The Blame Game

As the pols like to say,"there is plenty of blame to go around". Is that meant to mitigate the awful performance that has been standard operating procedure for the past few decades?
The next often quoted remark is, "throw the bums out".
The long term incumbents get reelected because with seniority they get to bring home more bacon. So it is our own self interest that perpetuates the problem.
That leads to an intractable situation. We are not likely to change human nature.

If there were a general movement to throw the bums out how would we go about replacing them? What criterion would be used to evaluate the candidates? There is no way I know of to determine the qualities needed to be a true statesman. One who could withstand the blandishments of the corporate lobbyists or the ideological "one issue" groups.

In France recently, to deal with the financial crisis, they turned to an economist instead of a politician, to be foreign minister. If our "super committee" as comprised, were more acquainted with the economy instead of party ideology, in other words, non-politicians, perhaps a solution would have been achieved. Only perhaps.