Now this raises quite an interesting question about politics
that this recording could not answer.
How dumb is too dumb in ‘Mercan politics? TPP figured that we’d bottomed out and people
would come to their senses after electing Reagan. This shows TPP's political acumen. And then along comes W who made Ron sound and
look like a Rhodes Scholar. In the next
election cycle, the afore mentioned Palindrone was given way more attention
than anyone with so little to say and so little reason to say it and who will then say
it anyways with so much dumbth should ever be given. And she hasn’t improved. Perhaps it was Gov. Perry of Taxes who so
lowered the bar that Ms. Palindrone’s IQ rose in comparison because now some near
breathless people want her in the Senate.
"The mind of this country, taught to aim at low
objects, eats upon itself." Ralph Waldo Emerson offered that observation
in 1837, but his words echo with painful prescience in today's very different
United States (from an old WashPo article). What would Ralph think now about our virulent
mixture of anti-intellectualism, anti-rationalism, ideology, and low
expectations? There are smart capable
people in the USA, but almost none of them are electable in this era of you-can’t-be-too-dumb
politics.
3 comments:
I won't disagree with you on your characterization of the intellect of the former almost one-term governor of Alaska, but I do find your quoting of RWE odd. The man who wrote, "I heartily accept the motto,—that government is best which governs least” would arguably be more at home in the Tea Party than he would be with progressive, educated public servants.
I do disagree with your assertion that almost all smart capable people aren't electable. While we may remember that Santorum seemed to have suggested that having a college degree made you an elitist, it wasn't that long ago when our President was a Rhodes Scholar. We now have a President who was president of the Harvard Law Review. He defeated a man who had two advanced degrees from the top ranked programs in the country (Obama, in ridiculing the aforementioned Santorum, called Romney an elitist for just that reason). There have always been idiots in government and there always will be. For every John Q. Adams there's an Andrew Jackson. But I don't think you've justified an assertion that politicians are statistically significantly stupider than they were 50, 100 or 200 years ago. Although, I think the 17th amendment may have made it easier to get real doofuses in the senate.
OK, OK, it was an over-generalization. Guilty.
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