this. Everyone has made really good points, but this is currently a huge part of the problem.

My husband ran in the last provincial elections and I managed his campaign. we went to loads of events and met many candidates/elected representatives behind the scenes. people who are smart, critical, compassionate, &c. are typically not good at marketing themselves on that scale. In a rare scenario, you have someone who can do both, like Dr. Andrew Weaver.

But it really is two discrete jobs - courting votes and funds, and running a province/country. Electoral finance reform (e.g. banning corporate donations)  will be a big piece of the puzzle.

another piece of the puzzle, at least for us in BC, is the whip. Political parties force (cajole, coerce) their elected representatives to vote along the party lines, often going against the people they represent and their own conscience. The documentary "Whipped" describes the process a bit. It is very, very weird to see awesome people get elected for the first time and then vote against what they stood for.