The American electorate cares more about which candidate is elitist than which candidate knows more about foreign policy or which candidate has a solid plan to fix the economy. At least, that's what the latest McCain ad focuses on, and I'm pretty sure John McCain understands your pain.
"I'm worried about elitism slipping into the White House," you say to yourself, setting your Bud on your stained Formica countertop and turning down the volume on the $86 TV you bought at Wal-Mart back when they were running a sale. "I can't afford shoes for the kids, but I hear Barack Obama is almost as popular as Paris Hilton. That worries me. A lot." From the television, the scary crowd noise fades to happy tinkling music: "I'm John McCain, and I approved this message."
I agree; elitism is a concern. We wouldn't want a president who thinks he's above the everyday woes of Americans. We want a president who's walked at least a few feet in our shoes, if not a whole mile.
Fortunately, Newsweek's Andrew Romano correctly identifies the elitist running for president:
It makes just as much sense to call McCain an elitist as Obama. Nevermind that the Illinois senator is a bi-racial child from a broken family raised in a modest single-parent household. Or that there are plenty of "country clubs" still unwilling to accept African-Americans as members. Or that the last "celebrity" to occupy the Oval Office was Ronald Reagan, McCain's hero. Simply imagine the memo David Axelrod could send to reporters about the Republican nominee. "Only a celebrity of John McCain's magnitude could star on blockbuster television shows like '24' and appear in big-budget motion pictures like 'Wedding Crashers,'" it would read. "These are not campaign commercials or news interviews, but major Hollywood productions--which is no surprise, given that he's pals with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lorne Michaels. Only celebrities like John McCain own seven homes, date Brazilian models, marry blond heiresses worth $100 million, attend Virginia's tony "old boy" Episcopal High School, forget the last time they pumped their own gas and wear $520 black calfskin loafers by Ferragamo." Get the picture?
That would be this picture:
And by the way, Paris Hilton's parents are maxed out contributors to John McCain's presidential campaign. I suspect they know a thing or two about elitism.
