Nope. It's just the best that can make it through the gauntlet that is the two-party machine. Politics isn't structured for the cream of society to rise to the top. It's mostly turds that float.
Last time around, the GOP had what, eight primary candidates? Candidates that had some basic intelligence and common sense, like Jon Huntsman, received maybe 2% of the vote in the primaries.
Everyone's favorite libertarian Gary Johnson was a clear option, but he barely registered at all in polls. Apart from a few outliers, no one was interested in voting for him.
The idiots we are electing get into office because the majority of people think they're just swell. The idea that there are some great people out there who could get elected if only they had a chance is a lovely idea, but it has no basis in reality.
A recent Los Angeles municipal election drew a turnout of 16%. Part of the reason might have been the "I don't bother to vote, it's all bullshit" crowd, but mostly it's not that people are feeling disenfranchised. It's not that they don't feel they have a real choice – they don't even have the faintest clue as to who is running or what those people represent, nor do they give a damn.
We really and truly have the government we deserve. The quality of our elected officials says a lot more about the American people than it does about anything else.