The Left has a lot of appeal for the articulate segment of society. In a Communist/statist society, it is the articulate who will rise to the top. The people who are skilled at intrigue, at persuasion, at flattery, at political games have a competitive advantage in large organizations (with government bureaucracy being the largest of organizations).
In the capitalist world, what counts is not how articulate you are, but how RIGHT you are. The man who makes it rich is the one who makes the right decisions, even if he can't articulate WHY he's doing it beyond "having a hunch". Conversely, in government you can fail to actually achieve a decent product for years (eg, the public school system, welfare, public housing, etc) and still be promoted, as long as you're articulate and good at political games