swarf - there is a full range of ideas to choose from. they are constantly debated on the internet. Many turn out to be bad ideas when once you get into the analysis. but at least there is a debate.

it is the nature of the beast. party platforms only represent an ideal. platforms of either party would likely do more harm than good if fully enacted.

as for your first point, gerrymandering is the cause of a lot of that. eliminate that and things will improve some. but that is controlled by the states.