I really like this comment, because I think it gets to the root of the problem. People on Hacker News would probably be happy with an engineer, systems thinker turned politician.

That's probably because all of the smart people that we know and interact with regularly are engineers and systematic thinkers. What ever the Business version of Hacker News would probably want someone with a business or economic background. Ditto for medical professionals, artists, etc.

What seems clear is that the only bar for being elected is some amount of charisma. Barring that, just stoke fear in your chosen party's base.