Gervase, your tastes regarding Moore are fine. But do understand that for many of us who enjoy and admire him, his appeal is that he DOESN'T write like Gore Vidal. Or other literary and academic writers.

I look upon his work as being in a long, noble tradition of working class journalists, interested in substance over style. There is nothing wrong with you expressing a preference for style, either with or without substance. But it seems to me, you rather miss the point of his success--he comes from a Catholic working class background in old industrial Flint, Michigan. How many writers like that ever make it to the NYT bestseller list, much less remain there for as long as Moore has with "Stupid White Men".

Speaking truth to power is what Moore is about, not literary style.