To Ronald's point I don't hear much "talk on the street" about politics.

Sure, there are some folk who love to talk about it to anyone who will listen, but some decorum still lingers in society that limits this for the most part.

The media tends toward the sensational, thereby forcing those who wish to gain media attention to become "sensational". Those pragmatic, collaborative, and open-minded candidates quickly get marginalized because it just doesn't make for good TV.

Very similar to the developments in "reality" TV. Take "the Bachelor" as an extreme example. Originally this show paid counselors and psychologists to evaluate the candidates prior to their appearance as contestants to determine their ability to deal with the various challenges (notoriety ,failure on the national scene, etc). They actually weeded out those with mental conditions that were deemed too extreme.

Now, those same TV producers actually review the evaluations and SELECT those candidates the professionals deemed unacceptable (violent tempers, vindictive behavior, binge personalities, OCD types) because it draws way more viewers.

In a final opinion of the irony, most realistic citizens choose NOT to run for political office for the very reasons they complain is wrong with the current system... We all want an "outsider" who won't pander to the rich... Well, the rich are putting an "insider" in the mix who is going to bury that outsider...

That's like asking for a PRO who's never judged your fleet and seen the (legal) tricks that some use to gain... We all shun the "snake in the grass" but we want one on our side when it comes to getting stuff done.

Watch that Netflix "House of Cards" series. It really looks believable.