Government

Is Democracy Wasted on Humanity? New Study Says Yes

It’s almost inevitable whenever any political group loses an election that they blame the stupidity, gullibility and/or lack of moral character on the part of their opponents for the loss. When George W. Bush won reelection in 2004, liberals infamously tried to claim that stupid people preferred Bush by a 4-to-1 margin over Kerry. Similarly, in his book Vision of the Anointed, economist Thomas Sowell observed:

Disagree with someone on the Right and he is likely to think you wrong, obtuse, foolish, a dope. Disagree with someone on the Left and he is likely to think you insensitive, selfish, a sell-out, possibly evil.

But instead of any particular political party, what if the entire enterprise of democracy is the problem because most voters on either side are wrong, obtuse, foolish and dopey? That’s the conclusion of a new study led by Cornell University psychologist David Dunning, which shows that the vast majority of voters are not only too stupid or ignorant to know that they are stupid or ignorant, but also too stupid or ignorant to tell when the same is true of a candidate.

LiveScience explains:

Incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people’s ideas. For example, if people lack expertise on tax reform, it is very difficult for them to identify the candidates who are actual experts. They simply lack the mental tools needed to make meaningful judgments.

As a result, no amount of information or facts about political candidates can override the inherent inability of many voters to accurately evaluate them. On top of that, “very smart ideas are going to be hard for people to adopt, because most people don’t have the sophistication to recognize how good an idea is,” Dunning told Life’s Little Mysteries.

He and colleague Justin Kruger, formerly of Cornell and now of New York University, have demonstrated again and again that people are self-delusional when it comes to their own intellectual skills. Whether the researchers are testing people’s ability to rate the funniness of jokes, the correctness of grammar, or even their own performance in a game of chess, the duo has found  that people always assess their own performance as “above average” — even people who, when tested, actually perform at the very bottom of the pile.

Many observers will probably be tempted to dismiss these results as politically motivated. After all, according to campaign finance records, Dunning donated several times to Obama for America in 2008. Yet this same argument has been made by figures on the right side of the political spectrum. Specifically, libertarian economist Bryan Kaplan made the argument in his 2007 book The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies. Moreover, Public Choice economist (and libertarian) James Buchanan, of George Mason University, won the Nobel Prize in Economics partially for his work on the “rational ignorance” of voters.

Comments (150)

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  • Atokaite
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:59pm

    Opine.
    There are Dumb voters and then there are DUMB Voters.
    The Head in the sand, vote as my Parents did or do, DUMB voters, then there are the Voters that think they have the answer, who pick the neates, cleanest, best hair do candidate, and vote therein.
    There are the Dumb voters that drink the Kool Aid, think Socialistic cra.. is best for everyone, less thier own situation.
    Democracy. A voter that thinks, reads, educates, compares, analysis of data is his/her forte, is so blasted rare that they dont make a difference.
    2012 will be a controlled by the Left election. Make no mistake, the Left is not about to go quietly into the night.
    semper fi

    Report Post » Atokaite  
    • Marci
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:38pm

      True that there are a lot of people who really have no business voting given that they don’t bother to educate themselves on a damn thing—however, I am not willing to give up the right to vote because a bunch of eltist jerks sit around and mimic Bill Maher in their assessment that anyone else but themselves is just too stupid to do anything. As for the libertarian who came up with that assessment, maybe we should assess exactly in what way he thinks he is a true libertarian.

      Report Post » Marci  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:51pm

      What does a democracy have to do with our form of government, a Constitutional Republic, precisely?

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • USAMEDIC3008
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 2:26am

      YOUR FIGHT GHOST
      problem is
      most dont know the difference.
      When Ben Franklin was ask What did you give US
      he said A REPUBLIC now lets see how long you can keep it
      We started to lose a little every day untill now we have little left…

      Report Post » USAMEDIC3008  
    • sasquatch08
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 3:12am

      @GHOSTOFJEFFERSON

      “A republic is a form of government in which the government is officially apportioned to the control of the people, or a significant portion of which, and where offices of state are subsequently directly or indirectly elected or appointed.”

      I‘d say that’s how it applies…

      Report Post »  
    • louise
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:17am

      Democracy is rule by consensus, or mob rule.
      I would rather have a Constitutional Republic.

      Report Post » louise  
    • Jenny Lind
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:18am

      I disagree with some of what you said. I believe most people are capable of reasoning and voteing who they believe is best. Trouble comes from those who do not take time to be involved in the process beyond a headline. They are disconnected, their lives are “too busy”, “too tired”, “too whatever” to use their brain on the most important part of keeping our freedoms. It’s always let the “other guy” do it. So they vote the way their family or friends do, assuring the same mistakes over and over. It’s not their brains, it’s their indifference.

      Report Post »  
    • old white guy
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:57am

      if one lacks critical analysis skills and has been fed left wing pap in school all their life what the heck do you expect??

