[pfranz]

This is just anecdotal, but the individuals I've talked to seem to mirror this. I'm imprinting my own perceptions of this, but it's often an elitism that populism (following the will of the majority) is self destructive and there's this privileged class that knows better--whether that's a certain class of voters (people responsible enough to hold an ID) or a political class.

When I try and dig in, their opinions seem very shallow and self serving. I don't think their idea, in concept, is entirely without merit. Senators used to be elected by the state legislature because the intention was they represent the state's interest, not necessarily the voter's. Things like capping the House has really skewed representation and the Electoral College...which has undermined any "genius" that might have been intended by the EC. These otherwise well-read people don't seem interested in these problems, they're just supportive of the approaches you describe.