She spent a career explaining the role of philosophical ideas in determining the course of a culture and the choices made by individuals. She did not overestimate the "intelligence of Americans". She clearly and straightforwardly explained why the content of their basic ideas must change and how. Almost anyone has the basic intelligence to do that, but not, given today's education and other cultural influences, the knowledge and understanding.

People today are no more inherently less intelligent than they were at the time of the Revolution. In fact they typical have shown the ability to grasp much more advanced knowledge in some realms due to economic and technical advances, but are steering it with the wrong philosophy. This problem is much deeper than saying Americans are too dumb to vote the right way, especially with the limited range of choices they are given and the malignant ideas they are being bombarded with to influence them in an intellectual vacuum.

Yes she was certainly awareness of corruption in government and the pervasive problem of brute force, but far more important is that she explained the intellectual causes behind it. It's a lot deeper than silent campaign contributions and political appointments.

Don't you mean look back...?