Do you think it's possible that often ignorant get in office because votes get split between more intelligent

Question

Do you think it's possible that often ignorant get in office because votes get split between more intelligent candidates?

Answer 1

Kyla--good point and observation. Frequently people get shut out by the people who have no business being in public office. Not because the best person won, but the votes were split by persons not running on strength...but the majority vote wins, not necessarily the best candidate.

Answer 2

Not sure if you are referring to anyone in particular as being ignorant, but generally the majority of the population are either too busy/complacent to educate themselves on issues & candidates or feel their vote doesn't really matter (it does)

Often a candidate is affilliated w a political party lacking strong financial & popular support in an area, or they are running against an incumbent who by virtue of being in office benefit from name recognition.

In many cases the best & brightest individuals in our society don't seek elected office as it is relatively thankless. The pay for most elected positions is not attractive to a person who is very bright & talented.

The attention & prying into their personal lives & those of family & friends is not something anyone would endure willingly regardless of how lily white their background may be.

Being in a position where many folks will criticize & despise you either way you vote on an important issue is also not appealing.

Some do it for power, but how much power do most of our elected officials really have?? Most of them just want to serve & have strong convictions about what will make their city/county/state/country a better place for all.

I have been blessed w a Mensa caliber intelligence......but I still make some pretty stupid choices!! And I would love to seek elected office, I"m a good listener & have experienced many things that would help me to help my fellow man.......BUT ......oops, I used an illegal drug at one point in my life....... I feel that experience has broadened my perception & would be helpful in considering laws about drugs, & how to get treatment to folks in need.

That may be a good theory on my part, but in reality I would be unelectable if I disclosed past drug use, or if someone revealed it to help their own campaign by discrediting me...that's just the way ours system works.

And so we tend to get candidates who may not be the most intelligent or willing too consider alternative ideas, because we allow the media and our historical prejudices to mold who will even consider putting themselves "out there" to seek office.

Do I think congress is overpaid at $165K per year? Yeah, quite possibly......but then look at what we pay athletes & entertainers in our society...even very mediocre ones.

Raise your children to be pro athletes, not to work towards being President. The rewards are greater, the risks fewer, & the criticism much less personal in nature. Not being cynical, just practical!!