D.C. is broken,” Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said in a statement when announcing that she would not run for reelection. “[I]t is hard to get anything done.”

  • BoofStroke
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    7 months ago

    Political experts are making policy decisions about things they are not knowledgeable, let alone experts in. This is a problem. Healthcare, privacy, infrastructure, defense, right to repair, isp monopolies, etc. I don’t want actors. I don’t want celebrities. I don’t want career politicians. I want people who actually understand problems working in government to get those problems solved for a brief time, not in place of being engineers, scientists, educators, and tradesmen.

    • Monkeyhog@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I want people who understand government working in government. Because government itself is complex and requires experts to run it correctly.

      • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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        7 months ago

        I would prefer an engineer make engineering decisions, a doctor make medical decisions, and a teacher make education decisions and not someone who’s good at playing the government game.

      • BoofStroke
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        7 months ago

        Our founding founders were first architects, engineers, scientists, and inventors. The government being complex is a result of who is running it. Lawyers and politicians. Want a new law? Repeal 2 others.

        • noahm@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Want a new law? Repeal 2 others.

          Mindless platitudes like this accomplish nothing but to trivialize the legitimate complexity of the large scale organization.