It's hard to apply cultural analysis like this uniformly. I also feel that there is a general trend towards anti-intellectualism in America. I think both things can be true: that 'we' value excellence academically (because it confers greater and greater economic benefit) and yet are less open to ideas that are outside our worldview.

On the other hand, the article suggests that the more intelligent are more likely to be oblivious of their own biases and flaws (and where is that more likely than in politics), so on its own terms is not necessarily contradictory :)

People tend to overestimate their own competence (and I suppose intelligence), so they must also see anyone who agrees with them as being of high intelligence too. That means we think the politicians we vote for are smart. It's just the ones other people vote for that aren't.

Nobody will say "I want X but I'm not very smart so the politician who promises X is also not very smart and I won't vote for him."

I don't think so; for example, back in 2004, a poll showed that way more people considered Kerry intelligent compared to Bush. Yet Bush was seen as more decisive and made more people "feel more optimistic about the future".

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2004-07-14/poll...