The "liberal elite"

[JHan]

125. Ok that doesn't address the issue directly but it does provide context..

Yes, much of the opposition was racism and as I said before - his detractors used the same "Liberal elite" smear against him - yes imagine that - Barack Obama as the "liberal elite". Of course disagreements with Obama are expected - I disagreed with him on a bunch of issues, but I won't ever use the smear of "Liberal elite" against him because that would be dumb.

Last year, anti establishment cries were in vogue under his Presidency despite progress made on several fronts. As bainsbane noted, the establishment is now destroyed, the status quo is now destroyed - so now what? Still think those liberal elites were the problem?

Could the establishment have done better over the years, of course and I can believe this while thinking Clinton and Obama were extraordinary presidents in their own rights because by and large, their vision was correct and they steered the country in the right direction. They governed from a position of pragmatism which, while not perfect, resulted in progress despite gridlock, despite a fractured left, despite obstructionism. For all the flaws of the ACA, healthcare is now considered a right - and democrats can build on that to push for even greater expansion of healthcare coverage - so much for incrementalism being a bad thing.

And yet .. "liberal elite" continues to be used as a smear against our politicians. Yeah, I won't fall for it and when I see progressives using this tactic, I'll call it out for the stupid it is.