      Report Post »  
    • VRW Conspirator
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:38am

      ATO is right and wrong on points…
      I have heard for 25 years that elections are decided by only 20% of those that actually VOTE!! 40% on either side of the aisle vote for the guy that has the same letter after his/her name that they do…NO MATTER if the guy with the D says he is a Communist or the guy with the R says he is a Anarchist. IT DOESN’T MATTER to them. Only that 20% educate themselves on the candidates and votes for the person that best agrees with their positions. So that is ONE problem…

      The other problem…as mentioned in passing on GBTV about a month ago…we have 220 million people of voting age in the USA, yet in the last election…with the HIGHEST percentage turnout in a century, we only had a little over 120 million people vote, about 60%. So that means nearly 100 million voting age citizens of the USA DO NOT CARE enough about their country to even participate. From census data, 65% of them are supposedly Chrisitans. So if those Christians would do what their God tells them to do and live their faith and be His light to the world, then they would overwhelmingly vote to protect life, protect freedom, protect liberty, and protect all people of any nation/faith/race from oppression.

      That would solve two things, the welfare state would be replaced with the private charity state, and our country would move DRAMATICALLY back towards the vision of the Founders.

      Report Post » VRW Conspirator  
    • lukerw
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 10:12am

      Maybe… Intelligent Life is just an Illusion!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • @leftfighter
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 1:25pm

      …so the answer that they’re proposing is that a Beneficent Dictator take over and free us of the burden of deciding for ourselves…

      Hey, look. Obama’s on TV again.

      Report Post » @leftfighter  
    • Whirling Dervish
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 2:26pm

      Food for thought: www(dot)fluoridealert(dot)org/health/brain/

      Report Post » Whirling Dervish  
    • gjcaudera
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 3:16pm

      One thing I know for sure is that the United States is not a Democracy. We are a Republic. So, why the Article? DUH!!

      Report Post » gjcaudera  
    • 2theADDLED
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 11:55pm

      Democracy only applies to state and local voting.

      Report Post »  
    • ThinkFool
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 3:56pm

      “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” — Winston Churchill

      Report Post » ThinkFool  
  • Jabocx
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:42pm

    Wow, people too stupid to realize that they are stupid. I could have told you that without any “study”. And I would have done it free.

    Report Post » Jabocx  
    • WhiteFang
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:42pm

      Throughout the history of mankind, six thousand recorded years of experimenting with government, and all of them has failed. Mankind have had kings, governors, dictators, sultans, communism, fascists, socialists, democracy, the U.N., and anything else you can think of, and they have all failed to govern properly.
      The idea founded in the Garden of Eden that man can and should rule himself, independent of God, has been proven to be a gigantic lie!

      Report Post » WhiteFang  
    • sasquatch08
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 3:15am

      @whitefang

      Ah. Surely you are the answer and can rule us all correctly!

      Report Post »  
    • InversionTheory
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:23am

      @Jabocx

      You’ll never get a government research grant that way! First off, make sure your thesis supports those in power. Then you need to take your current annual salary…add a few zeroes. Then you get the grant and can head out to search for facts to support those in power. Everyone wins! You get rich. Those in power get their ideas supported. The EVIL rich who just spend their days trying to figure out how to screw the poor out of any and all resources just because they can are forced to pay for it through legalized theft…I mean…voluntary tax contributions. It’s an ideal system!

      Ha ha!

      Report Post »  
    • TheJeffersonian
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 1:36pm

      I love the world Inversiontheory lives in, where scientists make fortunes through… grant… fraud? Totally based in reality, that guy.

      Report Post » TheJeffersonian  
  • Espada
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:01pm

    “Incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people’s ideas.”

    Precisely why registered Democrats should be branded and denied the vote in America.

    Report Post »  
    • Whirling Dervish
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:10pm

      Democrats and Republicans division is a farce.
      Only two realities exist:
      Freedom or Slavery.

      Report Post » Whirling Dervish  
    • Lumbar Spine
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:14pm

      I just don’t THINK right wingers are stupid…the proof is right here on these boards every day. Honestly, every now and then there is a fairly intelligent person to spar with but most of you are too stupid to realize how stupid you really are. By that I mean misinformed and incapable of critical thinking…but I’m sure you all love Jesus so that makes it right. God bless y’all…

      Report Post »  
    • EchoHawk
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:26pm

      Espuda, that doesn’t sound like you have a massive inferiority complex at all. Why don’t you take it down a notch, engage in a debate and find out if you‘ve got the chops to actually win an argument on the merits of your critical thinking without declaring yourself to be superior before anyone has had a chance to categorically refute every assertion you’ve made K.

      Report Post »  
    • NHwinter
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:29pm

      Lumbar Spine – Your arrogrance is rather overwhelming.

