You are. (And apparently are not alone. My conversations with poly-sci peers has trodden similar ground.) The field is as relevant as it ever has been. IMHO

You are. (And apparently are not alone. My conversations with poly-sci peers has trodden similar ground.) The field is as relevant as it ever has been. IMHO, money in politics, coupled with mass media consolidation has created an environment where emphasis on models is treated like a currency of sorts. Self reinforcing, regardless of outcome. Actually, outside observers keen on understanding this dynamic better will see outcomes that do not align with models framed as "threats to Democracy" and often conflated with other "bad elements." From the insular point of view, in the beltway, that is a true statement. In general, it is a "truthy" statement in the sense of control being validated by models, actions planned and executed successfully then confirmed by outcome and models, is breaking down. (Whether that is a threat or more ordinary advancement in the body politic is a matter of ones perspective.) That all worked, until it didn't, and it didn't about the time digital natives came of age and simply behaved differently. They are not the only ones, just an easy to point to example. Pre-Internet and post Internet politics are fascinating! Sorry to ramble. Yeah, you are entirely relevant. This is a matter of not being in the club, and said club panicking over what it sees as a serious and growing threat to it's base political power of legitimacy, and relevancy as more of the body politic becomes more distributed and difficult to manage. >surely we need to accept that the impetus to seek education purely for self improvement and happiness is ever more relevant. Absolutely. And that is increasingly possible for people to do, either through formal study to obtain a degree, or on their own terms as amateurs. That clash is as interesting as the traditional politicking vs what I can only describe as neo-politicking, increasingly seen with rapid adoption of Internet and aging in of people native to it.