YANAEIYAAR*
Victorates Daviskopita Hansonopolous is over at America’s Shittiest Website™ explaining why filthy rich Republicans are just regular guys while moderately wealthy Democrats are elite, arugula-munching, viognier-sipping, wind-surfing, book-reading, French-speaking, prissy-pants elitists:
The week’s theme in the Obama campaign, prompted perhaps by Michelle’s comments about the unfairness of characterizing her husband as an elitist, is that the real wealthy man, and hence elitist, is in fact McCain. As evidence, they cite how he is married to the multi-millionaire Cindy and supposed resident of some eight (sometimes characterized as nine or ten) houses.
In fact, McCain and Cindy live in only one of those houses; the others ones that they “supposedly” live in have been donated to charity and converted into orphanages, half-way houses, battered-women shelters, and soup kitchens.
But the left misses the point. … Even adroit spinners and handlers can’t manufacture elitism; it is not necessarily connected with wealth.
Instead, elitism is apparently connected with party affiliation. A Republican who prances around in $520 Italian loafers, lives in 8 houses, claims the only way to travel around Arizona is in a private airplane, pays hundreds of thousands per month on credit cards, and has one of his houses featured in Architectural Digest, isn’t an elitist. A Democrat who has one house in Hyde Park and vacations by visiting his grandmother in Hawaii is so elitist that he makes Dennis Kozlowski look like Earl Hickey.
Liberals and progressives are far more vulnerable to charges of elitism, since they are prone to the additional charge of hypocrisy. … But liberals … who rail against the unfairness of an uncaring system and the perniciousness of wealth and privilege far more readily suffer charges of elitism when their populist rhetoric is contrasted to private jets, 30,000 sq ft. homes, or 11 mansions.
Apparently having your own jet and eight mansions isn’t elitist if it is an embodiment of your very own Republican “fuck-the-poor, help-the-rich” philosophy. Same thing with the $520 loafers — if they are worn while stepping on the face of a homeless person, they aren’t a sign of elitism. Liberals, on the other hand, aren’t allowed to talk about poverty, homelessness, or unemployment unless they give all their money away, move into a cave, quit their jobs, and walk around barefoot.
*You Are Not An Elitist If You Are A Republican. YANAEIYAAR is the new IOKIYAAR.
Elitism is no longer seen as being part of some exclusive, class-based social group, but whether or not you seem to like moderately brainy fancy stuff and can appreciate a single, solitary, not-utterly-rightwing idea.
Thus, if you’re broke as hell and own nothing and have no health insurance but like some organic something or other, you’re pretty much among a princely aristocracy deserving of Republican guillotining, but if you’re a billionaire from your offshoring business who buys a disposable Lamborghini each month to drive from the back to the front yard in order to pour molten gold on your front lawn, but you are a right winger who says he likes NASCAR, then you’re an all-American good ol’ boy.
Hey, can we have a “First Lady Nominee” debate? I would pay good money to see Michele Obama give teh smackdown to Cindypills.
I don’t think this would keep right wingers from either calling you an elite nor from mocking you as a deranged outsider. If Al Gore moved into a solar powered yurt and existed on nothing but found insects, weeds, and his own recycled urine, the Hannitized would still mock him for his fancy pants, separatist elitist ideas — i.e., why doncha wanna live like a normal person, Mr. Yurt Gore??? — as well as his now obviously deranged weirdoism.
unless they give all their money away, move into a cave, quit their jobs, and walk around barefoot
That sounds kind of familiar. Who was it who did that?
Oh yeah, that Jesus guy. The one the Republicans are always trying to follow, according to them.
The fact is, I see it on the faces of children at the local farmers’ market, and I hear it in the slight winds teasing the local wheat harvest: The Spirit of the Heartland, that which gives one pause to reflect and honor the traditions of our great nation, a heart that beats, and beats, and beats. Truly one man can so fully encompass the Spirit of the Heartland, we hope and pray, and truly yes, one man can. That man is John McCain, the one who is not the One, the one who is not the horrible Barack Obama, who would like for nothing more than to smash the faces of these children, and to tear down the wheat harvest, and to destroy the Heartland. But we will not go without a fight, not without a fight for the superior McCain or a fight for our way of life and against elitism and hatred. We are the Heartland, let no elitist stand between us and Freedom, because it is our destiny. The destiny of the Heartland, and we honor and cherish it.
