"The funding activities of AIPAC etc are our own fault." Who do you mean by "our"? The US people? How? What agency do we have? This is largely allowed by Supreme Court decisions--we don't nominate or confirm SCOTUS judges. As to your last question, thing is, once there might have been Mr. Smiths who went to Washington, but the scenario now is that you have to buy office and it ain't cheap. Some very rich people can do it on their own dime--but what percentage of rich people are "good people"? Most get their on the dime of their funders, their johns, who must be paid back with favors--which ALWAYS come at the expense of the constituents the rep must pretend to care about.