Why smart people defend dumb ideas candidates

I was thinking why are there so many people in this country backing a candidate that I find obnoxious, impetuous, reckless and unqualified. I used to say that the American general public was perpetually stupid but that’s a little brash. Maybe many of these people are really smart but just make stupid decisions. Why?

  • Because they are good at arguing and more over have a need to be right (ego).
  • Because they “all drank the koolaid” or they see no other truth than their own. If there is a group of people who all think the same, there is nobody to stop the homogeny. James Surowiecki who said that for the wisdom of crowds to take place, diversity of experience and levels of knowledge have to be present. A homogenous ’smart’ crowd actually makes worse assessments.
  • Short term thinking. Quite often people put forward quick fixes without considering the long-term consequences. …country first or win at all costs?