The Populist Revolt Against Cognitive Elites

One of the great mysteries about the rise of populism, in both the United States and Europe, is why it has benefited the political right so much more than the left. For years, American progressives have been trying to get people worked up over rising rates of economic inequality, with the expectation that this anger could fuel greater support for the Democratic Party. Yet the electoral fruits of this effort have been pretty much nonexistent. The recently concluded “Fighting Oligarchy” tour by the democratic-socialist luminaries Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barely registered in public opinion.