Maybe we should start educating people to see politicians the way they see athletes. They certainly may have lots of opinions about what a team should do. But even the most egotistical drunk screaming obscenities from the stands doesn't truly believe that he's a better hitter than Manny Ramirez or that the team should hire a bunch of guys off the streets to play in the outfield. They have more respect for the game than that. It would be nice if citizenship required as much respect for the country.
I don't know what it would take to stamp out the dangerous notion of the simple "everyman" politician who has superior virtue and skills due to his/her lack of knowledge but awesome "gut instincts."