I think I finally understand why Trump is doing so well (he recently pulled even with Hillary Clinton). It's only after years of shows like American Idol and America's Got Talent that his rise is possible. These shows got Americans used to the idea that they could vote with no actual consequences. In most cases (with very few exceptions), people with minimal talent are voted on and selected as "the winner", then almost immediately return to obscurity. In some cases (remember Sanjaya Malakar) there was an actual campaign to rig the vote so that a thoroughly undeserving candidate would win.
What else could possibly explain this lunacy?