Big Think

Marty G on January 20, 2008, 10:31 PM

If we are talking about the U.S. then I suspect it’s because voting is optional.
What percentage of the American public actually put their vote where their mouth is on polling day? Non-compulsory voting leads to who can BUY the most votes.
Coming from a country [Oz] where we fought hard for every citizen to have the right to vote, it seems incomprehensible that one would squander the privilege of having a political voice.

Anna Matsen on January 21, 2008, 3:24 AM

I think there are two reasons.

1) From a young age we’re reminded that politicians are scum and politics is dirty. This demotivates good, smart people from involving themselves in it.

2) There has been a strong anti-intellectual trend in the U.S. for decades now. People resent others knowing more than themselves, especially if they admit knowing more than others. People want someone who is “like them”, or at least seems to be. (People talk about George W. Bush like he’s this down home, everyday fella; never mind that he grew up wealthy because of oil or that his father was a U.S. president. All that just because he speaks with an often-bumbling Texan accent.)

Even at one of the Democratic debates when several candidates were asked about potential Supreme Court nominees, several mentioned “not just a scholar”. Say, what?! Excuuuuuuuse me, but we’re talking about the Supreme Court here. That’s role NEEDS someone well versed in the applications of Constitutional law; a law nerd!

I’m tired of “everyday people” that we can all identify with but who don’t know how to do their job properly. We need apt nerds in politics; people who thoroughly understand and passionately care about the important role they serve for the American public.

In short, I am all with ya revolutionary but gangster. We need smart, capable people in office.

Chris Rieth on January 21, 2008, 6:59 AM

My short list of reasons why there doesn’t seem to be smart politicians running for office:

1) Not all smart people are politically savvy.

2) Usually a politician has a public persona that they have to uphold and seeming bookish can be a turn-off for some people.

3) The decisions of a politician may seem dumb to some people but they may be benefiting another sect of society.

4) The media keeps them under the microscope and they are only human so they are bound to mess up now and then.

There are a lot more I could come up with but I think you can come up with ideas along this vein as well.

pokój! on January 21, 2008, 7:15 PM

what about dennis kucinich?

Tavare Hill on January 21, 2008, 8:38 PM

Ron Paul. He is a very smart man people would listen to him. I dont think being just really smart will make you a good president. My reasoning is that no one has all the answers, no one knows what will happen when you do one thing. I do think a president should more religous minded. The country was founded because of religious persicution. Our founding fathers had christian beliefs and now the more we take away from the country the more we are spiralling towards hell.

Rob Lester on January 21, 2008, 10:28 PM

I agree with the previous posters. Americans vote for candidates not only based on their ability to run the country, but also on their personality and the image they project. If a candidate seems too intellectual, the voters will be alienated. The positive note in all this is although a politician may not be adept in handling challenging issues (economy, defense, etc.); he can surround himself with knowledgeable advisors (ex. Donald Rumsfeld, jk) who are geniuses in their own right.

Susan Nimh on January 22, 2008, 9:21 PM

Albert Einstein was asked to be the president if Israel. He declines stating that he didn’t have the “people skills”…So, in a non-stereotyping way, most intelligent people (Including me) don’t have set a high standard on social skills and abilities.

Peter Song on January 24, 2008, 12:07 AM

Smart people want self-satisfaction for their deeds and fools want glory.

Alexander Cram on January 24, 2008, 4:39 AM

I don’t think truly smart people run for a number of reasons.

First a lot of times they can do far more good if they don’t have to go through comities and votes ect.
Next no mater what running for office gets nasty, most smart people don’t want to have to stoop to mudslinging and dirty political tricks.
Most smart people have read the Art of War and the Book of the Five Rings. Once you start applying them (Which you would have to to get anything done) stopping and disassembling what remained would be difficult and time consuming.
Having to play to the sides and modify what they think is right or what they think will work a lot of times is not some thing that they aren’t used to.

