17:52"The public may still revere the Constitution and support the system of government that it shaped, but this is more a measure of patriotism - love of country and pride in being an American - than of satisfaction with how it is working in practice. All of the boastful talk of American exceptionalism cannot obscure the growing sense that the country is squandering its economic future and putting itself at risk because of an inability to govern effectively. This is a time of immense economic peril, with the global economy at risk, sustained unemployment that can hollow out the work force in the future, a lack of any long-term fiscal policy that can be enacted, and the need for action in areas from climate change to immigration." —

It’s Even Worse Than It Looks - Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein