Abby McCloskey offers Federalist readers a constructive idea for responding to their concerns about the likely disappointing outcomes of 2016 elections.

Many politically minded people are feeling unrepresented, exhausted, and out of options. Unfortunately, this disillusionment likely will continue beyond November.

Not to burst any bubbles here, but the libertarian ticket is DOA. A write-in is a protest, but doesn’t change the outcome. The conventions are highly unlikely to churn out alternate candidates than the ones primary voters have selected.

This means either Trump or Clinton will be elected president in 2016, leaving a wide swatch of the country (including members of the winning party) shaking their heads and feeling more disgusted with Washington than ever.

The 2016 election, in perhaps the starkest way we’ve seen yet, reveals the ever-widening gap between what Washington can provide and what needs exist. That gap appears to be structural. …

Our nation is facing big challenges and Washington appears unable to solve them. Trump and Clinton appear unwilling to address these challenges, either: only 27 percent of voters think Trump and Clinton are focused on important policy debates.

It is tempting to pull a Pontius Pilate and wash our hands of it. Instead, it is a call to action.

If you are discouraged by 2016 and the direction of the country, here’s a challenge, which I offer to you as much as to me: To watch Fox News and MSNBC less. To roll our sleeves up more.

The good news of the 2016 election is that it has freed up millions of Americans to make the country great again themselves, instead of wishfully thinking politicians can or will do it for them.

To get all technical, one might say that McCloskey is calling for a healthy dose of subsidiarity.