The fact is, this Gary sucks. Better Garys, please. This blog has standards to uphold.
Not being terrified of long division=elitest
And for his next trick, VDH will convince you that it is a terrible burden to be wealthy and powerful and thus you should consider yourself lucky to be poor and powerless. Now lick his boots, pissboy.
Off topic, but the trailer for An American Carol was finally released:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CYSGCoflAA
It’s pretty much all I expected.
Well played, Clif. This is really good.
You’d be surprised how many of my Republican friends use very similar rhetoric – “The republicans say they’re going to fuck you, and then they do; The democrats claim they’re on your side and then (as is the case with most politicians), they’re not”. Of course, these are generally the upper/middle class who could care less about the minimum wage or welfare reform that Dems actually have put through. For the lower class, we’re back to bibles & bullets and the whole “What’s the matter with Kansas” argument.
What personally makes me irate, though, is the fact that certain coffee (latte), certain outdoor activities (windsurfing) and certain foods (tofu/arugula) are seen as elitist even though they have nothing to do with either wealth or exclusivity.
“Liberals and progressives are far more vulnerable to charges of elitism, since they are prone to the additional charge of hypocrisy. …”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
If I were the father of two young girls, and I were running for President, a task that would keep me under pressure and on the road for the next 100 days, I would take them and my wife to a beautiful place, out of the eye of the media, surround them with family and bond with them and simply be a family man.
If I were successful in my campaign, my family’s lives will be changed in drastic ways, forever. They will be constrained in what they say and do, they will be constrained about where they can go. They will be scrutinized and judged in the national and world media.
How is it elitist to give one’s family this precious time together before the world changes for them forever?
Obama, the Family Values Candidate.
So are you an elitist if you take a break from wistfully remembering the time Chevron named a ship after you by going shopping at Ferragamo while American citizens are drowning?
Fixed!
Rich people who concern themselves with the well-being of the poor aren’t hypocrites.
Liberals, on the other hand, aren’t allowed to talk about poverty, homelessness, or unemployment unless they give all their money away, move into a cave, quit their jobs, and walk around barefoot.
Yeah, Jesus tried that. Didn’t work.
Victor Victoria Jefferson Davis Hansen:
Bill Clinton, as the left-wing hipster, was given enormous leeway in his personal life as child of the ’60s. Yet the boy from Hope was not forgiven so easily when we learned of his astounding money-grasping and fondness for the high life, circling the globe in search of quick millions and the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Wow. I forgot how he WASN’T impeached over getting a blow job.
I think it’s that black and white world they live in. If you can’t come up a solution that completely solves the problem and works perfectly from the start it a waste of time to even try.
If you don’t give away every dime you posses then obviously you are lying about your concern.
If you admit to error or inability then you are obviously not a saint and therefore not one of God’s chosen.
This really saves a lot time.
Hanson and other right-wing hacks seek to elide elitist with pretentious. And the pretentiousness of Obama and other Democrats is theirs (the wingnuts’) to determine.
I Kan Haz White Manz Burden?
OT, but Tim LaHaye of Left Behind fame doesn’t appreciate McCain encroaching on his racket:
In fact, the Bible states very clearly that only good things will come from America.
Hey, Hanson!
Try this acronym on for size:
IOKIYAD – It’s OK If You’re A Dickhead.
They’re no longer able to scrape the bottom of the barrel – they’ve worked their way out the far side & are now scraping the concrete UNDERNEATH the barrel, & huffing the chips for good measure.
But even then they’d be smug.
Don’t you know? Any attempt to rise above greed and selfishness = HA! HA! YOU LIEK SMELLIN’ YR ON FARTZ!!!
As I pointed out on Alicublog, VDH starts the column by saying that elitism has nothing to do with whether you’re rich; instead, it’s an attitude.
He then immediately says that Democrat elitists are bad, because as we all know, elitist=rich, which is bad when you spend your time bashing the rich.
Well, which is it? Is elitism an attitude, or a reflection of actual wealth?
Also, I want to mention this:
Here we have a fifty-five year old college professor and well-regarded historian saying, essentially, “Dude, Obama, like, cares about stuff. That is so gay.”
