Double-edged sword I guess...interestingly, in the first several elections, I think the VP used to be the guy who was runner-up in the race for president...
Allowing virtually everyone (even stupid/lazy people, people w/conflicts-of-interest, etc.) to vote along w/having the govt. 'educate' the citizens, the only real universal requirement being you've made it to age 18, has guaranteed "appeal-to-the-lowest-common-denominator" politics.
An cool thought experiment would be to try to come up w/a better system.
Indeed. Democracy is sometimes lax when it comes to choosing well educated and balanced people. Maybe that's the thing - psychopaths are forcing themselves to be elected and normal people simply back off :)