Thursday, August 21, 2008
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Elitism is a State of Mind
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Posted by:
Carol Platt Liebau at
12:05 PM
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Ok, ok -- John McCain isn't sure how many properties he and his wife own. But before the Democrats get carried away, it's worth noting that they are poorly positioned to argue that McCain is too rich to be President.
In fact, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, as of 2006, seven of the ten richest people in Congress were Democrats. And in the Senate, the six richest senators were Democrats. The very richest? Why, their 2004 nominee John Kerry -- with an average net worth of $205 million. McCain, with an average of $26 million, is a relative pauper.
What's more, Hillary Clinton (average $30 million) is richer than John McCain -- so it's a little hypocritical for the Dems to be portraying McCain as some sort of guy who's too rich to be President, isn't it? A few votes the other way in a few key states, and the "rich" candidate would have been theirs . . .
Ultimately, elitism isn't about one's money. It's about attitude and ego. Most of the left-wing academics at elite universities are total elitists -- and they don't have anything near the earning capacity of, say, professional athletes or country music stars (many of whom tend to lean right).
Elitism isn't about the price of one's clothes or house -- or the number of either. It's John Kerry's obvious Francophilia -- and Barack Obama's interest in the price of arugula, penchant for describing working class voters as "bitter", and willingness to believe that voters' cynicism and blindness are the only reasons he's not winning this thing in a walk. It's Barack's embarassment that his fellow Americans can't speak French when they visit France, and his obvious discomfort and disagreement with the idea of American exceptionalism. It's about seeming more excited to proclaim oneself a "citizen of the world" than a citizen of the USA.
In any case, isn't it possible that McCain doesn't know precisely how many properties he and his wife own because that's just not his primary interest and focus?
All this is just revealing of the Democrats' tired old use of the class warfare card. As McCain said at Saddleback, it's his hope that everyone can be rich. Here's to all of us having so many houses we can't keep 'em straight -- rather than trying to stir up resentment against those who own them, like the Democrats.
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