The 'E' word
Rob Price

Rob Price

I just finished watching a YouTube video of Hillary Clinton drinking a shot of whisky with a glass of beer nearby. And as a former Pittsburgher who grew up throwing back shots of whiskey with steelworkers over the years, I would just like to say: Senator Clinton, you are no steelworker.

As I understand it, Hillary was drinking Crown Royal, a relatively expensive blended whiskey that's good for sipping, not gulping. Steelworkers typically don't drink shots of Crown Royal. If you want to show people you have the common touch by throwing back a shot and a beer, you buy a cheaper grade of whiskey - maybe Seven Crown, which goes down more roughly than Crown Royal, but hey, that's why you wash it down with a mouthful of beer.

Actually, the YouTube video didn't show Hillary "throwing back" the shot of whiskey. She only took a good-sized sip from the shot glass. This is not the same thing as drinking a boilermaker, which involves downing the entire shot and then, as something akin to a nuclear reaction begins in your throat and upper stomach area, gulping down some ice cold beer to quell the flames.

Hillary's clueless drinking occurred in the larger context of Barack Obama's clueless rambling about "bitter" people in small towns "clinging" to their guns and religion in response to economic stress. The remarks basically demolished any illusion that Barack has the common touch. But if you really want to see how haplessly Obama plays his man of the people role, check out the YouTube video of him visiting a bowling alley in Altoona.

There he is in all his wonky splendor, dressed up in dark pants, a crisp white shirt, a tightly knotted neck tie and ... bowling shoes. Watching Obama bowl with the hometown crowd is to understand truly that bowling is not an easy sport. In fact, the last time I tried bowling, I managed to throw the bowling ball behind me. Obama's bowling is more skillful, but his tippy-toe steps on the bowling alley floor confirms he was right to pursue a career in politics, as opposed to professional athletics.

All this brings us to the "E" word. In the aftermath of his "bitter" remarks, Obama was roundly criticized as "elitist." But we're on slippery ground when we start throwing around this word, because American presidents traditionally come from the "elite" classes of government administration, business and the top echelons of the military. Americans aren't uncomfortable with elites, but they do have a problem when the elites behave as elitists.

There is a clear difference. When we describe someone as a member of the elite, we mean that person is a member of the finest group within a larger group. Among professional golfers, Tiger Woods is in an elite class of one. As a wealthy man, he is also a member of an elite social/economic class of individuals.

But being a member of the elite does not necessarily make Tiger an elitist. We use that word to describe someone so keenly wrapped up in their elite status, they have little or no comprehension of how other people live. Nor do they really care how other people live, because elitists are snobs by nature.

In terms of wealth, education and professional accomplishments, Hillary and Barack obviously are members of the country's elite classes. Barack's comments about supposedly "bitter" people and their guns and religion certainly exposed him to the charge of being an elitist, although he sensibly pointed out he himself has been a regular churchgoer for 20 years.

And Hillary? This is more complicated, because Hillary is simply better at acting like your pal than Obama. Is she really your pal? No, not as long as she thinks sipping Crown Royal from a shot glass constitutes rubbing elbows with the locals.

They are both of the elite, which is fine. But they both show troubling signs of being elitists, which is the real troubling point. Elitists think they know what's best for everyone else, but they tend to be a little vague when it actually boils down to knowing what makes everyone else tick. Hillary and Barack have nine more primary elections to weather before the Democratic primary is (probably) over. That's not much time to learn how to down a shot of whiskey, or speak gracefully of one's non-elite countrymen.