Romney Continues GOP's Anti-Intellectual Crusade

The GOP's disdain for intellectualism has been a staple of the party for more than a decade. During the W. Bush years, the nation was held captive by leaders with unabashed antipathy towards science, tro-lers (trial lawyers) and explanations that didn't involve end times dominionism or naked capitalism. 

And, inconceivably, things have only gotten worse. Disbelief in global warming, evolution and President Obama's birth certificate continue to garner widespread support among the Republican base. Only half of all Tea Party members believe in global warming or evolution. The public's stance isn't much more impressive, at 70 and 57 percent respectively. Until President Obama confronted the issue directly and released his birth certificate, only 38% of the public believed that he was a US citizen. The GOP's war on intellect has pervaded the public conscience and convinced a large segment of Americans to forgo reason. 

With a heavy dose of hypocrisy, presidential candidate Mitt Romney continued the anti-intellectual rhetoric this week. Romney, who graduated twice from Harvard, donated $50,000 to Harvard in 2003, has three sons who graduated from Harvard, and has advisors from Harvard, criticized President Obama for relying on "Harvard Faculty Lounge" for guidance. Hmm. 

Romney's line says more about GOP voters and the general public, however, than it does about himself. It's a sad day in America when a candidate accusing the President of relying on graduates and faculty from an elite university is red meat to voters.