> Unless your theory is that the median voter is kind of an idiot who doesn't understand how the government works and goes based on vibes.

Um.

Yes that’s basically true, to the best of science’s reckoning, anyway. Like, you pretty much nailed it.

Political scientists had figured that out with very solid evidence by around the middle of the 20th century (solid evidence in part because this is obviously alarming so they did a lot of double-checking) then spent several decades trying to figure out an angle by which they could say “but it’s, uh, fine somehow?” or maybe even “but actually that’s good” before finally giving up on that and admitting it’s kind of amazing democracy works at all, and the whole thing’s scary-fragile.