George W Bush, the scion of a long line of wealthy New England investment bankers and politicians, is a common man. Barack Obama, the son of a middle-class single mother, is an elitist. Am I missing something here?

Do you hear it? It's become such a cliche. And one assumes there is extra force when the two words are combined together in a sentence: "Liberal elitest".

Is this supposed to create a foul taste in the mouth? Is this the greatest insult that can be offered? I guess it has much the same negative connotation as "Democrat". Forsooth!

Perhaps the writer should reconsider his choice of words in coining his epithet. Does "liberal" function as a descriptor of "elitist" or vice-versa? For all intents, "liberal" is just the opposite of "conservative". From a political perspective, "liberal" infers "considerate of change" and "open-minded". "Forward looking" is an apt definition as opposed to "Backward looking" for conservative.

"Elitist", as suggested in this letter, can be interpreted as "uppity" in the writer's narrow view, but again, methinks the term is misused in this instance. There are many in this nation (generally through family connections or family wealth) who one might consider "elitist", but not keeping to "one's place" is not "elitist". Obama is a very intelligent, very articulate spokesperson for his position. If this is "elitist", then it is certainly a character trait that most of us would want for ourselves.

from Webster:
Liberal - of the people, free, pursuing progress, tolerant of views differing from one's own.
Elitist - of the finest, best, most distinguished.

Obama for president!

Yes, somehow McCain can have a mid-life crisis and have an affair with a beer heiress half his age, then marry her and fund his entire political career with her millions (while she indulges in prescription drug abuse), and travel around the country in her private jet even while refusing to release her tax returns, and adopt a "sucks to be you" economic policy, and he's the man of the people.

Meanwhile, Obama grows up in a middle class family with a single mom, uses his Ivy League law degree to go into community development rather than making exponentially more in the private sector, does his own tax returns until about four years ago, finally pays off his student loans only when the royalties from his rags-to-riches autobiography start coming in, and yet somehow OBAMA is the elitist?

Suggestion to author: when cribbing talking points from Rush Limbaugh, try to reword or paraphrase a little bit so it sounds like some thought went into it.

But he's articulate. - Joe Biden

>>From a political perspective, "liberal" infers "considerate of change" and "open-minded". "Forward looking" is an apt definition as opposed to "Backward looking" for conservative.<<

Liberal - "Live for today, let tomorrow take care of itself because it may not come."

Conservative - "Use the lessons of the past to plan for and secure the tomorrows."

To WRZ: If your definition of conservative were correct they would not be "drunken sailor" deficit spenders, they would not let our infrastructure crumble, they would pay teachers much more, we would have the world's fastest broadband connections, etc.. Conservatism today is the opposite of what you describe.

Liberals are concerned about how you feel. Feelings trump everything. Results are unimportant to them because they may result in someone's feelings getting hurt when they don't measure up.

Yes liberal is a hiss word. Used like a champion. Pretty funny how many liberal/elite read a conservative paper. If you are so interested in liberal views why do you spend so much time in a conservative paper?

Ever heard of a band wagon? Yep, that is what Obama has is a band wagon. Has nothing to do with him, just a wagon. Please do vote for him. He aspouses your views. That's cool. Your views are liberal, elite, and non-conservative. So what! If conservatives call him all these horrible names...so what! We aren't going to vote for him no matter what. Go convince the fence sitters...they read the comics. I'm sure they have a forum for you there.

And yes...Obama is an elitist. We the little people just cling to our guns and religion. Spoken like a true people's man. Blahh!

Based on wrz's definitions of liberal and conservative, it appears that George W. is a liberal, and that Obama is a conservative.

No, no wrz -

Your negative definition of liberal comes straight from the mouths of right-wing heroess and conservative gurus - Rush O'Hannity.

This definition is only acceptable to the angry, wacky right-wingers bent on an ideological civil war.

A huge change is in the wind - and it's a joy to behold.

Mitt Romney by anyone's definition was a 'liberal elitist' until about a year and a half ago when he decided to run for president.

