I tend to agree that American voters are often very stupid.

[Maedhros]

2. Not stupid - manipulated.

In our hyper-partisan political environment, where sneering screeds and self-righteous polemics say more than real analysis ever could, voters are encouraged to pick a side and defend it regardless of any cognitive dissonance that may arise. Couple that with wave upon wave of disingenuous advertising designed to rile up the emotional centers of the brain and suppress the analytical portions.

Votes aren't earned, they are harvested using mass media and group psychology.