      Report Post » NHwinter  
    • Lumbar Spine
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:43pm

      I’ll bet you if I started a chain e-mail tomorrow saying there is direct proof that Barack Obama was fathered by Malcolm X and that there is video of Obama as a child being trained to hate white people and to one day overthrow the government, within six months half the people here would be citing that as gospel truth. The lack of critical thinking here is staggering…no one here even questions the “proof” they get so long as it is derogatory towrds the President. No one even knows what questions they should ask to determine if a source is valid.

      If I sound arrogant it‘s because I really don’t give a flying you know what anymore. You people are the problem…you have dumbed down America. You don’t believe in science…anyone with an education is looked at suspiciously. And you believe anything you’re told.

      I could go on, but I’m not…but I will be back here, like it or not, because coming here is like amusing oneself at a freak show. Even Glenn Beck is embarrassed by most of you…

      Report Post »  
    • BarackStalin
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:45pm

      So please explain how you can accept the assault on liberty by the democrat party, smart guy.

      I live in CA where the Dems have controlled govt for 30 years…

      They just enacted a ban of frisbees and footballs on area beaches…
      They are in the process of banning smoking outdoors anywhere, including your own private property
      You can’t raise chickens or rabbits on your own private property
      You can’t build on your own land without a law degree to navigate the permitting process and tens of thousands of dollars in permitting fees

      You might call a frisbee ban “progressive”, but I call it regressive. The dems treat we the people like peasantry. There is an endless assault on individual liberty by the democratic party “for the good of society”

      How do you accept ever-tightening subjugation, oppression and tyranny, yet maintain that you are much more intelligent than those who prefer freedom and liberty?

      Do you just enjoy serfdom?

      Report Post » BarackStalin  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:50pm

      Lumbar settle down now don’t get excited,Barry’s grandmother said she was in the hospital room when the Marxist popped his head out in Kenya.Are you calling the messiah’s grandmother a liar?

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • Lumbar Spine
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:53pm

      I don’t like more government restrictions at all…but the more people there are on the planet, and the more crowded we become, it strikes me that more restrictions necessarily follow to maintain order. I’m not crazy about it but I can see the necessity. And it is naive to believe that without government regulation banks and business will treat people fairly…

      Report Post »  
    • Lumbar Spine
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:01pm

      PROGRESSIVESLAYER…you are an idiot. The “grandmother” you refer to is not even Obama’s grandmother. She married his grandfather after he was born…but in Kenya tradition dictates that you call her grandmother. She was interviewd by telephone while a party was going on, with a relative serivng as translator. The phone connection died at least twice. At one point what was given as her response was that Obama was born there and then the connection went dead…then after the connection was restored the translator corrected his translation and indicated that was not what she meant. The interviewer, a person with a hard on for Obama, chose to ignore that. Did you know these details…?

      Report Post »  
    • EchoHawk
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:15pm

      BarackStalin, where, pray tell, from the side of the political spectrum, do you think “a ban of frisbees and footballs on area beaches’” came from???

      Purely a draconian conservative ethos that, I shouldn’t have to witness these youthful shenanigans within view of my property. Perhaps democrats have controlled political offices, however that doesn’t equate to democrat party values being instituted in statue or code. California being within the top 5 economies in relation to GDP, in the entire world, how could you possibly deny that republicans/conservatives, influence every aspect of politics, especially considering the level of wealth. Can you afford to be that naive?

      Report Post »  
    • 1Sonofliberty
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:17pm

      The world isn’t overcrowded at all. Give every human on the planet a 2′x2 square and you can fit them all in Jacksonville Fla, an acre of ground and they can fit in Australia. Do the math. Govt naturally gravitates toward tyranny, not liberty, all through history. Population increase as an excuse is weak at best. Govt intervention is exactly why banks and business’ can screw people. Look at GM. Charge more for a product than it is worth, pay employees more than the product can suppot, and it should fail. Enter the govt. Banks that make poor bus decisions should fail, not be bailed out. Those who take advantage would be weeded out by their lack of customers, or lack of taxpayer safety net.

      Report Post »  
    • COFemale
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:29pm

      Lumbar Spine what if you are the one too stupid to recognize you are the stupid one? I mean you prove it every time you post. See we can twist it around to support our definition regardless on whether it is fact for fallacy.

      My definition of stupid is when you are not willing to look at the others point of view and dismiss it without valid arguments. It is easy to call someone names and I am guilty of this myself. Just because you can‘t understand someone’s belief in God or Jesus does not mean you are stupid, it just means you haven’t given enough thought or you have and you dismiss it because it does not support your beliefs.

      I can understand how an atheist might not believe in God, as they rely on science as for them they need proof of existence. Where Christians read the Bible, weigh what is written and read to put them into the context of today. I admit some things in the Old Testament is scary, but you have to follow the New Testaments as this is where God established a new covenant. Christians do not need to prove anything as we take the Word of God. To us he is all knowing. Our belief is like air, we can’t see it, but we know it is their because we are still breathing.

      Open your mind and you will be amazed on what you can see.

