Back in 2008, Rick Shenkman wrote a book entitled "Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter." Sorry to sound partisan, but I wonder if Shenkman had in mind the likes of Michele Bachmann to teach us American history or Sarah Palin or Mike Huckabee to teach us about creation and faith.
According to Wikipedia, Shenkman argues that although the American government has gained global political power since the late 20th century, American voters have become increasingly ignorant of politics and world affairs, and are dangerously susceptible to political manipulation.
The book claims that Americans are largely incapable of critically assessing domestic and international issues, and therefore lack the knowledge and ability to participate effectively in the political process or to select political leaders in line with the national or even their own best interests.
Shenkman argues that voters are repeatedly and systematically misled and manipulated by politicians, and he analyzes the "dumbing down" of American politics arising from the saturation of marketing, spin machines and misinformation in American political culture. How is it, you might ask, that 69 per cent of American voters think we should not increase the debt ceiling!
Let's face it, there's a hefty amount of disgust with politicians' prevarications. There once was a time when most politicians could be trusted to tell something close to the truth. That now applies only to a few, and they are a vanishing breed.
Our gullibility, our unquestioning acceptance, our upside-down logic - these are more than personal peccadilloes. Yes, they make us individually look stupid and uninformed. But, collectively, we are looking at a serious national security problem. We, American voters, have the power, literally, to ballot away the essence of our country.
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