That’s just shameful. You think VDH ever feels guilty about emulating Beavis and Butthead at his age, or is his soul completely dead?
“Off topic, but the trailer for An American Carol was finally released:”
Shorter A.A.C: Crazy wingnuts like to hit people they disagree with.
The bizarreness of this argument boils down to: “If you want to help people, I won’t listen until you give everything away and become impoverished first. Then I might listen.”
Which is stupid because the argument is that:
A) Wealth is not bad, not helping people is. Progressives are not discouraging gain.
B) Cooperative work ensures that all of us sacrifice a little for greater gains.
So a guy whose professional career is based on reading Greek and Latin works, lamenting the decline of other people’s reading Greek and Latin works to his standards, and declaring the superiority of Western civilization to all else — and who actually owns a raisin plantation — thinks that *someone else* is an elitist. Curious.
You think VDH ever feels guilty about emulating Beavis and Butthead at his age, or is his soul completely dead?
The latter.
i wish i could be a man of the people just like John Sydney McCain. i wish i was born an Admiral’s son, sent to West Point, married an heiress, bought a Senate seat, and had too many houses to count. not like that up-from-nothing, rags-to-riches elitist Obama.
Note the visit from Amy, dammit:
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/10661.html#comment-655774
There we go!
Seriously. Spite politics cannot be used by liberals, it can only be used against liberals.
WordPress ate my Jesus comment. And he wasn’t even in cracker form.
Annapolis. But other than that, yeah.
I just wish that politicians, pundits, the media and people in general would start talking about just how specious and meaningless this whole conversation is. I mean, what is the answer if you say, yeah, ok, both obama and mccain qualify as elitists. What have you proved.
Well, elitists are “out of touch”. What does that mean? Are you saying a guy can’t formulate high level economic, political, education and foreign policy unless he has a high school education, a blue collar job and belongs to a tuesday night bowling league? That’s ridiculous.
This is such a meaningless, brain dead discussion that the fact that we’re having it without ANYONE discussing it’s supposed implications on governance is insane.
Somebody needs to say ok, make a list of how obama’s diet and mccain’s shoes effect their ability to govern effectively and successfully. How each of their education and life history backgrounds will help or hinder their ability to formulate and drive effective policy.
This is without a doubt the most naked emperor we’ve seen yet. It’s even worse than whispering “he’s a muslim” without being able to state why that would be a BAD thing. That one was ok because although it was not acceptable to say so, we KNEW what they were actually saying. Muslims ARE bad.
But it’s a little harder to define “elitism” in that same kind of 100% evil category. They can’t really even say what they believe this awful “elitism” is. It’s not, apparently wealth or education, but rather a reflection of lettuce and shoes. They can’t really say why it would be bad for our president to be “elitist”, or even continue the discussion beyond a second-grade playground argument of “your guys elitist – he is not, YOUR guys elitist”.
If somebody, at some point, started asking the obvious next question much of this crap would have to go away. Hmmm, I suppose that’s why they don’t…
mikey
Axe wielding Gorbachev dismembering commie zombies
Step this way!
The very wealthy Bush no doubt was brought up in greater splendor than was Kerry; but fairly or unfairly, he was more at home at NASCAR and Texas than wind-surfing. And the people sensed that even without Karl Rove’s ads.
Elitist sense…tingling! Lowballing attack ads have noooooooothing to do with it. Gee, Mrs. Cleaver, you’re looking swell today…
I tried to figure out the initialism without reading the article or the footnote, but all I could come up with was “You Are Not An Egyptian If You Are A Republican.”
Fail.
Mikey, Davids Broder and Brooks know elitism when they see it.
Their servants tell them so.
I think what it boils down to.. Is republicans are scared shitless of the idea of an INTELLIGENT President.
Simply remove “elitist” and substitute “intelligent” and all their arguments make sense.
They demand a feckless, obtuse idiot in the white house who will do as he is told.
A president with discriminating taste in sports or lettuce is a very bad thing. After all, if the man has an informed opinion on salads, then he may have an informed opinion on healthcare or foreign policy!
So play it safe. Elect some fuckwit that can’t tell the difference between Cos and Rocket, single malt and blended, Latte and Americano, Shia and Sunni, war and peace, or right from wrong.
but fairly or unfairly, he was more at home at NASCAR and Texas than wind-surfing
The born wealthy always feel at home: they are perfectly capable of acting like they own the place anywhere they go.
