IMO it's all related to the dumbing down of America. And it's no accident.
Our schools do not educate anymore. They teach children to achieve good tests scores.
Uneducated people don't make educated choices.
Uneducated masses can be easily swayed through doom and gloom tactics.
Throw in a good old fashioned propaganda campaign orchestrated by Putin, as the cherry on top, and you have a successful Presidential campaign.
An uneducated population also make good consumers.
Yes, this is an oversimplified view, but the way many in this Country rallied around a Vice Presidential candidate that was as dumb as a rock, was a very telling look into the future of the Republican Party (yes, I'm talking about you Sarah).