Mr. Smith and Washington

Salena Zito goes to Indiana, Pa. (birthplace of Jimmy Stewart) where people still find a "wonderful life" despite being ignored by the federal government.

More and more such residents are declaring themselves independents.

"These are the people that might not attend a Tea Party, but they find them aligned with their concerns," says pollster G. Terry Madonna. "They are less and less happy with government ... so they end up unaligned."

But this is especially bad news for Democrats, which is the party of government.