"The American people are smart"?

It's said so many times by politicians of both parties.
It's a lie.

If the voters were really smart:

1. they wouldn't vote for less taxes and more government spending and expect a balanced budget.

2. they wouldn't believe things like the Iraq War was necessary.

3. they could name the top leaders in Washington D.C.

4. they could explain simple economics

5. they would know the President and the party in power have very little control over the economy, and therefore wouldn't hold them accountable or give credit based on how things are going.

6. they would know we have thousands of troops stationed throughout the world-and what that means for our foreign policy.

7. they would know there is no free lunch. Any good idea has a big and usually obvious downside.

8. they would know all politicians have to either lie, shade, or avoid the truth in order to be elected by a majority of voters (who disagree amongst themselves).

America is blessed to have enough smart people, enough smart voters, and enough good and smart leaders to maintain our status as a great nation.