Usually the antidote to that kind of fatalistic discouragement is the effort to actually try and dive into policy, and understand and analyze the various bits o

Usually the antidote to that kind of fatalistic discouragement is the effort to actually try and dive into policy, and understand and analyze the various bits of tradeoffs one has to make to get policy invented and passed. It's possible it would be no less discouraging, but at least it would illustrate that the people actually involved in fighting those fights are people that care very deeply and work very hard. To me, that kind of discouragement - that it's hard - is different than the kind of discouragement that comes from feeling like the whole system is pointless and useless. Another point that may help with that is to read one of the recent descriptions of the career of the recently retired Henry Waxman - someone who was responsible for a ton of change in the long term even if it probably never felt like it in the short term. If that's not the left/right side of change you like, I'd imagine there are other congresspeople on the right side that are equally skilled at quietly affecting slow but effective change over long periods of time.