I just saw this response to Brooks and Shields on the NPR website that has most of the points made  in this article.  The person posting was "Bob Johnson":

"The 'elites' the electorate reacted against are those who sign trade deals benefiting large corporations with no regard for their impact on working-class Americans. 'Adapt or die' is the 21st century equivalent to 'let them eat cake'. 'Elites' are those who trumpet science as if it were a faith itself, condemning and disparaging those with religious views as backward bigots. 'Elites' are those in Academia and the Media who believe only one point of view is valid and that opposing views are not only wrong, but dangerous, and therefore should not be heard."