If you're looking for someone to blame for turning American democracy into the circus show it's become - Roger Ailes - who died yesterday - is your guy.

Predictably, many in the mainstream media are already talking about how complicated he was - how his flaws were balanced out by his talents.

But the truth is much - much simpler.

The truth is that Roger Ailes is almost singlehandedly responsible for the degradation and destruction of American democracy.

The legacy of Roger Ailes is a dark one.

In addition to a slew of sexual harassment cases, Ailes leaves behind a country that is infinitely more misinformed and ignorant than it would be if he'd never been born.

Studies have found that people who watch Fox News are more misinformed than viewers of any other news network - and are actually more misinformed than people who watch no news at all.

Has any individual done more harm to American Democracy over the past 30 or 40 years than Ailes?