These Beliefs Don't Match?

Julian Sanchez doesn't understand the response to Citizens United:

On the one hand, maybe for all our folly we’re basically engaged enoughor the people who decide to vote are engaged enoughthat we can sift through the media maelstrom and figure out, on average, whose principles, character, and record best represent our community. On the other hand, maybe we’re a bunch of chimps who will vote for the shiny thing.  I incline toward the latter, but I’ve never been all that big on the intrinsic virtues of democracy.  I just have trouble wrapping my head around the view that combines these two beliefs: (1) The wisdom of the people, on the whole, justifies not just the installation of Candidate A over Candidate B, but a whole array of coercive state policies, and also (2) We’re really easily led, and will sell our firstborn to Altria if a slick ad says to. It seems strange for both those things to be true.