I live on a farm and I’ve shoveled my share of crap and I also work in an office. Believe me, I’d love to make my living by shoveling crap at home.

Oink on May 7, 2008 at 9:55 AM

Believe it or not, I grew up on a mini-farm, and know how to do that, and milk a cow, even. I also work in the highest levels of offices, and you’d never know…it’s the person, and how they are, and how they treat others, not what ‘class’ they’re in. It’s only how much class they have. Thanks for sharing, and I understood you to perfection,

Either way, an ill formed phrase from a condescending wordsmith is not as pardonable as one from a lowly person or pleb who simply doesn’t have the capacity or faculties to know any better.

“After all, a lot of the hardliners were not right either.” Please, explain this comment and do you have any children in the public schools in say, S. California?

I can’t watch Fox News election coverage because I find Barnes and Kristol unbearable. Now we really know what Barnes was thinking of us while we were opposing McCain-Kennedy amnesty that he wanted so badly.

Mark1971 on May 6, 2008 at 9:01 PM

ditto

Mark:

Oh please what does immigration have to do with this? Barnes is also pro life, does that mean most pro lifers are eltists or something?

Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 9:15 PM

It was not the stance Barnes took on immigration. It was the arrogant dismissal of conservative opponents of the amnesty bill that insulted me so much I stopped watching Fox news completely

Just because people did not agree with his stance on immigration is no reason to discount everything he says. After all, a lot of the hardliners were not right either. Immigration has not turned out to be a huge advantage to conservatives. Not at all.

Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 9:22 PM

Conservatives like myself do not oppose illegal immigration as a political strategy, we oppose it because it is right. Conservatives like me do not find illegal immigration to be an advantage to the nation we love. Selling my nation down the river to gain the votes of non assimilating illegals is not a win for me

Hmmn. To boot? Yes, I say Fox should give him and his useless buddy Mort the boot from the network

STOP PUSHING RICH ELITES AS ELECTION CANDIDATES !

William Amos on May 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM

I don’t like McCain, but I can’t make a credible charge of him being an elite.

And who else can run for president? If anyone here on this board is able to take off work for a year or more just for the chance to possibly become our president, I’d call you rich.

Well thus far it has split the party, been a boon to Democrats and has made it almost impossible to have a civil conversation on the subject.

Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 9:27 PM

I don’t understand what you’re saying here. Democrats and Republicans alike are against illegal immigration in great numbers. If anything, it unifies us.

And I don’t see how it split the party. McCain, Bush, and other amnesty supporters got smacked by the party, and apparently it didn’t stick since McCain’s the nominee.

I am ashamed to say that most people I know would not want to do any of those things.

Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 9:33 PM

Why does that shame you? You’re right, I don’t want to take care of dying people or dig ditches or milk cows. Do you want to do my job? I sit behind a desk all day managing a team that writes descriptions of television shows.

At least your jobs need to be done and provide a service to the country. Mine don’t. The world will got on just find without knowing before hand what this week’s Lost episode will be about.

No job is perfect. The fact that less people want to do yours only means you have less competition.

If you think Americans want to do this work, I have to admit I have my doubts about that.

Terrye on May 6, 2008 at 9:48 PM

You’re right, they don’t want to do that work, at least not for less than a decent wage. That work used to be able to provide for a family. Now it can’t.

Americans are just as hardworking as the Mexicans and South Americans who come up here, but many have families to provide for, in this country, where the cost of living is higher than the jobs can support.

He’s said Scalia is his favorite Justice.

The Apologist on May 6, 2008 at 10:58 PM

He’s saying that now. When the man was being considered, he called him “too conservative.” I respect your perspective on this, but conservatives are distrustful of him for no reason.

BTW if republicans wonder why they arent connecting to voters this is a case in point.

The republican party has been too elitist lately and that more than anything else is causing it election problems.

STOP PUSHING RICH ELITES AS ELECTION CANDIDATES !

William Amos on May 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM

I would not characterize Bush or McCain as elitist. Not by a mile. Rich =/ elitists. It has nothing to do with your net worth. It has everything to do with your attitude and the respect you have in your heart for people who bust their ass to put bread on the table and a roof over their heads.

No class.

Just an ass.

profitsbeard on May 6, 2008 at 8:59 PM

Amen! Amen! Amen!

Fred Barnes is every bit as condescending an elitist as the Uber-Libs. The only thing that differentiates him is foreign policy and economics.

Entelechy on May 6, 2008 at 11:49 PM

Fred talks down about people and this definitely isn’t the first time. He thoroughly disgusts me.

To me…

Upper class – Wealthy (working or not)
Middle class – Just “regular” people (usually working)
Lower class – I don’t even use that word/phrase or think of it without thinking about pigeon-holing people in a derogatory way. I prefer to use the word “Poor.” Low class conjures up a sense that someone doesn’t have good sense or good taste. Some upper class person can lose their shirt and end up poor but that doesn’t make them “low class.”

White collar – office jobs (regardless education)
Blue collar – manual jobs (regardless education)

I live on a farm and I’ve shoveled my share of crap and I also work in an office. Believe me, I’d love to make my living by shoveling crap at home.

It’s an old code word….they used to call them proletariats.

‘Working Class’ voters is a useless demographic…it tries to encompass too many facets of society. It apparently includes union workers in Michigan, farmers in Texas and waitresses in California. It’s unlikely that any of those people have much in common or are concerned about the same issues.

Are we allowed to say ‘Upper Class’, ‘Middle Class’ and…er…everyone else? If you don’t like ‘Lower Class’, then pick something else. The fact of the matter is that it’s descriptive.

Seems working America is going Republican, while non-working Government subsidies receiving America, including Corporate elites formerly with the GOP, are turning to the Dems.

We may be witnessing a complete reversal in the American electorate for the first time for ’08, one that could radically alter the major parties for decades to come.

Excerpts of the study at: Libertarian Republican blog

Exactly right Reuben… Rush Limbaugh has warned us about a group of “these critters” who are attempting to high-jack the Conservative movement by modernizing the ideology. Principles and values don’t need to be modernized! Fools!

Notice how Brit made an appeal to all of Fox’s working class viewers to disregard what Fred said…..

Sorry to see that side appear from a guy that I generally like.

Too bad.

As opposed to Democrat Socialist and Marxist candidates

Hillary is an abomination, Obama, Teddy Kennedy, Henry Waxman, the late Paul Wellstone – these are abominations.

This is the only thing in your post that is factual. The rest show you are on McKool-Aid because you believe what he says, not what he does. Not only does he oppose most of the conservative points you raised, there is plenty of activity to back this up. The McCain-[insert Democrat here] bills are all un-Constitutional. He is an abomination on the order of those above because he is a traitor to his party and will destroy it from within. That is a much more effective death to conservatism than what the Democrats can muster up.