From Christopher’s comment at 18.14 (S,N!T):
Is “Torn-cat pilot” a naval term or is Vagina Dentata Hanson having a little trouble with his one-handed typing?
tigrismus said,
August 15, 2008 at 19:52
but fairly or unfairly, he was more at home at NASCAR and Texas than wind-surfing
He bought the fucking
ranchformer pig farm, and he’ll probably sell it as soon as it’s no longer a useful prop.http://archive.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6687
Cos and
Rocket, single malt andblended,Latteand Americano, Shia and Sunni*,warand peace, or right fromwrong.I can haz Preznident?
*whatevs, I’m an atheist, although I think the idea of the occultation of the 12th Imam is kinda cool.
I meant Bush bought the pig farm in 1999 as an election prop, moved into it on the day Kitty Harris and the Supreme Court stole the election for him, and he’ll be out of it as soon as having the corporate media suck him off by referring to it as “his ranch” is no longer useful.
I think “bought the pig farm” is quite an appropriate euphemism for GWB, actually.
“Obama, the Family Values Candidate.”
But I hear he has *two* black babies! (/snark)
Seriously, it’s amazing to me how completely the Republicans have appropriated and transformed the concept of class warfare. The party that caters first and foremost to the interests of the ultra-rich became the populist party, the people’s party, by changing the markers of ‘class’ from wealth and power and breeding to religion and culture and education. In this new Republican Cultural Revolution, a graduate student with a studio apartment and a blog belongs to the oppressive elitist upper class, while Paris Hilton and the Walton heirs are proletariat through and through.
The Texas thing amuses me quite a bit. Back in the days of blue-state Texas, Bush would have been called a dime-store cowboy. All hat and no horse, unsure which end of the cow the poop came out of. But the dime-store cowboys out-bred the real cowboys, and the ideals shifted from real to fake.
Hence an ivy-league dunce from an ultra-wealthy East Cost family can buy a pig farm, call it a ranch, and get positive cowboy points. Back in the day of Molly Ivins, she took no pains pointing and laughing at it all. Man, I miss her.
In this new Republican Cultural Revolution, a graduate student with a studio apartment and a blog belongs to the oppressive elitist upper class, while Paris Hilton and the Walton heirs are proletariat through and through.
Hence Liberal Fascism. It’s central to the point.
Is “Torn-cat pilot” a naval term or is Vagina Dentata Hanson having a little trouble with his one-handed typing?
Looks like a problem with a scanner or handwriting recognition software to me. (I know, bo-ring.)
[Clif adds: OMFG, that’s hilarious. It’s a typo for Tomcat, otherwise known as the F-14 fighter jet. Does VDH have his secretary enter his posts for him at America’s Shittiest Website™?]
Somebody needs to say ok, make a list of how obama’s diet and mccain’s shoes effect their ability to govern effectively and successfully. How each of their education and life history backgrounds will help or hinder their ability to formulate and drive effective policy.
Not a bad idea, really. But as far as the “elitist” crap, the appropriate response is “Yes, I am elite, and proud of it. What is it about learning and thinking that bothers you so much?”
Or, as Jon Stewart put it awhile ago when discussing the “he thinks he’s better than us” meme, “Of course he does. If you don’t think you’re better than the rest of us, why the f*** are you running for President?”
MIkey G — Molly Ivins actually used the Texas expression, “All hat, no cattle”, which I think is an absolutely spot-on (as the Brits say) description of Chimpy McFlightSuit.
As for his “ranch”, what an unbelievably phony set to act all “folksy”. All that “brush” that he clears is actually imported to the ranch solely so Chimpy can clear it. The native flora in that part of Texas is basically tumbleweeds.
I know, my grandpa still farms out there. It’s hilarious stuff. By the way, have you ever been to Midland and Odessa? Midland is the rich West Texas oil town upwind of the oil fields. Odessa is the poor rough-neck town downwind of the oil fields. This is the Texas that GWB likes. It’s all the “Midland is such a nice town” attitude without any of the empathy or understanding of how Odessa enables Midland to be so nice.
Simply remove “elitist” and substitute “intelligent” and all their arguments make sense.
Bingo. If you are a government-hating conservative, you certainly don’t want a president who can actually govern.
