Anti-Intellectualism in the Modern Presidency: A Republican Populism

Abstract

Due to the amplified importance of forging an intimate connection with the American public, modern presidents must adjust their political personalities and leadership.To combat allegations of elitism, recent Republican presidents have adopted anti-intellectualism as a conservative form of populism. Anti-intellectualism is defined as disparagement of the complexity associated with intellectual pursuits, and a rejection of the elitism and self-aware attitude of distinction that is commonly associated with intellectual life. This article focuses on the benefits and costs of anti-intellectualism as a strategic response to the plebiscitary demands of contemporary presidential politics. As I describe it, an anti-intellectual approach to leadership originates from both a president's attitude about intellectual life and his public posturing. Brief case studies of Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush illustrate the political benefits of presidential anti-intellectualism. The limitations of presidential anti-intellectualism are also outlined.To those of you who received honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, well done. And to the C students-I say, you, too, can be President of the United States. 1

Populism in American Politics

“…This faith in the wisdom of the common people sometimes creates a strong antiintellectual strain in American populism (Hofstadter 1962;Shogun 2007). Intellectuals are seen as too removed from the world of the average people.…”

“…4-5) outlines, American populism tends to be highly resentful of being told by experts "we know best." Because of these views, American populism tends to have a negative orientation toward intellectuals and the expertise they (often condescendingly) attempt to provide (Hofstadter 1962;Kazin 1995;Shogun 2007;Skocpol and Williamson 2013).…”

Assessing the Relationship between Presidential Rhetorical Simplicity and Unilateral Action

“…A president that uses an anti-intellectual style in their rhetorical leadership could be attempting, according to Shogan (2007), to avoid coming across as elitist. Shogan (2007) believes Republicans use antiintellectualism as a form of populism.…”

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AbstractResearch from Shogan (2007) and Lim (2008) on the executive branch proposes that the American presidency has adopted an anti-intellectual approach to leadership, such that there is a concerted rejection of thoughtful political discourse from the president. This has been reflected by what appears to be a relative decline in both the linguistic and substantive complexity of presidential rhetoric.

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“…This has been reflected by what appears to be a relative decline in both the linguistic and substantive complexity of presidential rhetoric. Shogan's (2007) work, while focused on examining whether Republicans are more apt to employ anti-intellectual leadership than Democrats, raises an additional topic worthy of empirical examination: the potential relationship between anti-intellectual leadership and unilateral action from the president. If anti-intellectual leadership is a defiant form of leadership that opts to publicly demonstrate the rejection of external expertise, the usage of anti-intellectual rhetoric from the president might be able to predict the usage of unilateral action.…”