Dont shoot me, its just my take on american politics in general.
I'd say you have a handle on it.
Federally,
Our representatives tend to go to the capital and forget about home until re-election time.
Thomas Jefferson went home when he wasn't a government official. In Oregon, Hatfield and Packwood, our most powerful Senators, now retired, didn't come back to Oregon when the retired from the enate, they stayed in DC.
Tells me something about how well we were represented.
Once Americans start to realise that the congress needs to be replaced at least as often as the executive branch status quo will prevail.
Probably applys for the vast majority of the states as well.