This is Hanson’s idea of evenhandness. If it’s OK to criticize Republicans when they
are caught in Rev. Haggard-like positions, or abuse drugs and drink
then it’s fair to criticize Democrats when they have
private jets, 30,000 sq ft. homes, or 11 mansions.
Anyone see a contrast between these two sets of behaviors?
BZZZZZZZZTT! Times up! The behaviors for which the Republicans are criticized are illegal and/or disabling, which would affect the ability of any officeholder to perform his duties. There’s nothing illegal or disabling about having private jets, big homes or any other related luxury item.
This is an engorged version of that tired old wheeze that’s trotted out on every Democratic candidate with school-age children: “[Blank] sends his children to private school but won’t support vouchers.”
Yeah, and guess what? He probably has nicer furniture than yours, too. Are you going to ask for a tax-funded subsidy to get a new leather couch?
Victor Davis Pierre Gustave Toutant Hanson–tenured professor and author of books on ancient history, and vineyard owner–referring to someone else as elitist?
That’s rich.
Perhaps the acronym should be shortened to “IYAAR”, since it seems to fit any number of scenarios this way;
It’s OK IYAAR
You’re Not an Elitiest IYAAR
The Market Will Solve Everything IYAAR
You Can Loot The Treasury IYAAR
Start Any War You Want IYAAR
et cetera.
“Victorates Daviskopita Hansonopolous”
Right up there with “tonguejacking my shitbox” as the funniest wordsmithing I’ve seen.
Period!
Is that Gary Ruppert passage above a Bulwer-Lytton contest entry?
Man, I’ve read this guy’s stuff on ancient Greek culture. Again, he’s written deep yet accesible stuff on how Greek people lived over 2000 years ago, many of them doing nothing but running their individual yaps. Where the hell does he get off calling anyone an elitist? I bet he’s an insufferable douchebag as an instructor.
Not being terrified of long division=elitest
Not being the dumbest motherfucker in the room and being sorta cool with that = elitest
“I bet he’s an insufferable douchebag as an instructor.”
Dunno. He’s got no ratings yet.
Just because Vickie-Dave is fond of exclaiming ‘???? ?? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????????? ???????! ???????!’ whenever he drives his 1958 IH pickup down Highway 41 to Morro Bay don’t mean he ain’t no elitist.
Gah! That was supposed to be Greek. Xenophon, to be specific. You know, the “Thalatta! Thalatta! bit.” 🙁
what is the answer if you say, yeah, ok, both obama and mccain qualify as elitists. What have you proved.
Same thing I’ve been saying since November, Mikey. They are both Senators, from the most elite body in the country. They are both running for President of the United States, a singularly elite position if ever there was one.
Can we all just shut up about it and get on with defeating the republicans already?
Although, this bit,
makes my brain hurt. The level of non-awareness on the right is truly without measure.
[Clif adds: OMFG, that’s hilarious. It’s a typo for Tomcat, otherwise known as the F-14 fighter jet. Does VDH have his secretary enter his posts for him at America’s Shittiest Website™?]
Thanks. I see that mistake (“rn” instead of “m”) quite a bit.
Tomcat makes sense in one way but not re: McCain. He doesn’t look like the pilot of anything except a Hoveround.
Or one of these.
McCain flew the A-4 Skyhawk. Perhaps the second wussiest fighter ever built. It was tiny. It was slow. Carried a very small payload. Minimal range. Couldn’t dogfight with it’s contemporaries.
At a time when real jet jocks and airdales were slinging steel and dropping death from F4 Phantoms, F-105s, A-6s and even A-1Es, our fearless leader-in-waiting was bopping around the sky over north vietnam in the combat equivalent of a skateboard…
mikey
As for his “ranch”, what an unbelievably phony set to act all “folksy”. All that “brush” that he clears is actually imported to the ranch solely so Chimpy can clear it. The native flora in that part of Texas is basically tumbleweeds.
No shit?!
My god, it really is the 21st-century version of Marie Antoinette’s “farm”.
“The native flora in that part of Texas is basically tumbleweeds.” Yeah, in the same sense that the Shrub is a cowboy. IOW, not. Tumbleweed is an invader from the Ukraine, not even seen in TX before 1877. It’s “Russian Thistle.”
