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What 'Elitist' Really Means To Republicans

Brad over at Sadly, No! hits the nail on the head:


You see, “elitism” in this country isn’t defined by how much money you have, but whether you ever enjoy your life. For instance, you can make a lot of money and not be an elitist if your work is joyless and purposeless. This is why the Waltons are considered salt-of-the-Earth types, even though they’re the richest family in the world: because the only joy they get out of life is exploiting cheap labor both here and abroad to produce and sell cheap plastic crap. And since the Waltons are such miserable people, it’s hard for the average spite voter to feel much resentment toward them, since they’re basically richer versions of themselves.

And this is where tying Democrats to Hollywood movie stars and hip-hop moguls comes in handy! See, unlike the joyless corporate drones who comprise the GOP’s major donor base, celebrities seem to be enjoying the wealth they’ve accumulated by throwing parties filled with endless supplies of sex and drugs. The most fun your typical corporate GOP sleaze gets, on the other hand, is through hiring hookers to humiliate them or through cruising for action in an airport bathroom — not exactly glamorous, I’d say.

While I certainly don’t hold it against Obama or any Democrat for going on vacation in Hawaii, I would like to see them try to appeal to peoples’ spite and hatred more — and let’s face it, it’s tough to do this when you’re having a good time. So maybe next summer, Obama can show everyone what a Real American looks like by taking a vacation in a miserable craphole and hating every minute of it. Gary, Indiana comes to mind, although I hear Youngstown, Ohio is particularly unlovely this time of year.

Digby got the ball rolling for Brad:


Cokie Roberts said today that Obama shouldn’t be going on vacation anywhere that has the “look of a foreign exotic place” and should go to Myrtle Beach instead. Apparently, Hawaii isn’t quite American enough for Cokie and her provincial pals in the beltway, even though it’s one of the 50 states.

I remember that Clinton got dinged right after he was elected for vacationing in Santa Barbara because it was too “California.” Unless you’re a Republican presidential candidate apparently you shouldn’t go to any western beach, much less to Hawaii, unless you want to be called a foreign fag.

The video clip that started it all. The ever-illogical Cokie Robers argues that Hawaii is a 'foreign and exotic' place for Obama's one-and-only extended vacation this year. Never mind that Obama couldn't make news with the start of the Olympic coverage. Also, never mind that his maternal grandmother and his sister lives there. Forget that it is the state of his birth, and that he went to high school there. Oh, and never mind that Hawaii is a US state, and you don't need a passport or "exotic" taste to go there. Congratulations, Cokie, you just insulted 1.3 million Americans.

These people want to see elitist? How about educating themselves that John McCain and his wife Cindy have eight residences between them?

I think Brad's argument is all but proven. You can be a millionaire, but so long as you vacation in Crawford, go quayle hunting in south Texas, or cruise for sex in airport restrooms, you can never be called an elitist. But if a liberal blogger (like this one) buys blueberries at whole foods, listens to jazz, slurps gazpacho, or swims in Vieques, then the 'Elitist' label is completely justified.