It works. The US has a remarkable ability to aim for the lowest common denominator -- in movies, in food, in technology -- and export that to the rest of the world. We're very good at finding things that are broadly appealing, and rewarding the people who create them.

Politics is no exception. The world watches us, and they take what works. None of it is ever really novel, but a lot of it lies fallow until somebody says, "Hey, we should try that again." And at first people may say, "You can't do that, because mumble mumble," but the reply is "I can't hear you over the sound of you losing."

Trolling your opponents is hardly new, but we've polished it off and discovered that it's a great way to bond a political party. They feel enthusiastic, and they go out and vote for more of it, while demoralizing your opponents -- who go out and try to make sense even harder, and fail worse, because it's the reason they lose in the first place. They remain baffled that people fall for cheap tricks, without ever accepting the reality that they do.