I think part of the problem is the difference between what constituent want THEN as opposed to NOW.

It used to be they wanted "more time off", "higher wages", "more health insurance". They just wanted the results, and their desires in regards to the methods rarely amounted to more than "without raising my taxes".

But these days, with the plethora of information, people are demanding "well we should do it this way" or "I'll ONLY support this if we do it MY way". While that's all well and good if you're completely informed, a lot of people only have half-truths and half-knowledge about the process and implementation of law, and the effects of legislation beyond the direct benefits. I don't think it's "elitist" to assume that your average person in the US does not have the desire nor the know-how to extrapolate the long-term effects of how they think things should be done.