Tomasky: Why Does No One Understand the Real Reason Trump Won?

[Straw Man]

159. As a retired educator, it pains me to say this ...

... but to a great extent the problem springs from the dumbing down of the American public. To put it plainly, the majority have sub-par language skills and lack the ability to think critically and analytically. The language and tropes of right-wing media (and politicians) target these very deficiencies, using a limited vocabulary and very rudimentary and fallacious logic. This is evident in the presentation of even supposedly objective news reporting, but becomes even more pronounced in any kind of discussion scenario.

I have some reservations about what I'm going to say here, but I feel that there is a need for a center-left counterpart to the Foxes and Newsmaxes of the world, one that speaks to the educationally deprived segments of the American public in a language that they can comprehend and feel comfortable with, avoiding academic jargon and other class-based signifiers. There are many simple and obvious truths that can be transmitted clearly and that have to do with creating a more equitable and inclusive society rather than one driven by hate, fear, greed, and resentment.