Successful politicians are not especially vacuous, but they have to sound that way so as not to risk offending any potential supporters. Each party has a "power base" that it can't risk eroding by taking controversial or even innovative stands. So they say as little as they can get away with. This year in the US they're saying even less than usual.

The popular news media are also involved. They know that viewers and readers will go elsewhere if they're bored. Nothing is more boring to most people than setting forth the subtleties of complex issues. One result is that scandals, potential scandals, and now non-scandals (the *possibility* that 30-odd years ago 25-year-old "W" accepted special treatment in the Texas ANG!) become the focus of interest (i.e., marketing).

Endless public opinion polls lie behind much of this. Years ago candidates could at least afford to take consistent stands because they had no reliable way of knowing how many potential voters they were turning off.

Our celebrity culture is another factor. Candidates are entertaining celebrities. They make us laugh, groan, cheer, feel good about ourselves. They entertain us on late-night talk shows with music and patter. In office, they can reassure us, scare us, crank up the drama, vanquish the villains, cut taxes (i.e., hand out prizes).

What they think or stand for becomes almost irrelevant.