      Report Post » COFemale  
    • Marci
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:42pm

      Lumbar–did you vote for Obama? If so, you are projecting your own self hatred for being so damned stupid. Sadly, my guess is you will still do it again. If you support what is going on in our government now, stupidity isn’t your only problem, your arrogance merely masks the evil you are harboring. Anyone who champions for tyranny when they are not part of the top ranks of the elite is a special kind of stupid.

      Report Post » Marci  
    • AtlasStones
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 12:08am

      So LUMBARs argument is as follows……… The more people there are on the planet the more we need a large powerful entity like government to police and restrict freedom. The question now becomes to what end? Furthermore, under LUMBARs reasoning the solutions are something in the neighborhood of genocide in order to retain personal freedom…….. Now please tell me how the guy who is one or two steps away from outright calling for genocide is going to come on here and call all the conservatives hate mongers and idiots?

      I think LUMbAR is an excellent example of what Thomas Sowell was describing

      BTW if you don’t read Sowells op-eds I would suggest that you take a peak at them. He is a very intelligent person

      Report Post »  
    • hillbillyinny
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 4:13am

      I think the smartest person on this entire thread is : @ Whirling Dervish

      Who Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:10pm: “Democrats and Republicans division is a farce.
      Only two realities exist: Freedom or Slavery.”

      Personally, I think we give the vote to our “chldren” much too early in life! I was an elementary student in the early 50′s, and my mother said it best–my brother started school just after WWII, but by the time I entered in 1954, my mother noticed an extreme change in the school’s attitude toward parents. When my brother was in school, parents were considered partners in the education of the child, but by the time I entered, my mom explained that she felt they were saying, “Give us your chld and get out of our way” and they were! New methods were used for reading, “See-Read” with no phonics. I became a great reader but a terrible speller until I learned phonics watching Electric Company on PBS, Sundays when I was in my twenties!

      History and geography was rolled into “Socail Studies,” which instead of prepariing us with information on who we were and how we got here, it dealt much more with what we did wrong and how much better the future was going to be when we got rid of “antiquated ideas”! Math was the forerunner to “new math”–nothing’s an absolute.

      I’ve educated myself with my reading skills, discussed, learned and understand how precious the Country for which our Founders fought should be to all of us!

      Report Post »  
    • kaydeebeau
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:48am

      Ahhh Lumbar, therein expresses and illustrates the difference between the right and the left. (WhiteFang illustrates the right position – lumbar the left) While leftist require more and more rules and government dictates, those on the right pretty much agree to abide by THE 10 rules for life (aka the 10 Commandments)

      Report Post » kaydeebeau  
    • VRW Conspirator
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:53am

      Echohawk…
      first…do you live in CA? Have you ever even visited? Being from CA, born in CA, now living in TX…for my 39 years in CA, the state has been going down hills, slowly at first, more rapidly in the last decade, which is why I left August of last year.
      CA used to be the 5th largest economy in the WORLD and made up nearly 20% of the USA economy and provided 1/4 the food to the entire United States. Now, CA is barely hanging on the the 8th largest economy in the world, only makes up 16% of the USA economy, and food production is switching to other areas of the nation or being imported from over seas.
      In the last twenty years, the aerospace industry has RAN out of CA completely. Silicon Valley can’t compete any longer – Dallas/Fort Worth is now becoming the tech center of the USA (more Fortune 500 companies have their national HQ’s in DFW then anywhere else).
      White – 44% – is now a MINORITY in CA, 48% of the state is of hispanic/latino origin with the highest number of illegal aliens in the nations, over 3 million (1/4 of what most people put as the minimum illegals in the nation) costing the state 10 Billion a year in just education to the 400,000 illegal children.

      Report Post » VRW Conspirator  
    • BarackStalin
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 2:03pm

      Lumbar,

      You should really read BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley. He follows your line of thinking to it’s logical conclusion. It’s a short and easy read, barely a hundred pages or so.

      Remember, TYRANNY is the natural state of man. AMERICAN FREEDOM is the exception.

      Report Post » BarackStalin  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 3:12pm

      Lumbar Spine Now you are either blatantly lying or an idiot on this matter,which is it? The grandmother said she was in the hospital room in KENYA when the Marxist was born.But the location really doesn’t matter,his father was a British subject which makes Barry ineligibile to run for president.
      That’s the fact dummy.

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • happ77
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 4:00pm

      PROGRESSIVESLAYER, The ineligable argument is meaningless at this point
      I’d go with the incompetent argument. Hey lumbar spine try reading a book not
      written by a progressive. Your obviously a product of gobment skoolz.

      Report Post »  
    • BarackStalin
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:29pm

      Echohawk,

      I think that the frisbee ban was enacted by democrats because it was enacted by democrats. While I grant you democratic control generally equates to economic prosperity for more individuals (though the unions can be just as ruthless as big business when given too much control), my liberty is not for sale.

