Agreed. One of the most common objections against democracy is that popular vote does not select for competence and therefore our politicians are not acting in

Agreed. One of the most common objections against democracy is that popular vote does not select for competence and therefore our politicians are not acting in the best interests of the population. That isn't actually what voting is meant to do. The purpose of democracy is to kick out the old guy and stop the concentration of power by rotating the people in power frequently. The problem is that when you get rid of the old guy, you also need people to agree and consent that the new guy is indeed the new guy.