Those Pesky "Liberal Elites"
Reported by Melanie - September 27, 2004 -
At the end of a segment today (September 27, 2004) on Your World w/Neil Cavuto about popular retirement spots, Cavuto asked the guest, David Savageau, author of Retirement Places Rated, if there were any "hidden gems" on his list. After Savageau mentioned Florence, Oregon, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he paused and said, "Hidden gems? How about college towns in New England, like Hanover, New Hampshire where Dartmouth is. That's a very attractive area for Dartmouth alumnus." Cavuto responded: "Wow. All right. That's a small little brilliant fraternity there. They'll all have their little cafe lattes there and have a field day."
COMMENT: I'm reading What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, by Thomas Frank. Frank's basic premise is that extreme conservatives have gained power by convincing average Americans that Democrats and liberals are all Saab driving, east coast intellectuals who don't care about the little folk, that they are destroying the country's moral and patriotic soul by voting for choice, the separation of church and state, taxes for things like bridges and roads, and that they're creating a huge, bloated government with all their pet projects. One of the tactics the right wing uses to drive a wedge between Democrats, liberals and everyone else, Frank says, is to paint a picture of them as "elite," by implying that they hang around, snobbishly eating brie cheese and drinking lattes. So, it seems Cavuto was a good soldier today when he seized an opportunity to connected Hanover to Dartmouth to New England, and then to cafe lattes. The unspoken message, of course, was: New England=John Kerry=Liberal Elite.