So I guess you can’t blame TX for everything. They didn’t vote for tumbleweed.
Victor Davis Hanson is lecturing people on elitism? The man has a fucking vinyard and pretends to be a classicist. The only thing he knows about the hoi polloi is that no amount of pretending to be a 19th-century aristocrat can get the stink of new money offa him.
I have a mansion, but forget the price. I’ve never been there; they tell me it’s nice. I live in hotels and tear out the walls. I have accountants pay for it all.
Lucky I’m sane after all I’ve been through.
Everybody, say I’m cool (he’s cool)
I can’t complain but sometimes I still do.
Life’s been good to me so far.
And those medical doctors — they claim to care about treating sick people, while they themselves enjoy good health.
(tip o’ the head mirror to Tom Tomorrow)
Oh come on. I won’t pretend I think VDH or anyone at the NR is being sincere about this but …..
Surely you can understand how some people might look at someone who preaches about our responsibility to sacrifice for the poor, but enjoys personal luxury far beyond what is necessary for a comfortable life, and wonder if they are actually sincere or just using the poor as props for another agenda.
It’s not like there isn’t a long history of people pretending to care about the poor.
And those psychologists — they claim to care about treating insanity, while they themselves enjoy perfect mental stability.
No, wait.
Oh yeah, that Jesus guy. The one the Republicans are always trying to follow, according to them.
Yeah the same guy that said that the only way a rich man could join his church was to sell everything he owns and give it to the poor. He also said that in order to approach righteousness, the rich need to give half of their income to the poor.
Sounds like a fucking commie to me.
…wonder if they are actually sincere or just using the poor as props for another agenda.
Wonder, certainly. And no doubt some are in fact insincere. I’ll still bet on them over the people whose attitude toward the poor is “let them pull their own fucking lazy selves up by their fucking bootstraps.”
OK, I laughed a couple of times in that trailer, what with the gags and all, but:
1) Ghost of Christmas Future =/= Angel of Death. WTF?
2) General Patton’s voice =/= pompous “Speak with Distinction” Mid-Atlantic voice (he’d probably be a good FDR though).
3) Bill O’Reilly Assaults Filmmaker In Public Bathroom. I hope there’s a bit where he rubs “Nichael Noore” or whatever with a falafel.
4) The parallels between Chris Farley and John Belushi don’t stop with their deaths, do they?
mikey: I just wish that politicians, pundits, the media and people in general would start talking about just how specious and meaningless this whole conversation is.
Word!!! oh mikey, I can always rely on you to hit the important stuff. thanks
Everybody say oh yeah.
In messengerese:
My Cramerotti is locked up outside
I lost my bike key and now I can’t ride
My lad is handsome
He suffers from lice
Has a vegetarian diet
Against my advice…
Well, the Arch Dig spread confirms one thing.
Money can’t buy you taste.
Money can’t buy you taste.
It will, however, buy you a circle of friends who will agree that your taste is impeccable.
Dear Victorinus Davis Augustus Hasonensis:
I am an elitist – and damn proud of it!
Fuck you.
Minor correction to Alec:
Hanson knows one other thing about the hoi polloi: You never use the the with it. At least, I suppose he Venereal Disease Hanson knows enough Greek to know about its definite article. And you don’t want to give him an opportunity to lay some elitist put-down on you.
All together now:
From the El Camino to La Callecita Street, the hoi polloi are entering PIN numbers into ATM machines to get cash for a GPS system for their trip to the La Brea Tar Pits.
[Did you catch the Tar there?]
4) The parallels between Chris Farley and John Belushi don’t stop with their deaths, do they?
Meaning, untalented siblings?
Yep.
LOIS: I know it’s [the baby formula] different than you’re used to but you’ll see it’s just as good.
STEWIE: mmm, yes, that’s what we were promised about Jim Belushi some 25 laugh-free years ago.
Although, to be fair, Kevin Farley was pretty funny in that Hertz commercial.
My former advisor, who did HIV research, often said “HIV virus”.
It’s depressingly simple. The people dream of becoming rich but they do not dream of appreciating Shakespeare. They do not secretly envy the rich; they wish to emulate them. But they hate intellectuals. It’s depressing. In Europe, this would never play–although pollies do something bother with the whole “holiday in our own country” thing–because leaders are *supposed* to be smart.