Except the most common criticism of C++ is for being "too complex" or "too clever", so it seems there's nothing inherently wrong in trying to be a "dumbed-down

Except the most common criticism of C++ is for being "too complex" or "too clever", so it seems there's nothing inherently wrong in trying to be a "dumbed-down C++, avoiding all the ugliness". You're just saying it made the wrong trade-offs in places.