I added Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild to this graphic since she seemed so, um, high class and sh*t.
H/t, OW.
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You see:
1) He has a bicycle, which means he cares about the enviroment.
2) Everyone knows that caring about the enviroment is expensive, and for effete snobs.
3) Since he must care about the enviroment, he must be an effete snob.
McCain, however, is the everyman. Straight-Talker McMaverick the POW uses a plane, just like everyone else. His only luxury is that he can afford to fly first-class, just to woo the press, don’t you know.
As far the houses and cars, remember, only the elitist effete snobs have the money to afford one car and house and a… wait, what?
I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold out.
I remain convinced that Lady Lyn Forester de Rothschild totally punked the McCain campaign and the press. Do you really think she didn’t anticipate the impact of headlines such as: “Obama Elitist, says Lady de Rothschild”? And do you really think she didn’t understand the impact of saying Obama talked mean about, what do you call them, rednecks?
I don’t know. I think she’s probably clueless. Wasn’t she saying that way back during the primaries, when she was a full-on Clinton supporter? Or are you saying she’s been deep cover all along, working with Geraldine Ferraro?
That evil elitist Obama won’t even buy his kids bikes?
Your chart does not reflect the relative consumption of Roquette between the candidates.
Elitism is owning one house and one car and thinking that makes you better than someone with seven houses and thirteen cars.
I guess.
I forgot to mention: Maverick McPOW the Straight Talker is also a Manly Man.
To clarify, I do believe that the elitism to which the other side refers is an affect – I don’t believe they’ve ever accused elitists of being particularly competent or financially successful. More specifically, and in the context of campaigns and elections, it is the perception that a certain candidate, while purporting to act for the benefit of average Americans, in fact holds average Americans and their way of life in contempt by virtue of the candidate having been better bred or having received the approval of certain institutions, particularly educational institutions. You see, a regular American, a creature which I cannot countenance, might endeavor to purchase thirteen motorcars and the petrol to fill them if he or she became wealthy, and so these regular Americans can relate to Mr. McCain, as the differences seem to them to be a matter of scale or proportion, and not differences of culture.
My Republican, Christian sister told me today that she’s voting for Obama because she heard Cindy McCain’s yellow raincoat dress (plus all the jewelry that she wore) during the Republican convention totaled $300,000. She’s voting for Obama because the dress Michelle Obama wore during the Democratic convention cost $68.
She said anyone that can afford to wear a 300K ensemble can’t possibly understand what it’s like to be an average American.
Interesting which things get to people, isn’t it?
Flea - I’ll say. My dad doesn’t seem to care about any of his rights, as long as he can keep his guns.
There was a similarly-minded graphic in OUTSIDE magazine regarding the federal policies on visitors to our national parks and the relative importance of their activities. It had a hiking boot “$200” and said something like “outdoor snob”. Then it had a Bicycle “$1000” and that was labeled something “elitist”. Overshadowing both was a ginormous motor home “$230,000” and that was labeled “proletarian”.
Joshua, just tell him that the republicans want to confiscate them and sell them to Russia to pay for the bailout.
As Ben D. said on this very site, when Republicans use the word “elitist” as in insult, they’re not attacking wealth, they’re attacking intelligence and accomplishment.
But Horace Rumpole puts it well, above. To give the “elitist” slur a certain amount of credit, “elitism” is about attitude, not station. After all, didn’t we agree at one time that the relative wealth of John Edwards and Al Gore doesn’t disqualify them from standing for people-oriented policy?
ExpressionEngine destroyed my attempt to link to a bookmark on the same page, but I guess it wouldn’t have worked anyway.
Wait, so they can both afford to fill their petrol tanks?
Hang both the aristos, I say!
I wonder how much of the acceptance of McCain despite his wealth and (actual) elitism stems from aspirational thinking in a strongly capitalist society. As in, “I want to vote for the rich guy because he’s obviously doing something right. That other guy who only has one house? Loser.”
Don’t forget that Obama is clearly an elitist because that one car of his is a hybrid. Saving the environment is so damned elitist. *snark* Like wanting to get actual vitamins out of your lettuce instead of eating empty calories (iceberg lettuce). Cool article about that whole mess by the way: http://www.projo.com/food/content/fd_Political_Lettuce_09-03-08_SRBCSTK_v12.2916436.html
I think you understand the dynamic reasonably well, cycles: lots of people, if they were rich, would go on a spending spree of car-buying and estate-purchasing. Thus, McCain is more easily “relateable” as a rich person than Obama, who with his own wealth lives in a house in Chicago and owns one car.
