How these gibbering numbskulls came to dominate Washington

The Guardian by George Monbiot | Oct. 28, 2008 (Opinion)
The degradation of intelligence and learning in American politics results from a series of interlocking tragedies

How was it allowed to happen? How did politics in the US come to be dominated by people who make a virtue out of ignorance? Was it charity that has permitted mankind's closest living relative to spend two terms as president? How did Sarah Palin, Dan Quayle and other such gibbering numbskulls get to where they are? How could Republican rallies in 2008 be drowned out by screaming ignoramuses insisting that Barack Obama was a Muslim and a terrorist? Full Story »

Posted by Dwight Rousu

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Subjects: Politics
Member Tags: politics and intelligence, politics and education
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Posted by: Posted by Dwight Rousu - Oct 30, 2008 - 12:05 AM PDT
Reviewed by: Dwight Rousu (review), Valliappa Lakshmanan (review)
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Edited by: Dwight Rousu - Oct 30, 2008 - 12:05 AM PDT

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Dwight Rousu
4.1
 by Dwight Rousu - Oct. 30, 2008

Once Monbiot asks the question, the answers he postulates are provocative and thought provoking. He is not a shrinking violet of political correctness.

On one level, this is easy to answer. Ignorant politicians are elected by ignorant people. US education, like the US health system, is notorious for its failures. More »

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Valliappa Lakshmanan
2.0
 by Valliappa Lakshmanan - Oct. 30, 2008

Snooty Brit picks and chooses his examples to claim Americans are unusually stupid.

I think that 40% of any large population is ignorant and superstitious. In America, that happens to be the religious right. And because the USA is a democracy, that 40% has real power. A bad state of things, sure, but much better than the alternatives.

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