Do Democracies reward Mediocrity?

It is in the nature of democracy to reward mediocrity. Describe a specific situation in which a democracy might not reward mediocrity. Discuss what you think determines when democracy rewards mediocrity. By definition, a democracy is government "of the people, by the people and for the people." Essentially, the citizens of a nation have the opportunity to be involved in the decision-making processes. While the people do not play a direct part in running the government, they have the right to elect their leaders to represent their interests. In a democracy, these leaders are voted into office by majority vote. This system rewards mediocrity in the sense that interests of the majority comprise of "regular" people. Indeed, the interests of the majority do not necessarily reflect what is best for a nation. When voting, most people do not critically analyze the issues nor do they closely study the candidates vying for office. In fact, these candidates know they can sway people one way or the other by paying millions to run negative campaign ads on television. Unfortunately, most people vote based on superficial matters, such as whether they feel they can share a beer with the candidate or whether the candidate professes the same religious beliefs. The system of majority vote, thus, rewards those who think like the masses and this rewards mediocrity. The masses will also support policies that do not necessarily encourage enterprise and economic independence. For example, politicians had been somewhat cautious regarding the issue of benefits. For years, especially in states such as California, the government has been enabling people with welfare payments and supporting policies that encourage the lower classes to choose state checks over working. Part of this cycle had continued because politicians relied on certain segments of the population to get re-elected and maintain power. The situation is slightly different now that most people are cognizant of the government's economic bind and rising debt levels, and are, therefore, more supportive of state cuts on all programs. In other senses, democracy does not necessarily reward mediocrity. While majority rules during election time, the intelligent, enterprising citizens still have a leg-up over the rest. They are able to use their brains and resources to lobby for changes they want in their favor. They, indeed, have more access than "regular" people to leaders in office. They know how to navigate through the political system to fill up their coffers even more. The masses may vote for their representatives but these leaders most often still answer to those who rise above mediocrity.