Verhoven has a sense of humor and irony. Stone assuredly does not. And they're stylistic polar opposites, Verhoeven is a descendant of classical Hollywood cinema of Vidor and Minnelli. Stone is a 'tripod-be-damned' slash and burn sensationalist. If you're claiming that popularity is the sole guage of artistic quality I obviously disagree. As every year has a raft of dreck that rakes in gazillions (more Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean sequels than one can count).
P.S. Robocop was very popular.
You miss the point. Verhoeven and Stone are thinly veiled, one-view propagandists. Stone's just a better one.
And popularity is not the gauge, either. It's the ability to connect with the intended audience. Whether it's the art house crowd watching Chocolat or Tolkein fans at LOTR, you cannot despise and talk down to the people you are making the film for. Verhoeven has contempt for his audience and his material, and so chooses to lecture his trite message to his "lessers". The audience can see that.