Opoponax’s comment a few posts down about the mindset of those who manage to become rich in many parts of the country outside of the coasts, however, reminds me that, actually, I have very little idea how other people think.
Obama’s got a bicycle?
Elitist. In my neck of the woods we haven’t even invented the wheel yet. Unlike that intrepid young buck John “S” McCain, who invented blackberries, apparently.
Furthermore, blackberries are very tasty, so vote McCain!
Unless he turns out to be a fucking lying wife-cheating Republican with the morals of a goat and a VP candidate straight from the bowels of Hell, of course.
But hey, what are the odds?
How much of this misuse of “elitism” as an accusation for people who have substantial accomplishment, education, or critical thinking skills by the socio-economic elite like that aristocrat is really high anxiety over being overtaken as top-dog in the socio-economic hierarchy….especially those who never had to strive for anything because everything was handed to them by their family connections, wealth, etc.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but how much of this misuse of “elitism” is really a manifestation of fear by those from the socio-economic elite who coasted their way to high positions by virtue of their family connections and wealth will be shown up by those who managed to outshine them despite having none of their advantages. I wonder if the disdain for Obama is the same type of disdain and fear some of the more socio-economically privileged students at many private Ivy/Ivy-level schools have for scholarship/financial aid students because their perceived greater drive means their ability to coast to greatness may be imperiled by those poorer “upstarts”?
Gaddamn y’all.
McCain, as you probably don’t know, was a prisoner of WAR in Hanoi for 5.5 years, during which time he was incapable of divorcing his wife, marrying up, and behaving as an elite toward ANYONE. You probably don’t know this because, seriously, McCain never discusses being a war hero POW.
You know what that intellectual elite Obama was doing while John Sydney McCain was being held prisoner? Dodging the draft by being in elementary school.
Why, John can’t even type b/c of his war injuries, but even so, he’s invented the blackberry.
Now git off my lawn@!
John McCain didn’t even have any blackberries for 5 and a half years. That’s why he had to invent them, you fucking hippy ingrates.
They mean “effete,” right, when they say “elite,” don’t they?
They just won’t be honest and come right out and say what they really mean, which is “It’s so gay to be intelligent and educated.”
So they get the closest-sounding word they can find knowing their hoards will hear the dog whistle.
I really despise these people this election cycle, and I didn’t know I could despise them more than I did in the 2000 campaign.
Wait, so they can both afford to fill their petrol tanks?
Hang both the aristos, I say!
As long as there is cake somewhere along the way I will attend that party.
And I can bring my knitting and sit in the front row…
VIVE le tricoteuse!!!
Obama isnt poor… but McCain is about as blue collar as Bush. Wait, McCain is about everything as bush.
VIVE les tricoteuses!!!
I was Madame De Farge for Halloween last year—I guess I was a year too early. 
Obama isnt poor… but McCain is about as blue collar as Bush.
Obama’s roots are on the lower edges of the middle class; McCain comes from a family of 4-star admirals.
“McCain comes from a family of 4-star admirals.”
Whom, we all know, own gigantic vessels valued in the millions.
Funny and wonderful how it gets the point across, but why weren’t the McCain houses (10?) compared with Obama’s single dwelling in its graphics?...it would help further to get the comparison across.
The Obamas are clearly elitist since they actually have taste. The McCains, for all their wealth, live in a cluttered, pastel wreck of a house and wear ugly clothes.
@wagonjak: but why weren’t the McCain houses (10?) compared with Obama’s single dwelling in its graphics?...
They are in the graphic, but they look like arrows instead of houses. Not sure why.
I remain convinced that Lady Lyn Forester de Rothschild totally punked the McCain campaign and the press. Do you really think she didn’t anticipate the impact of headlines such as: “Obama Elitist, says Lady de Rothschild”? And do you really think she didn’t understand the impact of saying Obama talked mean about, what do you call them, rednecks? I think she’s an Obama supporter having fun.
The number of cars and houses and stuff each candidate owns doesn’t make them elitist or not, it’s their attitude. Of course, having a lot of cars and houses and things can give you an elitist attitude, but I think McCain had that attitude before he got the rich wife. It’s a good hit and a fair hit because of the dishonesty of the McCain campaign on the issue, but it would be theoretically possible for Obama to be elitist and McCain not. That’s not the way it is in this universe, however.