Yes, Americans are not taught to think independently. We like our sports and the good life. When we see that our country is being run by people who hate America and do not mind if we as a country are bankrupt, 55% of us catch on and are not happy. Hopefully, that will be enough to make a difference.
I suspect it has always been the case that a large number of Americans have been uninvolved and either incapable or unprepared to deal with complex and critically important issues.
One of the things that seems different from the past though, is that liberals are much more bold in lying. I post on a site with a number of liberals, and some are just blatant and unrepentant liars. And I don't mean they just say something I don't like or disagree with, they write things that are demonstrably false.