I think there is a rather large group of the electorate, who, for good reason, just DO NOT believe or trust the shit that comes out of Washington

I think everyone I know doesn't believe the shit that comes out of Washington. It is clear that most politicians, on the left and the rights, are more interested in keeping their jobs -- and power, and money -- than in doing their jobs. We don't get to choose the best people available -- for the most part, we get to choose among those who cater to the parties and to the extremes within the parties.

There is still, however, a clear difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. The Republicans are much worse when it comes to telling lies and fostering intolerance. From my point of view, most Democrats are slightly right of center, and the entire Republican establishment has fallen off the right edge. I get tired of hearing people refer to Obama and Clinton as liberals. They really aren't. But they are so much better than the alternative that it makes voting easy.

I used to sometimes vote for Republicans who seemed honest and were doing a good job. Now, however, the Republican party has a series of extremely conservative litmus tests, and any candidate that doesn't pass muster doesn't get supported by the party. This makes it impossible to vote for them, since their votes are dictated by party hacks that no one ever elected, and, being politicians, they have to play along in order to keep their all-important power and money.