Sooo .... I think you made my claim ... the American electorate are ignorant and stupid, if as you point out they rely on the qualities of a "beauty" contest instead of competence. Based on one of your criteria Adolph Hitler would made a very electable candidate and I would have to guess the ignorance and stupidity of the American electorate would vote for him.
I'm a pragmatic liberal. There are lot's of problems and I'm looking for the people who will be able to solve those problems or at least attempt to solve them. In 2016 Trump, without experience and definitely no competence, would exacerbate the problems while Clinton, with a truckload of experience and competence, would attempt solutions. I would choose Clinton for that reason. In 2024 Trump, without any "real" experience governing, with incompetence, and corruption to boot, would not just exacerbate the problems, he would attempt to end Democracy. I have no choice but to vote for Biden, who has invaluable experience in governing, a high level of competence, apparent incorruptibility, surrounded by people with some vision for solutions to problems, and all despite the "fact" he is not a very "electable" candidate, based on your analysis.
While there are certain elements of reality in your analysis, it does not provide an adequate explanation for the many ridiculously stupid people who ARE elected. Some of these folks are elected because they are stupid or ignorant or both, which would reflect their constituency. Others are elected by party machinery.
I choose to vote for people based on the set of proposed solutions to the problems facing Americans, both domestically and in the global setting. I can only hope you are not voting based on who has more people at a rally.
