Most Americans live very busy lives and can only invest a minimal amount of time delving into much depth on the political scene. Opinions become formed from snippets of information, frequently only encountered in passing. We often consider slogans and bumper stickers as a source of news, and/or fact. Those that attempt to influence public opinion understand that and exploit it. Positioning, phrasing, imaging, and perception are all key tools employed by those skillful in public relations and marketing. It's simply the way goods, services, even political candidates are marketed.

On occasion, as a product of intentional efforts, we allow a negative to become a perceived positive, or an asset to be perceived as a negative. Public opinion is similar to an artist working with a lump of clay. In the hands of a skilled master it can be molded and shaped into a desired form.

Here's an example, a recent development that goes against logic, but it's presented to us and many simply nod their heads in agreement without actually giving it any second thoughts. Opponents of Barack Obama have attempted to brand him by using the term "elitist". That word is being used as a negative description, as if being "elite" is bad. Webster's New World Dictionary defines the word "elite" in this way... "the group of part of a group regarded as the best". That's what that word means. There are no other definitions.

If one of us was facing a medical crisis, and in order to save our life we were going to have to undergo a heart transplant, wouldn't you want the cardiologist to be "regarded as the best"? It defies logic to think otherwise. If we had a legal crisis and needed a skilled litigator, wouldn't you want to hire an attorney that was "regarded as the best"? I would. There are legions of other examples when the chips are down, we'd pick the "elite" person to come to our aid. Selecting our next president is no different. The last two times our nation elected a president, obviously we didn't chose the "elite" candidate. The aftermath of that flawed decision is monumental and will take years, probably decades to overcome.

As we go through this presidential selection process, it's comforting to know that one candidate, and only one is "elite". He's been given that title by his opponents. His political adversaries have endorsed him, and anointed him with their own, carefully selected description as "regarded as the best". We've seen the exact opposite for over seven years, and it will be good for America to have our next president enter into that assignment with the consensus of opinion, even among his opponents, as "regarded as the best".

That will be a nice change.

Elitist definition cannot be explained on Webster dictionary basis because that is a mere theoretical explanation ignoring the current political and social events...

todays' elitists are opportunist, leftist, communist, anti-American, self-hating, Stalinist, terrorist-kissing filth...

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Jesus beat the devil with two sticks. Colossian 2:13,15

Proud American!

Communism/Socialism is similar to legalizing burglary and murder!

Sounds kinda Republican to me. You want to re-write history, and now you even want to re-write the dictionary to conform to your own opinion of "facts". Nice try buckaroo, but you fell short.

There is a difference between and elite and elitism. The elite are the best in a group of people. Elitists are those who consider themselves to be better than others. Obama firmly belongs to only one of these definitions, as an elitist.

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"It is no crime to be ignorant of economics, which is, after all, a specialized discipline and one that most people consider to be a 'dismal science.' But it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on economic subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance.

--Murray Rothbard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skinny. A liberal is just a libertarian who hasn't studied economics.

Most politicians are elitest. They think they are there to run our lives.

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There are only two things wrong with this great nation of ours, democrats and republicans!

Not necessarily in that order.

Possibly the boringest post ever. It could only have been written by a Democrat.

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

It's funny that in a campaign where one candidate married into a fortune, another married into politics, it's the black guy who just paid off his law school loans that is charged with elitism.

The definition I go by of "elitism" is the political theory that the country is predominantly controlled by elites who work together to maintain the status quo.
As opposed to "pluralism" the theory that various groups balance each other out.

The truth seems to actually be in between.
Elites are not a monolith. There are elites from all sides of the spectrum and all industries and interests... They form coalitions and rarely agree on anything. Plus they are usually dependent on support by nonelites.

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That information is classified and to be given only on a need-to-know basis...

And I do not need to know.

Elitist also means "(often used with a plural verb) the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.
2. (used with a plural verb) persons of the highest class: Only the elite were there.
3. a group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group: the power elite of a major political party.
4. a type, approximately 10-point in printing-type size, widely used in typewriters and having 12 characters to the inch. Compare pica1.
–adjective
5. representing the most choice or select; best: an elite group of authors.

In this case I am sure they meant highest class, i.e the very wealthy or a group of persons exercising the major share of authority... www.dictionary.com,

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The Eagle is Mighty, Crows are Many.