The lower tiers vote for the higher tiers, and anyone can join government.
As far as your concern, there's a reason the government in china actually works, vs the US that stagnates for decades.
Only actually qualified people have power. You prove yourself over years. Xi, for example, has a doctorate and decades of proven experience; and that was after winning his external elections.
to compare to to western democracy, you don't vote for prime minister, the people you voted for votes for prime minister. Just add a few layers with publicly auditable and contestable elections.
The act of stabbing your artery in order to stop the gangrene you got from repeatedly stabbing your arteries is indeed just as bad as dipping your gangrenous tissue into your open wounds to spread it faster. Neither make you better. Neither is a true stopping point.
Or in other words, Dems are the clutch and reps are the gas. You have no brakes. You might be able to stop without a brake, maybe even stay stopped. But shits going to get worse no matter which you choose since you're actively ignoring the brakes.