On November 5th, 2014, the House and Senate was swept in a red tide, with Republicans gaining control of the most Congressional seats since World War II. On the surface, this would seem to be a reflection of a shift in our nation’s political views (at least, that is how it has been portrayed by the winners), but with just 36.4% voter turnout, it is more likely a reflection of the ever-growing divide between Congress and the American people.

Despite claims that Congress will focus on bi-partisan cooperation in the interest of the American people, the 114th Congress so far has seen more of the same gridlock, cynicism, and cronyism that fuels their abysmally low approval rating, and we are only two months in. They have held their 56th vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, despite 11.8 million U.S. citizens enrolling. Speaker of the House John Boehner secretly invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give a speech that sought to undermine the White House’s sensitive negotiations with Iran (despite recent evidence that Netanyahu has lied about Iran’s nuclear capabilities). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly urged states to ignore the EPA restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, despite it being upheld by the Supreme Court and the fact that agency regulations are enforced as laws. And after the American citizens finally won a victory with the FCC upholding Net Neutrality, Republican House members are pushing a bill to destroy the ruling, with 29 out of the 31 co-sponsors of said bill having received corporate donations from major telecommunication companies in 2014.

Despite all of this, the most brazen display of contempt for the American government and its traditions came in the form of an open letter to Iran on March 9th. This letter, which was signed by 47 Republican Congressmen, threatened that if Iran went through with the negotiations with the White House (negotiations that are supported by France, the UK, and Germany), the next President would overturn them. Not only is this a clear sign that Congress has done away with any pretense that they actually care about respecting our government, it is also a potential violation of The Logan Act, which prohibits any citizen or politician from attempting to influence the policy of a foreign nation in relation to negotiations or disputes with our country. Violating the Logan Act is a felony. Unlike the contrived “scandals” that are Benghazi, Fast and Furious, etc., this is a clear-cut disgrace and it is being carried out in the open.

Republicans in Congress seem to have forgotten that Barack Obama was twice democratically voted in as leader of our country. Instead, they encourage states to ignore federal law, they seek to overturn landmark decisions that are a victory for the American people, and they are making our country look weaker all the while.

There is no real political referendum by the people unless there is a large voter turnout. Let’s make 2016 a year of referendum against the lawlessness, cynicism, and outright contempt of the current GOP. Don’t be fooled by their attempts to make you believe that they care about income inequality, it is their failed supply-side economic policies that have led us here. Don’t be fooled by their attempts to portray themselves as an accepting party that values equality, they are the ones fighting immigration reform, disenfranchising black voters, and blocking gay marriage. America was founded on progressive principles, let us not lay stagnant in the waters of dysfunction and inequality, but instead move forward in the search for a perfect democracy.