For many folks, that’s exactly what elections are. A popularity contest, a beauty contest, a personality test, a test of charisma. That’s a reality especially among independents who don’t pay much if any attention to politics until an election nears. That’s all part of being a democracy where all people can vote, but on average 45% decide not to for various reasons. You’re going to have folks very knowledgeable about politics, other who have no knowledge at all. For those who do vote, for who they vote for, for whatever reason their vote counts.
When choosing a candidate, the two major parties need to take this into consideration. One can never govern if one can never win an election regardless of how competent, experienced, whatever. This is part of being a democracy, of trying to get as many people to vote as one possibly can. What would you have us do? Make everyone who votes take a civics test? In a democracy, the informed and uninformed all have a vote.
I think since the start of our modern primary system the quality of candidates have dropped. FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ are all rank in the top 13 of presidents by historians. LBJ being the lowest at number 13. Those presidents fell under the old primary system or selection process. Trump never would have been nominated under the old system. But the new primary system relies more on popularity than competence. It also relies more on the people voting than having party leaders have a say.