      I’LL PAY TO BE ON THE SIDE OF RIGHT AND GOOD AND TRUE…

      AND I’D RATHER BE PENNILESS AND FREE THAN BE PROSPEROUS AND SUBJUGATED BY THE TYRANNY OF ENDLESS MANDATES…

      also, I can and do dispute the notion that Republicans control the economic prosperity of California. The two major industries that make CA so prosperous are the tech industry in the bay area and the entertainment industry in LA. Those are not exactly bastions of conservative thought.

      The dems have their way here in both government and corporate realms, and while I do notice a higher standard of living for the poorest families compared with southern states, the ever-tightening noose of tyranny is leading to a mass exodus from this once great Republic.

      Report Post » BarackStalin  
    • EchoHawk
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:04pm

      1Sonofliberty, you don’t know much about spatial relationship do you? Peak population doesn’t occur when there is a person for every 2X2 square of surface on the planet. Peak population is reached at the approximate tipping point where resources can no longer support the population and there is rapid die off from disease and famine. Are this planets resources enough to sustain the current population, probably just barely but for how long and at what quality? I don’t begrudge anyone producing progeny but they should be able to support them themselves, with what is immediately available to them.

      Report Post »  
  • Fear The Voices
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:00pm

    We can thank the government for dumbing down of the population. What better way to pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate than produce generations of ill-equipped citizens incapable of evaluating the ideas their future leaders will attempt to enact. They have been conditioned in the liberal agenda their entire lives; they only know that it’s supposed to be the right choice.

    Knowing the people your agenda has promoted to voting age, you know the tactics that they will respond to best — usually catchy slogans and sound bites; promises of free stuff, punishing those who have more than you — as though they’re the sole reason for your lot in life……

    This is the reason we had so many people gullible enough to vote for an unvetted marxist idiot promoting “hope” and “change.”

    Report Post » Fear The Voices  
    • TRUTHSENSE
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:27pm

      The sad part is that our education dollars are paying for this dumbing down of our children, instead of providing education that will better their way of life. That’s the real reason that the left, including the teachers union, keep pushing for more and more money for education. They don’t care about their students! All they care about is creating more liberal Marxists to help change our prosperous nation. I have heard for 64 years now how we are so far behind other nations, and yet we have somehow continued to be the greatest nation on earth. We won’t be for long with our present leadership.

      Report Post » TRUTHSENSE  
    • TxSon
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:29pm

      Touche

      Report Post » TxSon  
    • EchoHawk
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:30pm

      We can thank organized religion for giving the electorate an excuse not to think for themselves. If there is, or ever was, a more corrosive institution on the planet, name it, deny that fact or listen to the voices.

      Report Post »  
    • Ran60
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:56am

      “If there is, or ever was, a more corrosive institution on the planet, name it…”

      Collectivism.

      Gee, Echohawk, quit tossing lobs…

      Report Post »  
    • EchoHawk
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 11:14am

      So society and Western civilization came to be because everyone operated as the Lone Ranger??? Golly Ran60 you might be the most naive person in the room and the other option isn’t very endearing.

      Report Post »  
  • Lumbar Spine
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:56pm

    Gee…this explains why some people actually thought Sarah Palin was qualified to be Vice-President. What ever happened to her…is she a multi-millionaire yet?

    Report Post »  
    • Fear The Voices
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:03pm

      Nice try toolbag! She at least wouldn’t have claimed that she had to catch up to the office — she has already been in an executive position. She wouldn’t have had to cover for her own failing marxist agenda by creating numerous straw men to blame. She obviously has a thicker skin than this poor excuse you have elected.

      Report Post » Fear The Voices  
    • Espada
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:05pm

      Cute, punk. Were you ever the governor of a state ? The commander of a fulltime Air National Guard unit tasked every day with the denial of the Soviet Air Force’s transit over the North Pole to attack America ?

      A leader who faced down Exxon after a 12-year stalemate over oil royalties for her constituents ?

      Nope, you’re just another nobody jealous of anybody who has ever accomplished anything more complicated than masturbation.

      Report Post »  
    • Lumbar Spine
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:15pm

      McCain’s people who tried to work with her even thought she was dumber than dirt…

      Report Post »  
    • TxSon
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:24pm

      Are you implying that Joe Foot-in-his-mouth is a more qualified to be VP than Sarah Palin?

      “duo has found that people always assess their own performance as “above average” — even people who, when tested, actually perform at the very bottom of the pile.”

      I think this was written especially for you.

      Report Post » TxSon  
    • TRONINTHEMORNING
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:38pm

      ESPADA

      That was the comment of the day! Just brilliant from beginning to end.

      Report Post »  
    • EchoHawk
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:42pm

      Take your own advice, Fear The Voices, to imply that Palin has REACTED as though she has a “thick skin” is laughable. The political neophyte that is Sarah Palin is a caricature, of a joke, of a farce, of a serious candidate.

