Beltway Pundits, Obama's Vacation, and the Danger of the Spite Vote

Posted by Brad , Sadly, No! at 11:37 AM on August 11, 2008.

Digby says:

Cokie Roberts said today that Obama shouldn't be going on vacation anywhere that has the "look of a foreign exotic place" and should go to Myrtle Beach instead. Apparently, Hawaii isn't quite American enough for Cokie and her provincial pals in the beltway, even though it's one of the 50 states.

I remember that Clinton got dinged right after he was elected for vacationing in Santa Barbara because it was too "California." Unless you're a Republican presidential candidate apparently you shouldn't go to any western beach, much less to Hawaii, unless you want to be called a foreign fag.

Basically, yes. This is a fine illustration of how spite voting works.

You see, "elitism" in this country isn't defined by how much money you have, but whether you ever enjoy your life.

For instance, you can make a lot of money and not be an elitist if your work is joyless and purposeless. This is why the Waltons are considered salt-of-the-Earth types, even though they're the richest family in the world: because the only joy they get out of life is exploiting cheap labor both here and abroad to produce and sell cheap plastic crap. And since the Waltons are such miserable people, it's hard for the average spite voter to feel much resentment toward them, since they're basically richer versions of themselves.

And this is where tying Democrats to Hollywood movie stars and hip-hop moguls comes in handy! See, unlike the joyless corporate drones who comprise the GOP's major donor base, celebrities seem to be enjoying the wealth they've accumulated by throwing parties filled with endless supplies of sex and drugs. The most fun your typical corporate GOP sleaze gets, on the other hand, is through hiring hookers to humiliate them or through cruising for action in an airport bathroom -- not exactly glamorous, I'd say.

While I certainly don't hold it against Obama or any Democrat for going on vacation in Hawaii, I would like to see them try to appeal to peoples' spite and hatred more -- and let's face it, it's tough to do this when you're having a good time. So maybe next summer, Obama can show everyone what a Real American looks like by taking a vacation in a miserable craphole and hating every minute of it. Gary, Indiana comes to mind, although I hear Youngstown, Ohio is particularly unlovely this time of year.

Tagged as: democrats, gop, clinton, obama, vacation, hawaii

Brad is a regular blogger for Sadly No!.