Op-ed pick: Who put these guys in office?

Even as the country breathes a sigh of relief at the end of the shutdown, many are still angry that our government appears to be so dysfunctional. But in an op-ed in today's Los Angeles Times, New York University Professor Jonathan Zimmerman says that this dysfunction is nothing new, and that our country has a long history of electing leaders who don't live up to our expectations. But despite this reoccurring phenomenon, we rarely stop to consider just how our elected officials got into their jobs in the first place...

For the last two centuries, we have asked members of Congress to advance our personal interests and do the best thing for the nation. When that doesn't work out, we mock and malign them. It's a whole lot easier than looking in the mirror.

You can read the full piece here.

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