John Stossel: Some 'Dumb' People Shouldn't Vote (VIDEO)

Fox Business anchor John Stossel thinks some people shouldn't vote.

Stossel has a new special out about how people shouldn't trust what they instinctively think about things like the dangers of air travel and the efficacy of charity. One of the myths that the host claims to bust is the idea that everyone should vote.

Stossel's reason? Some people, as he put it to Neil Cavuto on Thursday, "are dumb or don't pay attention, and they shouldn't vote." Cavuto told him that he "ought to be careful" about how he defined "dumb."

"I'm not saying we should have a test or something," Stossel replied. But he did single out what he called "the kids," who he said were too out of touch with politics.

"The people who participate ought to be the ones who pay attention," he said. "...I'm just saying we shouldn't have these 'get out the vote' campaigns and make these statements: 'everyone has to vote. It's your patriotic duty!' Well if you're not paying attention, I think it's your patriotic duty not to vote."

(h/t Think Progress)

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Comments

[ozzbone]

06:01 AM on 02/02/2012

I kind of agree with Stossel that "dumb" people shouldn't vote - especially in light of the recent study that people of low IQ tend to be conservative!

[Scott Sidorsky]

03:34 PM on 01/28/2012

Stossel's "editorial" is right-wing propaganda.

This becomes clear when he speaks of kids voting. Since we know that younger voters tend to vote less conservatively than older voters, what we see here is a ploy to discourage young voters, therefore increasing the odds for conservative viewpoints to get voted in on topics like marriage rights and environmental issues.

[LarryA]

08:39 PM on 01/18/2012

Stossel, I really don't think it is fair that you want to ban the ENTIRE Fox News viewership from voting. The whole world knows that they are the dumbest people in the country who are completely misinformed and ignorant, that's just a fact that nobody disputes, it's been proven by study after study.

But still, we are a free country, everyone has the right to vote.

Shame on you Stossel.

[bighat]

10:05 PM on 01/18/2012

If voters that watch Fox news are banned then 99% of the commenters on huffpost would be banned.

[LarryA]

10:53 PM on 01/18/2012

Really bighat? The "I know you are but what am I" comeback?

That's the best you can do? Further proof supporting the Fox News viewers are the dumbest Americans studies...

[HarpoSnarx]

12:07 PM on 01/18/2012

Wow, this mediocre elitist's latest goopism is still in the HP's lineup.

That's the best play this teevee polluter has gotten in years.

[hdohighdesertobserver]

11:50 AM on 01/18/2012

Doesn't it also follow that if you only pay attention to lies and half-lies, that you shouldn't vote?

[bighat]

10:06 PM on 01/18/2012

So you are going to vote the straight libertarian ticket?

[gtg007w]

11:30 AM on 01/18/2012

Your mom shouldn't vote.

[El 84]

10:20 AM on 01/18/2012

John should contact the inner circle of the Republican Party. They want the voting public dumbed down. Look at Fox "News". Seriously, a stupid voting public is a long-term hidden agenda of many politicians and more salivate over. An educated, informed public threatens authoritarianism (theocracy like here, etc.) and tends to vote "liberal". Many have said this before, look at the audience demographics over at Fox Propagandnews. Buncha dopes.

[bighat]

10:11 PM on 01/18/2012

Liberals will still vote for Obama even though he signed a bill allowing indefinite detention of any American citizen without a trial. How could any American vote for Obama after the signing of this bill.

[addcat]

09:56 AM on 01/18/2012

Stossel's still seeing birds after the humiliating (and literal) smack down he got on camera by Dr. D!

[Doug Whitinger]

09:47 AM on 01/18/2012

John Stossel should've stuck to his 20/20 fluff pieces.

[Alex Fidelibus]

09:43 AM on 01/18/2012

Stossel makes a pretty big error in his reasoning, when he argues that only the people who pay attention should vote, and most that do not vote shouldn't, because they don't understand what's really going on.

The more details you know about politics in this country, the less inspired you are to actually cast a vote for any of these hypocrites.

Very many of the people that vote, do so because they're easily riled up by disingenuous political rhetoric and punditry. That's the opposite of being informed.

I have always found Stossel to be overly simplistic in his rationalizations.

If everyone had a civic duty to vote, it would encourage more people to pay attention. Having the ability to choose whether or not you want to vote, encourages more apathy.

[bighat]

10:15 PM on 01/18/2012

So you want a bill that forces everyone to vote? Did Obama's signing of the bill that allows govt being able to detain any American without a trial encourage you to come to this conclusion?

[Alex Fidelibus]

10:44 PM on 01/18/2012

Wha?

Are there any conservatives with the capacity for a logical train of thought?

[Charlie Seivard]

09:30 AM on 01/18/2012

Some people. like Stossel, should stay off of television,.

[LTmemOree]

08:51 AM on 01/18/2012

people ignorant of facts and who shouldn't vote are fox's bread and butter.

[Stagehnd1]

08:46 AM on 01/18/2012

Yeah, maybe so,..and some people shouldn't have 70's porn mustaches..

[MRstoner2udude]

08:44 AM on 01/18/2012

We're only as dumb as the news networks we watch........WOW THAT'S PRETTY DUMB!

[yenrug65]

08:33 AM on 01/18/2012

So I'm guessing Stossel should not vote then ?!