I think the thing most "voters" forget is that they're selecting executive positions and/or figureheads for a constellation of lobbyists and special interests and that all stakeholders in the process have to deal with an ever-changing assortment of needs, wants, opinions and proficiencies.

Here's my local guy. Walked up on my lawn, nervous as hell, and asked for my vote. I asked him why I should vote for him over the incumbent and he gave me a pretty nice off-the-cuff summary of his positions. I shook his hand and told him he had my vote.

Most of the vocal mutherfuckers in my district? lost their shit over the fact that he "took money from the building industry". As in $700 from "NORTHWEST WASHINGTON BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL". Out of $80k. Which pretty much illustrates that people are mostly there to be pissed off at someone and end up fishing around for an ex post facto reason.

Nobody is ever going to be perfect. Ever. At the end of the day, it does you no good to demand perfection where "better" is still good.