"ELITISM": The tag that keeps on giving and giving

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

I don't know whether anyone has pointed this out lately, but Barack Obama actually is an African American guy. Well, "African American" is what we call him around here, for the most part. To most people in white middle America, wherever that is, he's a "black guy." At FreeRepublic he's a "magical negro." Somewhere in a Louisiana backyard he's the other n-word.

Obama hasn't pulled in too many votes from FR or backyards in Louisiana, so here are my questions regarding middle America:
Does white middle America view "a black guy" running for president differently from a white person?
Is some/much of white middle America more prejudiced--at least to some degree--consciously and/or unconsciously against the "black guy," simply because of his race?
Does his "blackness" plug into preconceived stereotypes?
Do those stereotypes plug into the myth of the "black guy's" criminal tendencies, poverty, lack of education, and/or low motivation and laziness?

Or--and here's my point--do you think white middle America is more likely predisposed to think of "the black guy" first as a high-achieving, over-educated Ivy Leaguer?

Thank you, "elitism." It's the tag that crumples the myths wrapped up in white America's uninformed prejudices. In a presidential race when I was certain Obama would have to prove himself against white middle America's stereotype of the "black guy," the Clinton camp and now republicans are doing the job themselves. I realize full well that Obama has to run against stereotyping continuously, but the "elitism" tag does a lot to obliterate that stereotyping.

And one last thing--it's a lot easier to retool a candidate's image a little to show he's in touch (not too elite) than it is to make a candidate appear to be select enough to do the job. No matter what they try, the republicans won't even be able to make McHundred seem like an expert on war (his one supposed strength).

[TBF]

1. Actually I think Hillary is talking out of both sides of her mouth (what's new) in both

tagging him as an "elite" and reminding people with every other word that he is "non-white" with her commments re "hard-working WHITE americans". I expect John McCain will do the same.

What they don't count on is that Americans are really not that stupid, or that white. Sure, there are racists (I would argue you can find them in suburban backyards as well as rural - they just disguise it a little better).

But there is also the bulk of America that is beyond that. When you are staring at foreclosure, job loss, mounting war losses, billions of dollars in debt, things become a little more clear. They will vote for the purple candidate if he/she can describe a plausible way to approach these problems and get the economy moving again.

[nichomachus]

5. Not so fast

For the last 40 years, Americans in general have positively slobbered over the opportunity to vote against their best interests.

They have been convinced that they have nothing in common with each other, as wedges are driven between every group imaginable.

Pat Buchanan advised Richard Nixon to "tear the country into pieces and we'll pick up the biggest piece." Nixon did, it worked, and they've been doing it ever since.

Wedge politics is what the elite uses to keep the non-elite from realizing that they are all in the same boat. If the non-elite ever realize how much they have in common, the elite will have to run for the hills.

My definition of "elite" is if you have no need of a resume or don't have to fill out a job application. George Bush has never had to write a resume. Neither did Chelsea Clinton. Nor the Bush twins. And so on. When these people want a job, they pick up the phone and a six-figure job appears the next morning. These are people for whom flying first class on a commercial jet is "roughing it." These are people who can blow off work for a few weeks and no one will say anything -- and the checks keep coming anyway.

Everyone below that level is a "hard-working" person, white, black or otherwise -- and they are all in the same boat. I don't care what color shirt they wear to work.

[Jamastiene]

6. That actually sounds more like the truth than anything I've seen yet.

When it comes right down to it, we have the elite, then we have working class America. Why are we called working class America? Because we work our asses off and make this country work, not our government. Our government just feeds us platitudes using old yellow documents that have long since been flushed down the toilet by...you guessed it...our government. They throw us some bones and feed us some bullshit and we take it, cause that's all we can get. If we complain, they'll tear gas us or take our homes. Hell, they'll do it anyhow. We got nothing left to lose at that point. The natives are restless now. Seven years of Bush has taught me that.

[TBF]

8. That is a really good analysis - so how do we defeat it in the fall?

Perhaps that is what Obama is getting at with his "unity" rhetoric. I really do think you're right. As a "latte liberal" I enjoy my life day to day, but I also know that absent the nice paycheck we are right back to square one (my parents were factory workers). The bulk of our pay goes to health insurance premiums (this year over $700/month)and paying back school loans, along with all the other assorted household bills. And you are right - for most people in this country that is the reality. So, how do we get everyone on the same page?

[EFerrari]

2. There are some people that just seem to get more mean and angry

when black people or latinos or women (and so on) achieve something they themselves haven't. Those people are hopeless and will be voting with the Thuggery anyway.

[Frustratedlady]

3. How many months of campaigning has it been? We are still pointing out...

..that Obama is black?

When will the media allow us to move to the issues?

Enough, already!

[noel711]

4. When you can't think of anything realistic with which to bash your opponant..

you resort to labeling...

they reasonably can't use racial terms,
so.. 'elite' worked for Kerry...

might be successful here..

Pathetic.. and for low-information voters, labels work just fine.

Let's be honest: many of us are labeling Senator Clinton too.

I think we're better than that.

[Thrill]

7. Funny thing is if she was the nominee. Its the exact tag the Repukes would put on her