elitist? what are you really saying?

The title says it all. As most of you know, I never make a big deal out of race. It never factors into my decisions, at all. Even during this presidential race, I have kept race at the very, very, VERY back of my mind. No matter who won the DNC primary, that was were my vote was going. Yes, Senator Obama is black, (he's also white, which people just straight up ignore, but that's another post for another time). Yes, if he is elected he will be the first African American president in the history of the United States. At the present moment, he is only the 3rd or 4th black senator EVER. I'm voting for Obama because I believe in his vision, I believe that you have to have some pretense of what direction you envision the country heading. It isn't enough to say you're ready to lead and you have more experience because you're older. That's the folly of being an elder statesman, you tend to underestimate youth. I believe that is what McCain is doing right now, he's underestimating Obama. Fine, you say he's not ready to lead... Why? What concrete reasons are there that Obama isn't ready? His record? Working across the isle for a sweeping ethics reform, something washington sorely needed. Again, working to clean up and keep abandoned russian nuclear waeapons out of the hands of terrorist. Passing into law in his state of Illinois a bill that would require police offers to note the race of the individuals he/she pulls over so as to deter racial profiling. Proving that he can moblize, excite, and set into action not just his own state, but the entire country. Proving that he understands partianship has to die with this election. Realizing that like myself, many americans get sick and tired of seeing the same "We love Amercia and democrats don't" argument every four years.

What does all this have to do with race you may ask. Well I just read an article on CNN that a promient clinton supporter is now backing mccain because and I quote "“This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like him, “I feel like he is an elitist.” The women in question is Lynn Forester de Rothschild, ceo of EL Rothschild, a holding company with businesses around the world. She is married to international banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Forester is a member of the DNC’s Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time living in London and New York. She is worth probably close to 100 million, give or take a few. But Obama, who just paid off his student loans, comes from a single parent household and grew up sometimes on welfare is the elitist? This is where I feel I can't bite my tongue any longer on race. Everytime I hear that word elitist, it's like the people using it are saying "YOU don't belong here". McCain is married to an heiress, freaking Mitt Rommey is a multi millionaire, Rudy was (or still is, I forgot if he is still in office) the mayor of one of the largest cities in the world. But their not elitist, because it's natural for them to have money, right? Or so they would lead us to believe. Never in all of the years in which I have watch the presidential elections have I heard that word thrown around soooo much, "elitist". The Clintons are worth a lot too, but you never hear the republicans ripping on them for having money. John Kerry is married to another heiress, but the only atacks against him where realted to being a wimp (Sorry John, I know you're tougher than you look). But here comes a guy that doesn't look like the rest of those people. He's black, so of course at the beginning of the election cycle we heard all kind of outrageous things: He's angry, he's racist because his pastor made racist comments, his wife is to militant, he might actually be a muslim, he doesn't understand "us".

Rooted in racism, but things that can never really be proven. I was VERY skeptical about the whole race thing at first, and to a degree I still am. I know we are steadily moving past all of that. But, a part of me that has never surfaced, get's flat out steamed when it hears the word elitist. It's almost like I hear the word "uppitiy" trying to jump of their lips, but it's pulled back and replaced with a word that seems less offensive. I thought I was, and maybe I am to a degree, paranoid about this. I mean, Obama is worth a lot now, more so now that his books are doing awesome (great reads by the way). He does has a lot of support from hollywood. But... he worked for all those things!!! Those books didn't just jump out of his ass, he wrote them and more importantly he LIVED those memories. Hollywood is liberal, that's why he can get a lot of support there. The RNC has that one guy from Law and Order; the last time I check being on a t.v. show, no matter how bad, makes you a celebrity, thus tying you to hollywood. So, when the RNC, this goes out to you McCain, Rudy, and especially you Rommeny, calls a successful black (and white) individual an elitist because they are successful, what are they really saying? That it's ok to be successful as long as you don't come over here and try and play in our sand lot? Well, I won't say that for sure.

I will post this question, and let's see if you can spot the person more likely to be an elitist. You have two individuals, the first was poor as a child, didn't have a father, had a mom who worked all day everyday, was on welfare from time to time, took out student loans to pay for college, worked his tail off in law school and was named president of the Haravard Law Review. Before going to law school he took a position as a community organizer (something republicans have openly mocked, but I'll get back to that), married the women of his dreams, rose to promience in the Illinois state senate, and finally started to see substantial income after being electyed to the u.s. senate and running for president.
The second individual is a hero, and we should make no mistake about that. He's father and grandfather are both veterans, and their influence helped him in obtaining a spot in a service university (the Citadel I believe). No loans, nothing to pay back after he finished. Was shot down and tortured but never gave in. Upon returning home however, he decided to cheat on , then leave his wife for a wealthy beer baroness. He can't remember how many homes he owns, he thinks that 5 million per year constitutes the middle class (joke or not, what a STUPID statement!!!), you get the picture.

So, the next time I hear the word elitist, I'm going to try and ignore it as a stupid comment, by a stupid individual. I want to be successful, I want to make millions, if I didn't I wouldn't be in law school working myself to the bone. Does that make me an elitist? And if being a successful individual who never forgets where he came from but won't lose sight of what he wants makes me an elitist, guilty as charged I suppose.