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May 10, 2008 - 7:45am.
Since when did "elite" become a pejorative word? Hillary Rodham Clinton says she won't be swayed from her idea of a summer gasoline-tax holiday by "elite opinion," meaning the opinion of every serious economist who's looked at the proposal. Liberal gadfly Michael Moore chides the Democrats for "doing the bidding of the corporate elite in this country." The Democratic superdelegates are said to be reluctant to intervene in the debilitating and inconclusive Democratic presidential race for fear of being perceived as "elite insiders." Right-wing radio talkers rattle endlessly about the depredations of the "liberal elite" and the "media elite." Over the past several elections it has been a popular campaign tactic to portray an opponent as an elitist. But as Paul Farhi of The Washington Post observed in an essay on the subject, " ... those who run for president are almost always better educated, better dressed, more telegenic, far wealthier and more articulate -- all in all, drawn from an elite class -- than just about every voter in the country." The three presidential candidates are all wealthy, graduates of top colleges and members of an elite club, the U.S. Senate, limited to 100 members. Yet the Democratic race has been marked by Hillary Clinton, Yale Law, trying to portray Barack Obama, Harvard Law, as an elitist, rarefied and out of touch -- she being, by implication, just simple, common folk. The venue for a politician to proving he is not an elitist has come to be the blue-collar tavern, ironic when you recall that the motto of the archetype of that homey watering hole was Duffy's Tavern, "where the elite meet to eat." The Oxford English Dictionary, the elite arbiter of the matter, defines "elite" as: "The choice part or flower (of society, or of any body or class of persons)." That would seem to be a good thing. What is really being implied in the political context is that the targeted person is not an elitist but a snob. "Elitist" is a weasel word, seeming to say more that it does, but there's no mistaking the meaning of "snob." The word is there for the taking. No charge.
Capitol Hill Blue's columnists, blogs and reader comments Capitol Hill Blue is an independent, non-partisan news site that belongs to no political party and subscribes to no political or philosophical point-of-view. Our columnists are welcome to their opinions but readers should understand that their views do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of this web site. We also welcome comments to selected opinion columns and in our popular ReaderRant discussion forum. Please remember, however, that we believe in civility on this web site and comments may be reviewed, moderated or removed if we feel they contain obscenities, racism, bigotry, anti-Semitic remarks or attack other posters. Our goal is reasoned discussion on issues facing this nation and we do not feel that goal is served by personal attacks and by seeing how many cute adjectives you can attach to an elected official or politician's name. Copyright © 2008 Capitol Hill Blue
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When you have no meat to go
Submitted by 33rdSt on May 10, 2008 - 7:52pm.When you have no meat to go in the sandwich, slather on the ketchup really heavy.
Such attitudes date back to
Submitted by Flapsaddle on May 12, 2008 - 10:31am.Such attitudes date back to the beginning of the Jacksonian era in American electoral politics, when the elite of the day were the wealthy New Englanders and the Tidewater aristocracy.
But what is truly an example of 'hutzpah is for someone who shares a mean annual income of $15.4 million, who lives in a house in an exclusive neighborhood where you don't have to worry about a "drive-by", who has Secret Service protection, who can travel anywhere in the world at any time they wish to, who hobnobs with Hollywood personalities, who has the ear of the rich/famous almost anywhere, who does not have to worry about the price of gasoline or food, who does not have to worry about being "downsized ", who does not have to worry about a sick child and not having health insurance, who can loan their political campaign $11.4 million from their own funds to suggest that someone else is acting like/being an "elitist."
As for Senator Obama's status? As a Rush Limbaugh votary might say, "Dittoes!"
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
As I read your comment I
Submitted by jyakubow on May 12, 2008 - 1:12pm.As I read your comment I couldn't help but agree with you... that was until I read the last sentence. Might I point out that only a Rush Limbaugh votary would know that a Rush Limbaugh votary might say, "Dittoes!" Sorry, but after that you lost all credibility.
jyak
Actually, knowledge of the
Submitted by Flapsaddle on May 12, 2008 - 1:47pm.Actually, knowledge of the "Dittoes" thing is ubiquitous. Over the years I've seen it used a number of times to emphasize a matter of very close agreement on something, and by people who did not seem to exhibit the symptoms of Limbaughmania. Were someone to add an Amen! or a Hallelujah! for emphasis, would that mean that they were right-wing religious wing-nuts?
As a matter of rhetorical consideration, what you are suggesting can be taken as an example of either the logical error of faulty induction or the "guilt by association" ad hominem fallacy.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle