Let's face it-most young Republicans at CPAC (the "big government sucks" crowd) dress like twelve year olds at their 28 year old half-sisters wedding. Pwning SWJs is all they got.
I think there needs to be a counter-culture on the right that is intellectual but not elitist that can act as both a vanguard for the most ideological activists and the Trumpletariet alike. CPAC is a great tool but it risks becoming a Paul Ryan nerd prom indoctrinating young right-wingers with outdated ideas in the age of Trump.
That's kind of the problem: intellectualism is inherently castigated as elitist by default on the right-wing now. A desire for "non-elitist intellectualism" had no component in the undercurrents that brought Trump to power. Trump and his surrogates cultivate a mindset among their followers that is fundamentally anti-intellectual and more authoritarian/reactionary-minded.
I don't disagree that a form of elitism has developed within much of the intellectual sphere, it certainly has on both the left and right wings. Ironically enough though, Ayn Rand, despite being a philosopher from a non-elitist background, has become gospel within much of the elite conservative intellectual circle. I also find your emphasis on our founding principles a commendable one.
Unfortunately, I think you'll have to wait awhile before a "common man's intellectual" movement arises. Donald Trump will not usher in a vision of restoring our principles of Jeffersonian democracy, he doesn't even know what Jeffersonian Democracy is. He is ignorant of the majority of our founding principles, and those he is not ignorant of he has displayed utter contempt for. Donald Trump is not a common man's intellectual, Donald Trump is a self-centered narcissist exploiting anti-elite sentiments among the population to craft a cult of personality.
The anti-SJW/political correctness, anti-elite movement that has bolstered Trump's rise couldn't care less either. Trump's momentum is drawn from a well of emotional reactionism via a politics of revenge and grievance. That coincides rather well with Trump himself whom, as a narcissist, is also fueled by revenge and grievance. It is a pernicious form of identity politics reacting to another form of identity politics. It's not seeking to set up a venue for "non-elitist intellectuals," it's seeking to purge intellectualism from public discourse entirely and replace it with knee-jerk partisan tribalism.
I think I understand where you misjudged Trump, since you have displayed more critical thought than many of his other supporters. You thought that since the groundswell which he was surfing was anti-elitist, it would also expand intellectual discourse to a greater portion of the population who were being unfairly locked out. I don't think you realized just how
deeply anti-intellectual this movement is. Milo/Hannity/Limbaugh or whatever other bloviating talking head that exists solely to screech about liberals and nothing else while collecting filthy fat paychecks, that's the heart and soul of this movement, not the common man's intellectual.
