i think that it's beyond that. I think that someone suggested the idea of limited elections. People make careers out of being politicians, and that wasn't the intent. If they can only be in a political position for a limited time, they would then be likely to focus on their lives outside of the government, and hopefully consider what the laws they pass will do to their lives after they are done "serving"
There's the flipside to that: if there is no concern for re-election then they'll quite happily throw others under the bus. We may yet see the worst of Obama since he has no concerns over re-election.
Senators (and others) enjoy comfortable lives insulated from the consequences of their actions, especially after having retired from politics.
Politics in America may have descended to the point of "suicide elections" where they -- those who seek to subvert democracy to further their own means and ends -- use everything in their power to maximize public support for a particular candidate. The candidate knows that their political career will have been destroyed in the process, however they're promised protection, great wealth, and influence. This process, from recruitment to "execution," requires a great deal of planning but the reward greatly outweighs the risk.
