Louisiana voters: "What even is the point?"

A New York Times poll (via Gambit) finds President Obama and Bobby Jindal are equally disliked in Louisiana.  David Vitter has a 51 percent approval rating while Mary Landrieu's is close to that at 49.

There must be some reason voters see these supposedly opposing figures as pretty much equally meh.  Why do you think that would be?

A new study from Princeton spells bad news for American democracy—namely, that it no longer exists.

Asking "[w]ho really rules?" researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page argue that over the past few decades America's political system has slowly transformed from a democracy into an oligarchy, where wealthy elites wield most power.

Using data drawn from over 1,800 different policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002, the two conclude that rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of or even against the will of the majority of voters.