Mrkim, firstly let me say that it's a pleasant change to have a response that is thought through and logical. A few things I would like to raise though:

""Good Politicians" by and large is an oxymoron" is kind of contradicted by "There are the rare and odd exceptions within our political system of folks who care about the concerns of their constituants and are there for the "right" reasons and these obviously have to be looked at and thought upon individually by the voters"

I am also not advocating a position for life. There have been instances here in NZ where a particular person has been in office for a long period - usually as mayor of a city - but that has been because there has been nobody better, or because they have been doing a good job in that role, and they have still faced elections every three years. Nobody has the right to be in a publicly elected office - they are only there to serve the people that voted them in. I think that is the point that some in those offices forget, and those that do well remember.

Sadly, it is not just your fellow American's who seem to not give due consideration to who they vote for - it is an issue here too, and I am sure it probably is in most well established democracies. Personally, I am an advocate for the best person for the job getting the job (that relates to more than just political roles), so the number of terms an incumbent has held office should not come into it. Given what I have just said about people considering their vote though, I don't believe the best person for the job necessarily gets the job. Unfortunately I don't have an answer to ensure that does happen.

You suggest that the best course of action is to "out any candidate who has voted against the individual voters concerns". While this sounds like a good idea, what is a concern to you is not a concern to your neighbour, or to the person on the other side of town, so people will not agree on which candidates to oust. Any candidate who has pursued their own agenda and has gone against the majority of their constituents definitely doesn't understand what public office is all about and should be voted out though.

Fossil - A great quote by "TJ", as you put it, but unfortunately I do not believe there is any fear from either side. The people do not believe there will be any real change no matter who is in office, but I don't think they fear the government. The government, or at least those in power, also do not fear the people as the system is more about money and connections than it is about the voice of the people.