Elitism and the Major Political Parties

Everyone wants a populist for President.

Someone who connects with the Common Man (whatever that means).

Someone who has been through tough times; who knows what it means to balance a budget.

Yet every candidate who runs for President, whether Republican, Democrat, or third party commands an immense fortune of power and wealthy, nothing like the profile of a man (or woman) who connects.

When will the American People accept that they will have to settle for an elite, whether of the Right of the Left? The next President will be of an "upper eshelon" of intellect and experience, outside the mainstream of Main Street.

The real question remains: what kind of elite?

For the Left, it is an elite of Power. The Government has both the right and the necessity to be in charge of large sections of diverse, complex life. Whether the government can, or even should, take on a growing role in our lives is a questions which they summarily dismiss, regardless of the facts on the ground.

For the Right, it is an elite of Values. It's a question of what is, not what should be; of what works, not what we wish would work. The values that have stood the test of time, life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness all bestowed by God, are to be cherished, not changed. Most importantly, values are a matter for the individual, not the group or the collective, to negotiate and implement. The government's role is to safeguard these values, not redefine or reject them. Since the variety of human experience tends toward conflict, a series of limited rules codifying conduct is necessary, followed by protection of right, followed by security of place of all to live and prosper.

Fundamentally, for the Left, it is an elitism of Government. For the right, an elitism of Individual Right and Responsibility.