I've already mentioned that solidly loyal states are at a disadvantage in modern American politics, but there's another paradox I've noticed: Elections are determined by the people who don't care much about politics.

After all, the party faithful are the ones who care. The ones who read political blogs and listen to Rachel Maddow or Rush Limbaugh and forward emails to their friends and post inspiring stories on Facebook and react to things on Twitter. But those people aren't the ones who the candidates have to win over. They're in the bag.

The people who actually decide are the people who don't pay attention to politics until a couple of weeks before the election. The apathetic, the ignorant, or the uninterested.

This is where I'm supposed to deplore this state of affairs, but I won't. I actually think this is a good thing. Politics shouldn't be the most important thing in our lives. It shouldn't consume our attention day in and day out. It shouldn't drive us into a rage or despair because of something someone said somewhere about something.

Those apathetic "low information voters" are the smart ones. They understand that one's own life should be more important than the antics of politicians and their media shills. They understand that politics should not be a constant looming presence. That is true wisdom.

It's the smart, concerned, well-informed people who are idiots.