On Yet Another Detour

There's been a lot of talk about elitism lately. And, yeah, you got it, folks, both sides in this Presidential soft-shoe have been shamelessly using it to slime the other. "Your guy is the elitist." No, your guy is the elitist." I mean, talk about a bunch of tawdry bull-shit, huh? This is even starting to embarrass Slade Leeds, for Christ!..........................................And the thing is, I don't even think that these partisan clowns (on both sides, I'm saying) have decided upon a mutual definition here. It's like, what do they even mean by elitism? Are they talking about pomposity? Are they talking about a tendency to like the "finer"/exotic things in life (I prefer ethnic cuisine over American cooking - am I an elitist?)? Are they talking about wealth (which I guess would include the Beverly Hillbillies and other "lottery" winners)? Or are they talking about greatness (people who are smarter/more successful)?..............................................The right's tack has been to suggest that, since Obama is an Ivy Leaguer who apparently likes arugula, damned if he isn't an elitist along the lines of John Kerry. They, of course, buttrass this belief with some of Obama's own rather impolitic statements ("typical white person", "clinging to their guns and religion", etc.), a pretense that is perceived by them as marked, and other things that they can capitalize on (the fact that Europe apparently likes him, stuff like that). The dude just can't relate to regular people. I guess that that's what they're trying to suggest here.............................................Is this a strategy that'll work again (it seemed to make a dent in Kerry back in '04)? Maybe not. This, I'm saying, in that damned if the left hasn't turned a bazooka or two on McCain. McCain, not Obama, they say, is the real elitist. They point, specifically, to the fact that McCain (largely as a result of his marriage to Cindy) apparently has more frigging money that brains, for Christ! And, yes, McCain's mouth has gotten him in trouble, too. The guy apparently doesn't remember how many houses he owns and thinks that you need to have five million dollars to be wealthy. Talk about impolitic, huh, an inability to relate to John Doe, etc?.............................................And, so, there you have it, folks, Harvard and arugula versus money and detachment. In the "minds" of these partisans, one constitutes metaphysically certain elitism, the other, well, not so much. And vice-versa. Of course, the fact that none of this really matters/doesn't tell us a thing about how these guys are going to govern, solve problems, etc., seems not of interest to these stooges. They just want to piss on the other guy and his wife until the both of them drown............................................P.S. Me? I strongly suspect that they're both at least a little elitist, based on some of the things they've said and the fact that they all seem to have a lot more money than me. And you know something else, folks, I really don't give a shit. They can have as much money as they want, eat as much arugula as there is. I just want them to put forth half-way decent proposals that won't screw us up even more (the war, the economy, etc.). That's all.