His flip-flopping on every issue of the day made him a hero in Utah and the laughing stock of the rest of the country.

Be careful who you call elitist. There's one sitting in the White House right now who had virtually everything handed to him and look how that turned out for the Country!

I can't wait to watch all you naysayers clamor for Obama's re election!

To be "fair and balanced" about Wright, let's look at McCain's paster.

Hagee reaffirmed his view that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment against New Orleans for hosting a homosexual parade. Hagee has also said that the Jews brought the Holocaust upon themselves by "turning away from the true God." He referred to Catholicism as a "false cult," and said the religion contributed to Hitler's anti-semitic views.

I'm not big on Obama or Clinton. It took people electing Bush to make these two look good.

Obama didn't have a father who ran a car company that is out of business today. We will never know if parental welfare or self reliance give Mitt his start.

What amazes me is how members of the LDS Church who support Mitt fail to see the irony of supporting a party where many think you belong to a cult.

Reid as never faced problems from democrats about writing a book telling the world that his LDS faith was monumental in bettering his life.

The world is on a pendulum. It swings slowly from one side to the other. It happens as times change and the status quo becomes stale. The actions of government only slow down or speed up the pendulum. The current powers seem bent on facilitating the movement toward change even though they want the exact opposite. Moral for both parties: Nothing is forever and the world will continue even when you are gone!

We can't have a day without a right wing buzz word. Today's is "elitist", a word made to divide people if there ever was one. The folks using it may not know this, though they're pretty sure it's true, since they heard it in the radio. One thing they might not have heard is that McCain comes from a family of US military "elite", and that, through the miracle of modern divorce joined the financial elite the old fashioned way - by marrying it ONE month after the divorce. So maybe someone WAS sleeping in church the day they talked about family values.

It seems to me that the rightwingers should love Obama.

Think of his story of pulling himself up by the bootstraps.

The son of an african goat herder and a poor mother, raised in a single parent home, working hard in school and getting accepted into the Ivy League on academic merit (not a legacy admission slot like Bush). Then he earns good enough grades to get into Harvard Law and becomes a success to become elected as a Senator.

That story is precisely what Hannity, Rush and the Republican's say everyone should do, but they attack him as "elitist".

Let's look at other leading candidates starting with Bush, Yale legacy admission son of a US President, Grandson of a banker and US Senator. Started in business by bin Laden family money as a favor to Dad.

McCain: Dad and Grandpa were both Navy Admirals. Divorce first wife to marry a rich trophy wife. She still refuses to release her tax info, but we don't see complaints like with Mrs Kerry wanted to do the same.

Romney: son of the CEO of American Motors. Attended Stanford University. Named after dads buddy Willard Marriot (owner of the hotel chain)

Who's elitist???

But the point is well made, and no one bothered to touch upon it.

Name ONE thing B Hussein Obama has done as a Senator that is of any consequence. Name ONE business that he has ever run or been involved with. Name ONE thing that he has done in his whole life that qualifies him to lead the United States.

You can't, because he has done nothing. Now, there is nothing wrong with someone new being president, but all the left does is drool over his eloquence and his looks. They refuse to answer the above questions.

About all B. Hussein Obama can do that will be of any value, is to help bury the clintons once and for all. In four years, if there is any America left after he rapes every one of us for all that we have, he too, will be relegated to the trash bin.

If you think Bush is a lousy president (and I rather agree on many positions) just stick around and watch this Obama person implode the entire nation.

Go ahead and vote for him. The sooner the nation collapses, the sooner we can start to rebuild it.

"Liberal - of the people, free, pursuing progress, tolerant of views differing from one's own."

But, if it offends the politically correct crowd, then no way. For example, you can have all the pro abortion speakers and displays you want, on a college campus. But, just try to have discussions about the opposite, and you will be forced to go to sensitivity or diversity or some other indoctrination. Or take affirmative action. It's ok when it is used for academics, right. But it's been tried with a bake sale and it was considered insensitive and racist.

Liberal - of the people, free, pursuing progress, "tolerant" of views differing from one's own.

