I think at least for me, you really nailed it when you said that politicians are like celebrities to a lot of people. I personally have just never had any interest in celebrities. Music is a big thing for me, but if I had the opportunity to go meet one of my favorite artists, I wouldn’t. What am I going to do, say “hey, I really like your music,” and that’s the end of it? There’s no point. I enjoy the art that they make, but meeting them briefly in-person isn’t going to change anything for them or for me. It’d be a better use of my time to stay home and do just about anything else, maybe even stay home and listen to one of their albums.
Politicians are the same. I’m not buying their album, I’m voting for them. They don’t produce an entertainment product, but they produce a change in my country (be it good or bad) that directly affects me. It still doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference to me or to them if I meet them in-person or not. I can respect what they they do professionally without having a desire to shake hands.
If you’re living in a place where renting a pod with less space than a prison cell costs nearly as much as a studio somewhere else… move.