From a column by John Hawkins titled “7 Unhappy Truths About Politicians,” here’s #4 (notice that he doesn’t specify political party but speaks generally about members of BOTH parties):
Most members of Congress aren’t particularly competent: On average, the politicians in Congress are generally well meaning, a little smarter than average, a lot more connected, and wealthy — but also considerably less ethical. Beyond that, they’re mostly just like a random subsection of a population. If you had a hundred random Americans in a room, a senator probably wouldn’t be the smartest person there, the person you’d want in charge, or even necessarily one of the more useful people to have around. In many respects, politicians are FAR LESS COMPETENT than the average person because so many of them led pampered, sheltered lives before they got into Congress and then have had their behinds kissed incessantly from the moment they got into power.