Edward C on January 30, 2008, 1:24 AM

Because they can think for themselves, and thats not a good thing when the President takes orders from a group of people who having been running things the same way for at least 100 years… ;-)

Meredith W on February 1, 2008, 8:27 PM

It may be that the narcissism required for politics is, in general, inversely correlated with intelligence. With that said, we also have a culturally-reinforced tendency to ostracize smart people. I think Al Gore has proven himself to be very smart, and he was regularly ridiculed for it while running for office. A couple of the presidential candidates we have running now are quite smart but seem to want to hide it lest they appear “elitist”. Ivory Tower-type academics have helped to encourage this elitist stereotype by relying too heavily on credentials and undervaluing sheer critical thinking skills. Then, cynical individuals have capitalized on this stereotype in order to indict intelligence/intellectualism altogether. All in all, I’d say: cultural problem.

baraca yo-bama on February 2, 2008, 12:54 AM

Have you ever heard that old saying:
“You are what you eat”
Dumb people allow the electorate to elect.

VOTE RON PAUL in the GENERAL Election. He will be there either as a Republican or Independant. Let the smart people elect a smart candidate.

Em Lewis on February 3, 2008, 11:25 AM

The president is supposed to accurately represent the people. Smart people are by definition not average, so even though they would probably be better at running the country, they just can’t get anywhere because the average person doesn’t think their interests are relevant. I don’t think smart people are truly ever accepted among the masses-many are respected, but that’s not the same thing.

James Nordhoff on February 4, 2008, 10:34 AM

Let me see how many people I can offend with my response. Look at the wealth pandering dolt running our country right now. Do you really think Ear Boy is doing it by himself? I watch Letterman’s Great Moments in Presidential Speeches just so I can laugh my butt off at George’s inability to speak with someone’s hand up his rear-end. When I’m not laughing at his idiocy, I’m upset at how he and his handlers, namely, Satan with a heart -condition Dead-Eye Dick, have led us into an unjust war to make more cash to retire on and get our honorable soldiers killed in the process, not to mention innocent Iraqi civilians by the thousands. All in the name of the mighty dollar. Have you noticed how big Bushie’s New budget is? Permanent tax cuts for the wealthy, cuts in programs designed to help the less fortunate, and of course more money for War (read Haliburton & Titan pork-barrel defense contracts). Whatever really happened with the American votes that “helped” to get him in office the first time, fools, and there is no other just description for them, re-elected the bastard!!!
Just goes to re-enforce what I’ve been saying in a lot of my posts, here at BigThink, we all need a better education. and I mean ALL. American could do no better turn for it’s huddled masses than to offer them a quality and government subsidized, FREE education, providing each student that gets a minimum passing grade, a quality education in the career of their own choosing, so all could have the chance for a better, quality life and all of us could be self-sufficient and intelligent citizens, who in turn would elect the smartest, best qualified candidates to govern us, not the ones with best speech writers and financial backing.
I agree with a lot of folks who would vote for Ron Paul. He is, no doubt, the most intelligent candidate running. He has virtually zero media coverage and therefore, no chance at the GOP nomination, but if his name is on the ballot in November, and enough of us start a grass-roots support word of mouth campaign for him, he could have a snowball’s chance. Barring that McCain would certainly be his own man even as a Republican. The Conservatives don’t like McCain and that’s reason enough to want him, remember Conservatives like what Bush has been doing. Selfish rich miscreants!!
Anyway, idiots elect idiots. Don’t be an idiot, and for the sake of the regular folks out there, DO NOT vote for Mitt Romney. He will just give us more of the same we already have with Ear Boy and His Master Dick(h@#d).
I’m not prepared to bash a Democratic candidate because, either would still be better than a Bush-clone like Romney.
If McCain is good enough for Arnold (Gov of California), he can’t be all bad. Arnold, tho a Republican, is doing some great environmentally-sound things for his state and helping the Green movement, which any smart person should be for.
As I said, If you were offended by what I just wrote, you probably deserve it. If you agree, maybe you have a few things on the ball and aren’t just another sheep or Lemming, following the collectively dumb crowd…..

Jen Something on February 4, 2008, 11:12 PM

Ron Paul is smart and he tells the truth.

jmo

If you don’t know anything about his that is because the media do what their masters say and blacklist him.

Be smart and turn off your T.V.