Eugene'60:  We're seeing the logical extention of the anti-intellectualism which has characterized GOP politics since the Nixon campaign.  His VP (later forced to resign and replaced by Gerald Ford) Spiro T. Agnew referred to "nattering nabobs of negativism" and commented about "A spirit of national masochism prevails, encouraged by an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals. "  So yes, the Party has both appealed to and encouraged anti-intellectualism.....and it's worked.  In many ways Trump is a reincarnation of Agnew, appealing to the basest instincts of the constituency, promoting devisiveness, demonizing those with different worldviews and blaming blacks, immigrants, women, and effete Democrats for all the ills of our country.  "They" are the cause of those ills and Donald Trump is the cure......there,  that was pretty simple, wasn't it.  

We can elect Trump and once again prove Pogo was right "we've met the enemy and it is us."