      Espada Alinsky Rule #5 and you might want check the date on when the Soviet Union collapsed dumbass.

      Report Post »  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:45pm

      Earth to lumbar we have a mongoloid for president a carnival barker if you will and has no business being anywhere near the oval office.The media tells us daily Obama is the smartest man in the room LMAO that tool can’t string together a complete sentence without a teleprompter.

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • VRW Conspirator
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:57am

      hey Lumbar duffus..

      she was a multi-millionaire before she ran…YOU DOLT!! Her released tax returns in 2008 showed that their income was over 1 million…they run a fishing business and both held other jobs as well…they are a hard working family that deserves their success…

      just because you are a welfare baby loser on food stamps….shut your hole and pay your FAIR SHARE!!

      Report Post » VRW Conspirator  
  • SHOWMESTATEGUY
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:56pm

    After democracy is won it is a hard thing to hold onto. All past democracies have failed because the citizens demanded more than the government could deliver. Rome would be one of many examples. It looks as though the western “democracies” will soon meet the same fate.

    Report Post »  
    • Fear The Voices
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:12pm

      I would suggest it is more that the politicians learned they could secure their position by promising free stuff at someone elses’ expense. You can only promise as much as you can pay for, and since they were able to distract the people from monitoring the politicians, they gave away all the country could afford, and then some. Much like they’re doing today.

      Report Post » Fear The Voices  
    • EchoHawk
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:51pm

      SHOWMESTATEGUY, you mouth breathing, knuckle dragging, twit, the United States of America is a constitutional republic, as opposed to a democracy.

      Fear The Voices, your implication that Americans are inherently stupid is, I would imagine insulting to the majority of Americans, that being said, you don’t impress me much.

      Report Post »  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 1:12am

      I echo echohawk. :)

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
  • One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:52pm

    I would have to say at 47, this nation in my opinion is the dumbed down it’s ever been by way far. Not only our students but the illegals and such bring down the curve so low it’s below sea level now.

    Instead of demanding they kick up the “Americano” assimilation act into high gear for ours and their benefits, they dropped the bar on the ground so any freaking weasel lowlife can slither comfortably over it, harming severely the smart children very possibly irreparably.

    After all you only get one chance…. well, except in the city schools, there you can take each grade indefinitely I think until you pass, or at least get that free ‘dotgov ghetto net and cell’ connection in time to cheat on all the tests and ‘essays’ that is. ;) Only they don’t call it cheating, they call it ‘intellectual borrowing’

    Report Post » One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew  
  • RightThinking1
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:45pm

    Golly, informing the public is the JOB of the press. The press was actually granted EXPRESS protection under the Constitution just for that purpose. What went wrong? Well, that’s easy, left wing ideologues took over the media. The problem isn’t our republican (small r) form of government, our problem is a committed left/liberal press.

    Report Post »  
    • TRUTHSENSE
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:14pm

      You are absolutely right, RIGHTTHINKING1. It is almost treasonous the way the press has abandoned it’s obligation to keep the public informed in a fair and balanced manner. Just look at this rare bit of truth from the Associated Press about Andrew Breitbart – “reviled by liberals for his Internet investigations that led to the resignations of former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner and former U.S. Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod…”
      “I do what I do because the mainstream media chooses not to do it,” Breitbart said. “The game of the left controlling the narrative … is ending.”
      Liberals, including the news media, spend an inordinate amount of time and resources trying to dig up dirt on conservatives and Republicans, but they hate anyone who finds a liberal or Democrat in misconduct.

      Report Post » TRUTHSENSE  
  • tzion
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:37pm

    Wasn’t this the whole purpose behind electoral college? People would select someone they trusted to make the right choice to vote for a President and Vice President. The solution: repeal the 17th Amendment and return the appointment of Senators to the State Governments, restore the electoral college to its intended function, and expand the people’s representation in the House. Other things to consider might be: after expanding the House, divide it into separate sub-houses so that multiple debates can take place concurrently; establishing multiple capitals so representatives can be closer to their constituents. Most importantly of all though, we must abolish the primaries. All the primaries have succeeded in doing is lock us into a permanent 2 party system. The Tea Party would be its own party by now if it wasn’t for the fact that without a primary win no one will elect you.

    Report Post »  
  • smokey888x2
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:35pm

    Government cannot love children.

    Report Post » smokey888x2  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:39pm

      But government can shape their world view through indoctrination to vote a certain way.

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
  • Apple Bite
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:34pm

    We all know Libs don’t understand Taxes nor Economics. All they know is how to spend it, even if they don’t have it available…

    Republicans, they try to manipulate it, and get their hands caught in the cookie jar.

    Report Post » Apple Bite  
  • sooner12
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:31pm

    Make everyone take a test in order to vote. But then again that would eliminate the Democrat base.

    Report Post »  
    • RightThinking1
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:46pm

      The Democrats don’t even want voter ID. They figure (among other things) that their base isn’t competent to obtain such.

