The gist of the TNR article seems to be that not only are a sizable number of the voting population racist and misogynist, but also poorly informed and stupid. The media distraction and misinformation industry has to take a lot of blame for the poorly informed part, but a lot of people don't seek or make any effort to inform themselves and in fact avoid it, and embrace misinformation like it's a warm blanket. Many know better, and it's a choice.