Painting nominees as elitists great sales pitch

One of the all time great sales jobs has been GOP success in recent elections, painting Democratic presidential nominees as “elitists,” out of touch with the good ol’ boys and girls while the Republican candidate is one of the boys.

When you talk about the Bushes and John McCain, you’re talking about elitists. Except for 1996, a Bush has been Republican nominee or on the ticket in all elections since 1980, except for 1996, which was the only year since 1988 that the GOP nominee had not grown up as a privileged elitist.

In 1988, when George H.W. Bush was opposed by Michael Dukakis, they made Dukakis, son of immigrants, an elitist while they sold Bush as a regular guy.
But the adult Bush came up son of a U.S. senator and followed his father’s path to Yale, not to be confused with a community college. And his family already had been rich for generations before that.

Look at George H.W. Bush. Ever hear of the Walker Cup in golf? It’s a match between amateur golfers of the United States and the United Kingdom and Ireland, and it was named for Bush’s grandfather, George Herbert Walker, which is why he was named George Herbert Walker Bush. How elite can you get?

G.H.W. Bush was just one of the boys, right? Prep school, Ivy League, very wealthy family and great political clout. Yeah. A regular guy.
In fact, George H.W. Bush served a term or two in Congress and was an unsuccessful candidate for senator from Texas. Then, he held a series of high profile political posts that you must have great clout behind you to land.

For instance, he was appointed ambassador to the United Nations, not something you get because you’re a nice guy or even very competent. You get it because you have clout behind you. He also was chairman of the Republican National Committee, not a good ol’ boy’s post. He also served as head of the Central Intelligene Agency, another elitist post.

And then he was U.S. envoy to China before we formally established relations with that communist country where our great American companies now do so much of their manufacturing. He did a good job at that, apparently, but then you had to be somebody to land that post, didn’t you?

Then, we have George Walker Bush, the adult Bush’s son, who landed in the White House largely because he was judged as a good ol’ boy voters would prefer to have a beer with, despite having gotten half-a-million fewer votes than Al Gore.

Gore did grow up in somewhat privileged circumstances, though less privileged than a Bush. But he was painted as an “elitist” while poor, underprivileged George W. Bush was presented as “a good ol’ boy.“

You talk about an elitist. He was son of the former president and, despite having famously been an indifferent student, got into a prestigious prep school, then Yale, as his father had done. Then, he later went to Harvard and got an MBA, a degree that in some places is considered a good thing.

Then, he got a chance most of us would die for, having money behind us to set up companies which failed until he got into part ownership of a Major League Baseball team.

Now we have Barack Obama being painted as an elitist.

Well, let’s see. Obama is half black, a big load to carry in this country. Just ask the white boys and girls in the taverns how likely they are to vote for a black. He was raised largely by white grandparents, finished school in Hawaii and went to Occidental College in California.

He did well there and transferred to Columbia University, where he graduated. Then he went to Harvard Law School, and for that, he is going to be painted as an elitist by Republicans.

Well, let’s see again. John McCain was son and grandson of admirals. Coming up in a Navy family and a Navy community, it’s hard to see how one could be more elitist than son and grandson of admirals.

Then, he went to Annapolis, and we’re talking elitist again.

But, believe me, you’re going to hear elitism charges thrown at Obama and McCain treated like as good ol’ boy.

So those are three great elitists who have had the GOP paint them as regular guys.

The biggest snake oil sales job I can think of besides that was when the GOP convinced voters that South Carolina Democrats, among the most conservtive beings on the planet, as liberals.

— Thom Anderson is a retired journalist who has 40 years experience with South Carolina newspapers, including the Morning News. He can be reached at .