I work with a bunch of people who are by and large academically intelligent. But some of the things I hear them say make me wonder if there is such a thing as compartmentalized intelligence. I have heard attorneys who are very smart when it comes to the law say absolutely stupid things like "we could end all of this violent crime if we just got rid of guns." I have some to believe that some people either hear something from authority figures so many times that they accept it as truth, no matter how smart the listener otherwise is.
I have a Democrat friend who has said to me before that elections in the US have essentially become the biggest reality show on TV. We no longer have the best and brightest, with the best plans and ideas, seeking office. We have contestants who are competing to see who can win the minds of the most voters, by using media, charisma, lies, and sometimes sheer volume to capture the minds of those heading to the polls.
Makes me want to find myself an island