John, I love your use of "B. Hussein Obama"

Are you trying to link him to muslims?

Are you trying to depersonalize him by refusing to use his name Barack?

So far from 2005-2007, Obama has soponsored or co-sponsored 15 bills that became law they concerned(with Senate bill # in parenthesis):

Two addressed foreign policy:
Promote relief, security and democracy in the Congo (2125)
Develop democratic institutions in areas under Palestinian control (2370).

Three addressed public health:
Improve mine safety (2803)
Increased breast cancer funding (597)
Reduce preterm delivery and complications, reduce infant mortality (707).

Two addressed openness and accountability in government:
Strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (2488)
Full disclosure of all entities receiving federal funds (2590)

Two addressed national security
Extend Terrorist Risk Insurance (467)
Amend the Patriot Act (2167)

One addressed the needs of the Armed Forces
Wave passport fees to visit graves, attend memorials/funerals of veterans abroad (1184).

No accomplishements there. They really has done nothing I guess.

Check your facts John, and stop debasing people just because you disagree with them.

The closer we get to November, the wackier the neo-reds get.

They only know one way. Sound as much like their conservative guru, Rush Limbaugh, as they can, and for some strange reason believe that everyone will drop their opposition to what is happening in this country and get in line and lock-step with the rest of the "right is right" lunatics.

How incredibly stupid to think all of America is like they are!

There are liberals and there are those who try to be more like them, try, and realizing their indoctrination and conditioning is just too dominant for them to experience the joy in embracing the "live-and-let-live" , give up and glue their ears to the latest nasty diatribes Rush O'Hannity can force-feed them everyday.

Liberals censor ideas?

"James Hansen, the director of Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said agency officials had ordered that public affairs officers review his lectures, papers and postings on the institutes's website as well as vetting requests for interviews from reporters."

Obama appears elitist when comparisons are made. You see, Obama has mastered the english language and is very well spoken.
On the flip side we have a president who makes Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel appear to be a viable candidate for Mensa.
When the conservatives are as dim-witted as the Pres they all gave us, anything including Obama appears elitist.

Hey, stop listening to elitists Limbaugh and Hannity and get a brain. Obama is much more in tune to the common people than the Naval Captain, who is the son of a Naval Admiral, who is the son of a Naval Admiral.

The Elitist McCain married a ultra rich women who refuses to release her income tax records. He has no clue what common people life is like.

Think before repeating the talking points of O'Reilly, Ingrahm, and all the Elitist who are complaining about elitists.

If Obama is Elitism personified,
Bring it on.

Right on, DeLaval!

Only rednecks from the reddest state can stake claim to being the country's elitist neo-reds.

Go Obama, go!

Obama good! McCain bad! McCain good! Obama bad! I am so sick of this campaign..... I don't care anymore who wins although it will probably be Obama as it appears more people are "for" Obama (god only knows why) and Republicans will just be voting against the Democrat candidate ( like the Democrats were just voting against Bush in 2000 and 2004 and didn't seem to be too crazy about Gore or Kerry).
McCain is alright but it's hard to get excited about another left of center Republican. I guess my countrymen just want more big government anyway and there isn't much I can do about it

Who cares if Utah is the reddest of red states?

Neo-reds are on the Titanic and they STILL don't know it.

Obama is eletist, mmmm what is Mitt, what is George, what is Hillary, these people grew up with a silver spoon attached to their tongues. Obama grew up in a very basic family, mmmm but he has achieved and he still believes that Americans should have that chance Interesting how the table turns. GO OBAMA and this is from a white 60 year educated female

wherever you were edumacated they must not have emphsized punctuation or spelling Mrs Obamalady

I'd take a liberal elitist any day over a warmongering moron.

Liberal - Humanist - Humanism is a philosophy of life inspired by humanity and guided by reason. It provides the basis for a fulfilling and ethical life without religion.

Conservative - Behaviorist - acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. According to behaviorism, behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner with no consideration of internal mental states.

Will the real Obama please stand up?