      Report Post »  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:28pm

    just another ‘study’ by the obamacommunists to try to justify his deliberate DESTRUCTION of AMERICA.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
    • TikeSissy
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:46pm

      Probably more truth than we would expect.. How many people do you know take the time to be well informed?

      Report Post » TikeSissy  
  • iwillworship
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:27pm

    “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (I Corinthians 1:20).

    The scholars and scientists and intellectuals of this world may be held in great esteem by men, but to God, their humanistic reasonings are foolishness. In fact, the evolutionary philosophy which dominates the “wisdom of this world” has led to our modern amoral culture, to racism, to imperialism, to communism, Nazism, to New Age pantheism, humanism, atheism, abortionism, and to all manner of evil and foolish beliefs and practices.
    Henry Morris, Ph.D.

    Report Post »  
    • chameleonx
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:40pm

      I always hate when people cheery pick verses from the bible to prove their point. The bible is for religion and only religion. Many people would claim that their particular religion will offer all the support to life. But when you observe Christianity or Islam or any other religion you’ll see all of them are influenced by man. The Jews were never slaves in ancient Egypt; Moses didn’t receive the Torah and ten commandments from God on the mountain, Jesus didn‘t exist in the past and wasn’t crucified, Muhammad didn’t receive the Koran from the angel Gabriel. What I can say is that people of faith have played many good parts throughout human history. The same can be sad there have been many atrocities carried out in the name of religion. But it was all done through man. I can respect the opinions of Henry M. Morris; but I know that I will find better answers from science and intellectuals who studied to understand our history.

      Report Post »  
    • DIVINEPROVIDENCE1776
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:53pm

      @IWILLWORSHIP So true. Thanks for sharing.

      Report Post » DIVINEPROVIDENCE1776  
    • 1Sonofliberty
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:28pm

      Yeah! Quit cheery picking! Picking is ok as long as you’re not cheery too.

      Report Post »  
  • islamhater
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:24pm

    Agenda 21.

    Report Post »  
  • rsanchez1
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:23pm

    It’s why we need a repeal of the 17th Amendment. Without it, we might still have had a Pelosi, but definitely no Reid, unless state legislatures are as self-destructive as Democrat voters.

    Report Post »  
    • tzion
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:41pm

      Ditto ditto ditto. This man has said the truth

      Report Post »  
  • weneedrubio
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:22pm

    I believe it is not intelligence but the ideology of fear driven by hate. The two doing the study show their bias by calling people stupid. They’re not stupid, life is just a lot more simple then these overly educated idiots care to admit. The only way they keep their jobs is if we keep paying for their ignorant analysis.

    Report Post »  
  • Itsjusttim
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:21pm

    Well it’s a good thing then that the U.S is a Republic and not a Democracy.

    Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • AM-Saves
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:44pm

      Exactly! People seem to have forgotten that we are (or were) in fact a republic. It’s typical to have some self esteem junkie with a degree getting high of his own ego by publishing this trash.
      Worse yet, when reality creeps in on these people they start puking up this nonsense & convincing each other with said vile discharge that citizens are just too dumb to vote. This whole study reeks of agenda 21.

      Report Post »  
  • single stack
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:14pm

    Gee, another “The proles are too stupid to govern themselves” screed.
    Who could have seen that coming?

    Oh, and America isn’t a democracy, but we’re degenerating into one. The Founders are being proven right.

    Report Post »  
    • oldguy49
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:19pm

      yep, us poor rednecks among others are not smart emough to choose the best person………………..let the elite smart people decide what is best for us

      Report Post »  
  • OTBoxer
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:10pm

    Democracy is not wasted on humanity, rather democracy wastes humanity! Info on how, as well as solutions for actual liberty, can be found in the book DEMOCRACY-The God That Failed.

    Report Post »  
  • Locked
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:02pm

    “But instead of any particular political party, what if the entire enterprise of democracy is the problem because most voters on either side are wrong, obtuse, foolish and dopey?”

    The founding fathers knew this. We’re not a democracy. We’re a Republic. The electoral college exists because they didn’t think the average man could look past his own situation for the good of society overall. Hasn’t this played out as true? Look at welfare queens or the generations enslaved by government handouts today. Look at those who would declare us a “Christian nation” only and rewrite the Constitution to enforce only one religious view.

    I trust Joe the Plumber no more than I would trust a GM union worker to make decisions for the entire country. Democracy works among a very uniform society; but America has never been uniform (which gives us both our strengths of variety and the weakness of a lack of unity). Thus we’ve never been a Democracy. If we continue as a republic with an equal chance for all to compete, better themselves, and contribute… well, it ain’t perfect, but it’s good enough for me.

    Give me the freedom of my life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the majority should never dictate the future of the minority (or vice versa). We should all have an equal chance for ourselves; less government is best government.

    Report Post »  
    • vox_populi
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:08pm

      “We’re not a democracy. We’re a Republic.”

