I agree that this is a foundational "liberal arts" skill, nevertheless, it's one many are never taught. If you look at the last electoral cycle, I think we had

I agree that this is a foundational "liberal arts" skill, nevertheless, it's one many are never taught. If you look at the last electoral cycle, I think we had the most democratic (not Democratic) election in US history. The candidates went around the traditional party/media gatekeepers, "disintermediating" them by building "direct to consumer" brands on Twitter and other media platforms. I don't think the US electorate was used to having so much choice. In the past, we got what the party gave us, which tended to be more centrist. All bets were off this time. All to say, I think you overestimate how critical the electorate at large is, it's just that it never mattered, until now.