Be dumb at your peril

Though I've made light of Newsweek's poll of America's knowledge of history and civics, there is a serious side to the topic of ignorance as Steve Benen helpfully reminds us:

"The problem goes beyond voters rewarding the wrong candidates or parties; ignorance undermines the entire process. When voters are ignorant, candidates are more likely to lie, confident in their ability to get away with it. When the electorate is disengaged, policymakers feel less pressure to exercise good judgment, knowing they can just pull the wool over the public's eyes later."

"I'm obviously engaged in politics, and if you're reading this, you are too. Not everyone shares our interests, and that's fine. But many Americans make time for the things they find important. They spent time watching sports, or keeping up on celebrities, or whatever. And while it would be the height of arrogance to suggest the public change its leisure habits, our political system -- and the country overall -- relies on a certain level of sophistication among the public, and there's ample evidence that we're just not at that level."

And that is rather frightening. Americans need to step up. Not doing so means potentially perilous times ahead.