People, especially in the U.S., underestimate the amount of noise and outright corruption in determining what makes something successful, established, and well-

People, especially in the U.S., underestimate the amount of noise and outright corruption in determining what makes something successful, established, and well-known. They also personalize success and failure to the extreme. What differentiates the intelligent is that they're able and willing to question their assumptions. Such people tend to be more liberal, which is why the left is much less cohesive (and in a two-party system, much weaker) than the right. Ask any liberal about Obama and you'll hear 10 different disagreements and criticisms, whereas Palin can do no wrong among her fan base.