In politics stupidity is not a handicap.

The line is a cynical observation about political life: success in politics often depends less on intelligence than on other traits—ambition, nerve, loyalty, rhetorical skill, or the ability to read and exploit public moods. It implies that political systems can reward conformity, opportunism, or sheer persistence, so that lack of intellectual depth does not necessarily prevent advancement. Read as satire, it also functions as a warning about governance: when institutions and incentives do not prioritize competence, decision-making can be driven by simplistic thinking without immediate penalty to the actor—though not necessarily without cost to the public.