Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Won Elections by Sacrificing Its Values (And How It Can Reclaim Its Conservative Roots)

In 1963 Richard Hofstadter published his landmark book Anti-Intellectualism in American Life. Today, Matt Lewis argues, America’s inclination toward simplicity and stupidity is stronger than ever, and its greatest victim is the Republican Party. Lewis, a respected Republican columnist and frequent MSNBC contributor, eviscerates the phenomenon of candidates with a no experience required mentality and tea party patriots who possess bluster but few core beliefs.

Lewis traces the conservative movement’s roots, from Edmund Burke to William F. Buckley, and from Goldwater’s loss to Reagan’s landslide victory. He highlights visionary thinkers who embraced nuance and deep ideology and changed history.