From one point of view, President Obama’s invocation of the hoary “77 cents” myth regarding the relative earnings of women and men was a shallow and cheap political pander. Democrats, eager to maintain their advantage with women voters, stoke grievance. It’s the same playbook they’ve used to solidify their standing with black voters — suggest whenever and wherever possible that Republicans are racists. It’s crude, offensive and libelous — but effective.

Yet Obama fancies himself an intellectual. Campaigning against Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia, the president chastised the Republican for challenging climate change, saying, “It has to do with what’s true. It has to do with facts. You don’t argue with facts.” Many in the press and in progressive circles regard this president as a bit of a thought leader.