Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Remarks on 'Liberal Elites'

I find all this high dudgeon about 'liberal elites' a little silly.

What would people prefer, that those in question run around in sackcloth and ashes, scourging their own backs as they flail ours? Because, heaven help the country when that sort takes power. The worst excesses of the French Revolution occurred when the pusillanimous Puritan Maximillian Robespierre came to power.

Sure, the arrogance of the self-annointed saints is annoying. Their not-well-disguised (and completely unearned) air of moral superiority is certainly off-putting. But woe to us if the real true believers come to power. Obama is already halfway there; imagine what a full-blown Earth First type would do.

A prancing, grasping gangster type like Rahm Emmanuel is certainly loathsome. But Henry Waxman is far worse. Al Gore is simply ludicrous, a buffoon who destroys his own credibility every time he takes another private jet flight. When something like Cass Sunstein gains high office, you'll know we're in for real trouble.

The one type is self-limiting, since their hypocrisy gets exposed and ridiculed fairly soon. They're the sort who sooner than later usually get found in a hotel with a hooker.

An authentic Claude Frollo — the repressed, self-loathing Archdeacon in Hunchback of Notre Dame — is far more dangerous. Too many are more inclined to forgive their destructive acts because their motives are 'pure'. Frankly, if Frollo had simply headed for the nearest brothel, Esmeralda would have a much easier time of it.

1 comment:

Peter Cresswell said...

Your last paragraph is superb. A great illustration.