Garbled sentence structure betrays a lack of thought and knowledge. No matter how vivid the image of confidence and competence may be, it is easily shattered by verbal stumbling.
And no matter how brilliant the presentation, listeners quickly realize that ponderosity does not evoke visions of the Cartwright family ranch, nor will it bring a bonanza of political support.
In fact, incomplete sentences imply incomplete thought and incomplete knowledge, and a rambling presentation tells the audience that the speaker doesn't really know what he's talking about and is trying to cover his ignorance with bluster.
If all this sounds like it would apply to people generally and politicians in particular, you'd be right. And if it brings to mind one individual who is more flagrant in his lack of organized thought, sentence structure, grammar, presentation and inconsistent ideas that contradict each other daily, suggesting that not only does he not know what he's talking about generally but emphasizes easily disproven falsehoods as if they were or should be common knowledge, you'd be right again.
And therein lies the danger, because many listeners mistake confidence for competence. A master salesman can project confidence with extensive use of meaningless superlatives and "truthful hyperbole" aimed at overcoming caution and enhancing believability.
Once the seed of believability is planted, it can be nurtured by attacking those who present contrary evidence as fake, and emphasizing the need to accept "alternative facts," as if his facts are more believable than those offered by competitors or by that most unreliable of all sources of information, the news media.
So as Chico Marx wisely put it, "Who you gonna believe, me or your eyes?"
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