      This is semantics. A republic is a representative democracy. Many of the concerns raised by the researcher remain true of the United States.

      Report Post » vox_populi  
    • Locked
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:15pm

      “This is semantics. A republic is a representative democracy. ”

      False. A Democracy is of two types: either majority rules, or a pure democracy where total agreement is needed. As you said, we are a representative democracy; otherwise known as a republic. The people get a voice (ie, in the presidential election), but a select group actually has final say (ie, the electoral college). Conflating these very large differences is disingenuous.

      As for the findings of the study, the point is also semantics. Of all voters in total, 49.99% will be below average intelligence. But the point is moot when it comes to the presidential vote; popular votes do not choose presidents.

      Report Post »  
    • weneedrubio
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:18pm

      Vox that’s Only because the Libs have forced democracy on us. We are a republic and therein lies the huge difference between conservatives and liberals and the founders new it.

      Report Post »  
    • rsanchez1
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:39pm

      The 17th Amendment was a slippery slope. You give people the popular vote for the Senate, and then we get the Great Depression and the New Deal. Little wonder that it was passed during the administration of one of the most progressive presidents, Woodrow Wilson.

      Report Post »  
    • Theodwulf
      Posted on March 3, 2012 at 6:22am

      OK dummies…Democracy matters to this country…you can say we are a Federal Republic all you want we still elect our representatives through the DEMOCRATIC process…51% still wins elections..

      Our Founders believed that the “Common” man could rule himself, the big thinkers of the time and of antiquity said such thinking was Madness.. The George Washington kicked King George down a well and said “THIS IS USA!!” , Then a Represenative Democracy was born. THE END

      Report Post » Theodwulf  
  • DIVINEPROVIDENCE1776
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:00pm

    “Democracy is the road to socialism” ~Karl Marx

    Report Post » DIVINEPROVIDENCE1776  
  • THXll38
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:59pm

    That explains why the majority of nutters on here will not vote for Paul, but more of the same.

    “if people lack expertise on tax reform, it is very difficult for them to identify the candidates who are actual experts. They simply lack the mental tools needed to make meaningful judgments.”

    For a bunch of so called “fiscal” conservatives that post here, one would think Paul would be a no brainer; however, there inability to understand action and reaction via our foreign policy blinds them to vote for someone like Santorum, Romney, or even Gingrich.

    Report Post » THXll38  
  • chameleonx
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:56pm

    “Well, it isn’t exactly democratic ours is not a legitimate democracy like your United States. Our elections are bought by special interest groups who flood the media with inflammatory and exaggerated advertising to influence a poorly informed public.” Kodos tells Apu about their government and elections on his planet. This is a quote from a Simpsons comic book. As an American I can see this from the media and people who are either left or right. Democracy is a fragile system. I believe democracy is one of the greatest forms of government; but many people are able to abuse the system to their own advantages. What are your thoughts?

    Report Post »  
    • tzion
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:53pm

      Democracy, in my eyes, really only works when everybody knows everyone else. In this enclosed society, everyone knows exactly what is best for everyone. In a larger more differentiated society, this system breaks down. We may have advanced technologically enough to connect to everyone but we are still limited in how many people we can trust and their are still differences in demographics that make things difficult.
      In these enclosed society there are two main forms democracy can take. The first, which has elections for mayor or council, the people choose people to lead them in a system that is similar t republicanism on paper but slightly different in practice. The second is direct democracy, where everyone votes or agrees on everything. This latter case is the only system in which any form of socialism works as demonstrated on small socialist communes. In some ways, this is similar to communities coming together to help one another. The irony is that Marxist Socialism often destroys socialism of this form.

      Report Post »  
  • sWampy
    Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:53pm

    That is why our founders had safe guards in place to protect us, you had to own property, pay taxes, be able to read, etc. That is also why the liberals worked damn hard to remove ALL the safe guards over the years.

    Report Post »  
    • Lumbar Spine
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:57pm

      Yea…and lettin’ women and dark people vote, huh?

      Report Post »  
    • sooner12
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:08pm

      Agreed

      Report Post »  
    • progressiveslayer
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:36pm

      Lumbar Just because someone attains the ‘legal’ age to vote doesn’t mean they should,take you for example if you‘ve reached ’legal‘ voting age you shouldn’t be allowed to vote,you’re a liberal void of logic and reason and therefore should be prohibited from voting,you’re stupid.

      Report Post » progressiveslayer  
    • Lumbar Spine
      Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:49pm

      PROGRESSIVESLAYER…but somebody who believes the earth is 6,000 years old because the Bible tells him so should be allowed to vote? And somebody who believes those chain e-mails telling him Barack Obama is a Muslim is smart enough to vote?

      Report Post »  
    • budzy1911
      Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:21am

      Lumbar – Proverbs 17:28 says – “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.”. Take that for what it is worth.

      Report Post » budzy1911  
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