I've been binging Sarah Longwell's (of The Bulwark) Focus Group episodes. She shares quotes from participants. Typical average low information, low engagement voters.

So depressing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA_iob2pnFk&list=PLJNKzTkCZE...

I've long grudgingly accepted premise of Democracy for Realists. Yet my expectations remained stubbornly, inappropriately too optimistic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_theory_of_democracy

https://archive.org/details/democracyforreal0000ache

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The silver lining may be that "hopelessly confused voters" is better than hyperpartisanship. Longwell uses the term "heterodoxy".