I think one of the reasons for the bi-partisanship problem is the lack of national term limits. Many of these politicians have been around for too long and their priorities have changed from representing the people to preserving their comfortable jobs and pensions.

I totally agree lucre. I also think that a lot of politicians USE the church card to get elected again and once there forget the word completely. I don't know why we don't HAVE term limits on every position. It's a shame that a lot of these guys and gals just seem to hang on for the money and never actually do anything.

Two many members of Congress have held the same seat for way too long. And then when they decide to leave the seat, they run for a different office. Term limits would be nice, but there would still be a number of career politicians in office.

There's all of that, and then there's the fact that even those who agree that "bipartisanship" is something they are willing to work towards, they continue to turn around and say/do things that suggest otherwise. So high school.

Hell will freeze over before the Supreme Court is "allowed" to make that constitutional amendement. So how about we try something like ummm.....voting them out of office. We have the power to do so but yet we keep voting the way we do. I guarantee you come midterm elections and even the presidential election nothing will change even though there is this across- the- board anti government sentiment brewing. That is just one thing it seems about this country, we are so afraid of oppostion and politcal revolution that even in the face of change we back down and do nothing. Is it because even though we are not fully happy with the political situation in this country we are complacent?

I love the iPolitics Ele-Donkey!

The eledonkey rocks! Maybe a cryptozoologist will find out these things actually exist -- only after most of the current members of Congress is replaced with new blood.

Saw Joe the Plumber today on Fox regarding him not being a supporter of McCain anymore. Both parties will likely get hit hard this year, but the Democrats worse because they simply have more people in office. The sentiment is "through the bums out!" and I have to agree with them.

The way Sen. Bayh announced his retirement certainly confirms the point on the nonexistence of true bu-partisanship.

Fich0801 hit the nail on the head - if you have a problem with your congressman, vote him out of office and work hard to get rid of him. There is nothing wrong with the terms - the people keep voting these people in.

How ironic that the people keep these congressman in office and then complain. But when it comes to the presidential race, most Americans have zero understanding of the Electoral College and they complain about not having a say.

Back to the subject at hand...bipartisanship, in its purest form, will not happen. However, we have had leaders who are more willing to compromise and work with the opposing party than what we are dealing with right now. Obama doesn't want to work with Republicans, nor does he want to work with Americans. He just wants what he wants and to hell with everybody else.

The best we will ever get out of both parties working together on something is a compromise. But you won't see that during the term of the fearless leader we have now.

Unified against the most recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporations virtually unlimited campaign spending was a positive sign. There are still certain issues people come together on.

I think it is too late in 2010 for any organized third party movement to make a significant dent in Congress, but maybe 2012? Ross Perot and the Reform Party was the last time there was a significant push that actually yielded some serious organization, and I know that was no easy feat. How do you think a new third party movement would evolve?

I think it would have to be incumbents that break away from their party because it would be hard for an entire constituancy to put their trust and their vote in a virtual unknown. We need familiar faces to lead this third party movement because I guarantee people will not get on board if they don't feel comfortable. I still believe that not all of capitol hill is caught up in the madness even if some think that is not possible. I really like individuals like Joe Liberman.

For incumbents to break away they have to have somewhere to go and if a new party was to ever get started the idea of bringing aboard credible, honest, mainstream elected officials is absolutely critical for a new party to gain voter trust and credibility.

As to leadership, this is a problem if the party hands over that role to a member of either party now in control because it might indicate a prejudice towards that party however incorrect.

What makes sense to me is we organize the party by posting a set of issues to start with as the "platform" our eventual candidates will support and then invite current office holders to post on our website their support of not only that issue, or issues, but of the party itself. Once they're "on record", that should begin the process of obtaining trust and confidence and also stop the inevitable "Benedict Arnold's". Remember, evolution, not revolution is the key.