IGNORANT AMERICANS?

After sleeping late following the Red Sox victory over the Cardinals in game one of the World Series, I've finally had a chance to do my morning reading. A number of interesting columns, including Tom Friedman of the NYT and Michael Barone of US News (find Friedman at nytimes.com and Barone via a link from realclearpolitics.com). Friedman's column highlights a sickness in the Arab world that is helping to drive this war we are in, and Barone writes about the close election. I'v provided a link, though, to perhaps the most disturbing column of the day by the Boston Globe's token conservative, Jeff Jacoby. I believe he is correct about the general ignorance of most Americans when it comes to political issues. My explanation for this ignorance is that in our complex world most people only have the time and energy to become informed, even expert, about those things that pertain directly to making a living. It's not that the average American is stupid, it's that he doesn't have the time or inclination to get fully educated on political issues. Stop anyone on the street and ask what he or she does for a living. Then ask them questions about what they do. You'll no doubt get intricate answers about selling on the futures markets, Admiralty Law, or how to properly service an oil furnace. Only people who make a living at politics, or covering politics, can give you in-depth answers about health care policy, etc. Still, even if my explanation is the correct one, it doesn't change the fact that this generalized ignorance allows politicians to get away with all sorts of distortions. I wish I had a better answer.