elitist?

When people say that the number of houses that McCain has or the amount of money he has is immaterial to the campaign, they should understand that this argument is happening in the context of pieces like this. When someone like Jonah Goldberg (who got his job the old fashioned way, nepotism and patronage) calls Democrats elitists, it is important for us to demonstrate that in fact it's the Republicans who have always represented the only elite that matters, the moneyed elite, and at times they are quite open about that fact. (Dinesh D'souza is one of the conservatives most open about the domination of the Republican party by the affluent.) Barack Obama is significantly less wealthy than John McCain, and McCain is hardly some boot-strapping entrepreneur. On a simple level, the fact that the wealthy continue to support Republicans overwhelmingly demonstrates the degree to which Republican policies benefit the affluent; these people vote pragmatically, and that means endorsing (and funding) whoever will best protect their financial interests.

The addition of Joe Biden, the poorest Senator, to the ticket can only help to highlight that the Democratic slate is in fact much closer to "the common man" in the only real measure of elitism that matters. Of course, saying that suggests that Jonah Goldberg believes that words (like "elitist") have meanings and that he's not just a Republican shill.


via Andrew Sullivan.