JFK beat Nixon. Reagan beat McGovern. Bush beat Gore and Kerry. Trump beat Clinton. Those are increasing margins of disparity in policy coherency and efficacy. Obviously, Trump was a whole new level of unqualified and policy illiterate, though.
Americans do not vote based on actual issues. In fact, you could make a good argument we vote
less based on issues now than at any point in our history.
You may vote based on policy. I vote based on policy. A lot , maybe most, of posters here vote on policy. But the American public as a monolith? Bitch please.