I find this to be a poor and lazy defense in general, but even more so given the elitism and condecension Mencken had for the "half or more" of the population.

I find this to be a poor and lazy defense in general, but even more so given the elitism and condecension Mencken had for the "half or more" of the population. People have to squint and misappropriate for other figures like Nietzsche, but not so for Mencken. There is a reason for that...I say this as someone who has works of both on their bookshelf. Also it should be noted that some of the most damning material was found in his private journals describing people/organizations that he interacted with personally.