Elitism and It's Elite Standardbearers

Are you an elitist, am I an elitist? Who the heck is an elitist, and is that suddenly bad, and if so why? An elite person by definition is from "a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status." Common usage relates this term to people who enjoy the highest social standing in our society either through being born into an old money family, i.e. The Bushes, Kennedys, Rockefellers, Hiltons, Sen. John McCain, etc. As well, we think of elite as referring to someone who through mastery of a specific talent or skill set has ascended to the top of his profession and thus attained elite social status. Great examples are Michael Jordan who was not born into money, but because he became one of the best at his craft, enjoys elite status. Of course Oprah Winfrey, entrepreneur and billionaire would fit this description as well as Deion Sanders or any other "rags to riches" story. Yet another common usage of "elite" is someone who is out of touch with ordinary people.

Now, I gotta admit, I was confused as to why during the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton referred to Barack Obama as elitist due to his "bitter" comments, suggesting that he was "out of touch" because he dared to tell us what we already knew. That is that for too long, the Republican political machine has always distracted us from their failures by bringing up guns and religion just before major elections, and certain segments of our population keep falling for the same trick over and over. It's as if the Republicans have convinced folks that somehow "the other guy" is gonna take away your God and your guns. Furthermore, I was even more intrigued that John McCain, the scion of military elites and a son of privilege since birth would also try to characterize Obama as an elitist. Unfortunately, per usual the media took another Republican talking point and ran with it as if it were the Gospel of Rove.

If you didn't know any better you would think that the "elitist" candidate is Obama. But let's look at the facts. At the very least, John McCain owns 8 mansions, the least expensive being valued at $847K and the most expensive being valued over $4M. Some estimate that he actually owns 10 homes including one for his daughter, Meghan McCain. Further, John McCain says he doesn't know how many houses he owns. No wonder he thinks the "economy is fundamentally strong." Talk about being out of touch! So who is the elitist who flies around in his wife's private plane because, "in AZ the only way to get around the state is by small private plane"? Well that's John McCain. Who along with his wife are worth about $100 million? Oh yeah, that's John McCain. Further, it is John McCain's wife Cindy McCain whose beer distributorship has $300M/yr in sales. Of course, the one who's cruised his whole life based on his father and grandfather being Admirals in the US Navy? That's John McCain. He graduated at the bottom of his class (895/899), but his elite connectections allowed him to get into Fighter Pilot school after Annapolis. You would think you'd only want your smartest people as fighter pilots wouldn't you? But as George W. Bush demonstrated, you can be a C student, dumb as rocks, and as long as your family is well connected (George H. W. Bush was Dir of CIA, VPOTUS, heir to old money oil fortune of Prescott Bush) you can sail through life earning nothing on your own, but being granted privileges on the basis of your family tree. That "my friends" as John McCain would say, is affirmative action for the rich.

Meanwhile, let's contrast Barack Obama's life? He actually looks like the face of 21st century America, as Bob Cesca duly notes. He was born to a white mother and Kenyan father who left them at a young age after which his mother had to subsist on foodstamps, raised by his white grandmother in Kansas, he worked hard in highschool in Hawaii and earned the opportunity because of his excellent grades to attend Harvard for undergrad, then Columbia Law School. So whose story is more like one of us? Black AND White parents? Foodstamps to Presidential candidate? Has lived in the same middle class neighborhood forever (despite having written 2 bestselling books about his life)? The answer should be obvious.

When elite comes to mind of course we're told it's Obama who's elite despite all of my previous statements describing John McCain's inherited wealth and Barack Obama's rags to riches story. The media must think we're stupid, but that's ok because no one ever calls them out on making up the facts.