It exposes a structural disadvantage that plagues liberal politics. The hard right can simply point to images and tell a straightforward story, however true or false. Liberal politicians must choose between explaining context, embracing social complexity, and fussing over minute statistics, or allowing the hard right to gain ground by deferring to their narrative.

This is the crux of the issue. Partially the fact that

A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

, but also the fact that that reality is complicated and nuanced, while political rhetoric is not.

Conversations inevitably degrade to the level of the dumbest people in the room, and on the internet, that leaves it at about the level of a 12 year old.

Couple that with the fact that narratives are more powerful than data, and it leaves the conservative stance as the most compelling, despite it being the most false and most damaging…