Snob-gate, Class War, and a Chance to Redefine the Party
By Bud White on April 14, 2008 at 7:48 PM in Barack Obama, Clinton, Current Affairs, Elitism, GLBT, Hate Speech, Hillary Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Labor, Media Bias, Patriotism, Presidential Candidates, Race, Sexism, Social Security, Typical white person
It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith.
– The Meaning of Liberalism John F. Kennedy
The civil war now being waged in the Democratic Party gives us an opportunity to redefine liberalism and the Party itself. The sexism and elitism by the blogger boyz is one part of this civil war. It’s largely a class war:
The Democratic primaries have been skewed for decades by the presence of large numbers of upper-middle class elitists concerned about environmentalism, race and gender quotas, balanced budgets, good government, corruption, gridlock, excessive partisanship, and related issues. They are not interested in the minimum wage, trade union rights, stopping home foreclosures, and other kitchen table concerns of the less well off.
The blogger Anglachel has written brilliantly on the class divide in the party. She captures perfectly the attitude of the Typical Chardonnay People Obama confided to last weekend:
the “wine track” cadre of the Democratic party has no clue about working class America except for their own strange blend of bitter, bible-thumping rubes who just can’t grasp the big picture, the poor things, and keep voting against their own interests.
Snob-gate has made me think about why I’m a proud American and Democrat and the direction we should move our party. Here’s a few reasons:
We are the heirs of the world’s most enlightened revolution.
We believe the United States is a force for good in the world.
We believe that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are sacred documents.
We believe brave men and women gave their lives so others can have liberty.
We despise prejudice towards any group; there is no historical context which makes any form of racism acceptable.
We reject sexism or stereotypes of both men and women, gays or lesbians, blacks or whites, city dwellers or farmers.
We respect all faiths and forms of belief or non-belief.
We have been entrusted to continue the legacy of the New Deal.
The mission of the Democratic Party is to expand opportunity for all.
We believe an expanding and prosperous middle-class is good for
both business and labor.
We believe poor Americans should be given the opportunity and
responsibility to improve their own lives, and we will help them do it.
We believe that all work has dignity and that everyone deserves to be paid a living wage.
We believe a smart environmental policy can save the planet and create jobs.
We believe a farmer or a housewife can have as much or more wisdom than a famous journalist.
We believe in safe working conditions, fair pay, health care for all, a dignified retirement, and respect for our veterans.
We should have military strength sufficient to defend our nation and our allies.
We believe in our country and our flag and all who serve it.
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