Are Americans Ignorant?

John Kerry is getting hammered by his political opponents for making the following statement during a tour of Boston Medical Center: "we have an electorate that doesn't always pay that much attention to what's going on... people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than by the facts or the truth."

First off, I have yet to see a transcript of Kerry's entire statement.  What was the question to which he was responding?  When he said that Americans were influenced by a "simple slogan" was he talking about something generic or specific?

But what led me to Kerry's remarks was Rick Shenkman's piece in today's Salon.  Shenkman is the founder of the History News Network, a website that brings historical perspective to current events.  His recent book is Just How Stupid Are We?  Facing the Truth About the American Voter.

Here is the Publishers Weekly review of Shenkman's book:

Shenkman...makes the provocative argument that as American voters have gained political power in the last 50 years, they have become increasingly ignorant of politics and world affairs—and dangerously susceptible to manipulation. The book provides a litany of depressing statistics—most Americans cannot name their representatives in Congress, only 20% hold a passport, 30% cannot identify the Holocaust—as Shenkman inquires whether Americans are capable of voting in the nation's or even their own best interests. Although Shenkman clearly derives some pleasure in pointing out the stupidity and irrationality of the American public, his concern is genuine and heartfelt. In lucid, playful prose, he illustrates how politicians have repeatedly misled voters and analyzes the dumbing down of American politics via marketing, spin machines and misinformation. Shenkman initiates an important conversation in this book and makes welcome suggestions to reinvigorate civic responsibility and provide people with the knowledge and tools necessary to efficaciously participate in the political process. 

Populists and their so-called "elitist" enemies need to read Shenkman's Salon article about Kerry.  He writes:

In Kerry's defense it should be noted that nothing he said was actually the least bit controversial -- if one takes into account the facts, something admittedly that is not terribly popular in American politics. Studies since the 1940s have consistently shown that Americans by and large don't pay much attention to politics, and when they do it is apt to be because somebody has nicely captured their feelings about the times in a reductionist bumper sticker slogan.

Just how ignorant are Americans? Three facts. Only one out of two know the Constitution was drafted in Philadelphia. Only one in five know there are a hundred U.S. senators. Only two in five can name the three branches of government. Please note that in each case the part of the electorate that has been found to be knowledgeable about our history and our government is in the minority.

Poor John Kerry. He has the facts on his side and thinks that matters. Does the man not understand how politics is played these days? How it has been played for going on 40 years, ever since George Wallace denounced pointy-headed intellectuals and Richard Nixon discovered the virtues of the Silent Majority?

Does he not remember being demonized as an effete, wine-swilling, French-speaking, surfer boy-man who hunts in clean clothes and resides in a mansion?

I have some news for Mr. Kerry. Nothing's changed since 2004. We are the same country we were then, Barack Obama's election notwithstanding. Even Obama had to sing about hope and change and Yes, we can as if those were more than empty slogans. (His biographer tells us Obama was embarrassed by the latter slogan. Good for him.)

If the senator wants to join the nascent movement to restore civics to the school curricula -- a movement I heartily embrace -- by all means let him do so by giving a serious address on the subject from the floor of the Senate and then rallying his fellow solons to provide the necessary funding. But he should not be tossing off bons mots in passing about ignorant voters. That plays right into the hands of the Republicans, who are all too ready to rally voters by appealing to faux cultural populist motifs...

As for Republicans. Please! Just because you can play the populist card to great effect doesn't mean you should. Let me pretend to be Jon Stewart for a moment. Aside. Camera two ... Can't we agree that it's cheeky to claim to be on the side of the little guy while favoring tax breaks for the wealthy, as you guys keep doing? Isn't that a bit rich? You can't play the race card anymore because racism is now politically incorrect, but it's OK to play the populist card? Shouldn't that be politically incorrect, too?

Back to camera one. Folks of both left and right: We can do better, can't we? Don't we have to? If only we put as much effort into arming voters with the facts as we do manipulating them, might we not have smarter politics? Don't smarter voters equal smarter politics? Hey, it's just a thought. But don't we want to live in a country with smart voters?

Kerry is right about the ignorance of the American electorate. Shenkman's research proves this.  The founding fathers--those so-called demigods that we all appeal to for the answers to all our problems--would not be happy about this ignorance.  They all believed that an informed and educated citizenry was essential to the success of the American republic.  To put it differently, they were the first "elitists." 

By calling for an educated citizenry Kerry finds himself a victim of the populist democratic culture of America.  American's don't like elitists, especially now.  Actually, Kerry sounds a lot like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams in the early decades of the 19th century.  These two founders wrote letters to each other lamenting the emergence of this populist democratic culture.

Shenkman is right to suggest that Kerry made a poor political move here.  But Kerry's remarks were bad only if we define what is good and bad based upon the ethical system (if we can call it that) of American politics.  And if this is the case, as I am afraid it now is, God help us.

Help!  I think I am becoming an elitist!!