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A lot of the problem lies with our education systems. We simply are not raising our children to think critically, to examine evidence, to decide for themselves. Two of my kids were approached by their schools' debating teams, even though neither had any interest in doing so. They all are prepared to ask questions about what they are being taught and not to blindly accept something because it is in print/on the internet. As an aside, I had an issue with a math teacher who called my son at home to complain her substitute teacher felt uncomfortable because my son was asking questions the supply teacher couldn't answer. I explained to the teacher and principal in a meeting that it was not to happen again. If the any teacher had an issue with him, they were to go to him at school, the principal, then me. The most ridiculous part of the whole thing was that none of the questions were considered out of line by either the regular teacher or the principal.
In any case, for democracy to work well, we need the people to be able to think for themselves.
A second requirement is that there be a reliable source of sound information. Without a media that can get to the core of a subject, that can provide an unbiased overview of a topic, then even the smartest population can be fooled. Look at any country with a high literacy rate, but strict government control of the media. You will find the support for the government's policies to be unreasonably high. Given the number of people in the US who rely on the laughable output of the FOX news network (according to the ratings anyway), it's not surprising that anti-Obama positions are so well received.
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The secret to great marksmanship is deciding what the target was AFTER you've shot.
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