Can you name a consensus “intellectual powerhouse” republican?
Paul Ryan (R-WI), for one. Eric Cantor (R-VA) for another - he’s not as articulate but very bright. Also, Gov. Chris Christie (NJ) is running rings around an entrenched Democrat machine by quite literally outsmarting them. As a general rule, most career politicians of whatever party are not all that smart, just clever and often, very good liars.