Ignorance vs Stupid

"Where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise." -- Thomas Gray, 1768

Some politicians behave as if  people are just as intelligent as they are. That can be a major problem. -- Pug Mahoney.

   There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity, and it can be a puzzlement whether some political leaders and their aides are both.
   Example: Jared Kushner was asked by a Time magazine interviewer whether the November election could be postponed because of the corona pandemic. His reply: "I'm not sure, ... but right now that's the plan."
   He later retracted.
   So whether his comment was plain ignorance of the 1845 federal law fixing the date, which high schoolers learn is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, or he was deliberately planting a seed of thought to justify stalling the election, is immaterial. Either one is wrong. The danger in the second part is that it follows a pattern set by the president when he talks about his 12 years in office. That, too, is unconstitutional, and when later challenged, the president claimed to be joking.
   But there is no joking about a presidential election date. And even if the Trumpistas do persuade Congress to change the date for the election, the president's term in office ends January 20, and if he is not re-elected, he would have to leave.
   Unless the plan is to suspend the Constitution, delay the election, and extend (indefinitely?) his term in office.
   Meanwhile, the GOP is also trying to prevent postal voting, alleging that it leads to widespread voter fraud. That's a variation of the claim four years ago that millions of illegal immigrants overwhelmed the polls, and if all those illegal votes were taken out, the president would have won the popular vote.
   As it is, he lost, but took up residence in the White House because of a victory in the Electoral College.
   Add this to the questionable legality of many of the current president's other activities, and you have a seriously negative forecast for American democracy.
   Ignorance itself is simply not knowing, and in many instances that's not a danger. However, at the highest levels of government, ignorance can be a hazard to a nation's political health.
   Stupidity is knowing the potential danger of saying or doing something, but saying and doing it anyway.
   So which of the two, if not both, apply to the current occupants of the Oval Office?
   American voters will decide that in November, assuming Election Day is not suspended or cancelled and terms in office are not extended indefinitely.