Pouring over some old exit polls, I came across this, from 2000's CNN poll:
13% of the population characterized Bush as being "too liberal."
Of those people, 81% (or about 11% of the overall population) voted for Gore instead. In other words, 11% of the population thought Bush was too liberal and voted for Gore - 1 in about 9 voters.
About 1 in 256 people thought Bush was too liberal, but voted for Nader.
Thus, about 14% of Nader voters (around 1 in 7) thought Bush was "too liberal."
Sad, sad, sad.
Yes, a certain percentage of voters are complete idiots. The idiocy of many people can be confirmed by reading letters to newspapers, or reading people's opinions when they are solicited by reporters on the street. It can be pretty scary and discouraging.
Only two things make me feel better about it:
1. The biggest idiots probably don't vote.
2. Idiots probably cancel each other out on some level with their votes.
It's my belief (which may be delusionary) in these two things that allows me to sleep at night.
