Over the last 2 decades, conservative politicians and talking heads have heaped scorn and ridicule on one group of Americans, the “liberal elites”. Trump aimed much of his vituperation and bile at these “elites”during the length and breadth of his never-ending campaign. He, and other Republicans, consistently have used their language to set their defined “real Americans” against this group. Post-election, every Democratic party analyst blamed the 2016 catastrophe on the disdain the “coastal elites” held for “real America”. Just who are these elites and why do they have their heart set on destroying America?

As is true for so much of this country today, politically and socially, when discussing “elites” there is fiction and reality. The fiction involves a group of educated, effete urban dwelling liberals who have undue influence over the financial, media, and government worlds. They hate middle America for some reason and would rather sell their car than change a tire. Please understand, this group does not exist.

The real elites, who are not elite except in education, are educated professionals who prefer to live in cities. They read newspapers and books, respect science, evaluate expertise, trust facts, and value education. If they are Democrats, then they most likely adhere to a progressive social and political agenda. They do not watch Fox, vote Republican, oppose women’s right to choose or gender self-determination, or long for the 1950’s. Mostly, they struggle to make the mortgage, worry about their jobs, and try to raise their children. Gore Vidal once said, “a liberal elite is someone who reads the NY Times without moving their lips”.

There are certainly elites in this country. There are people who have benefited from education at our finest universities to secure places in society where they yield great influence on the direction of our government and national discourse. Let’s look at just a few of conservative voices who have conducted the most consistent attacks on the “liberal elites”: the vapid Anne Coulter (millionaire author and pundit, Cornell), President George Bush (millionaire scion of old Republican money and politics, Yale), reptilian Newt Gingrich (former House Speaker, millionaire, Emory), and Donald Trump (inheritor of wealth, Penn). These people are the elites in this country. These and the 1% who control a third of US wealth and have benefited so much from recent governmental policies. If these people are not “elites”, then the term is meaningless.

The progressive-leaning, intellectual or coastal elites espouse a political philosophy of acceptance and inclusiveness, not superiority. There is no cabal who believe themselves better than “real Americans”. Here’s an interesting thought, educated, thoughtful, independent thinking progressives actually think they are also “real Americans”. They believe that conservatives have a right to express themselves, live freely, nominate their chosen, and vote in all elections. They differ from radical conservatives by believing that all Americans have those rights and they are not interested in infringing on those rights for people who disagree with them or look different or practice a different religion or speak a second language.

A lot of the support for Trump came out of anger – anger from people who feel they’ve been forced into a situation by forces beyond their control. They were also feeling that their fate was being ignored by the Democratic party. They were right on both counts. Automation and globalization cost so many working class Americans their livelihood over the last 40 years. Those jobs are not coming back. 95% of the new jobs being created require some post-high school education or training. Hillary presented a plan to provide federal assistance for education and training programs. She didn’t  present it often or strongly. The orange charlatan said he would bring back the manufacturing jobs. He won. He can’t bring back those jobs. No one can, but no other candidate lied to the American people  in that way before. This false “populist” then aimed their anger, fear, and frustration at other groups: Mexicans, immigrants, the media, urban blacks, and his version of “the liberal elites”. Manufactured divisions among people by a populist leader – beware.

Is there some level of smug superiority among educated, professional, progressives? Perhaps. Do we all think like Bill Maher? Maybe, a little. I know that I tend to feel superior to the average Tea Party follower, the average Fox News viewer, or the person calling Barack Obama “the worst President ever”. Maybe I’m not superior, but this why my political and social philosophy might be:

acceptance is superior to rejection

compassion is superior to hatred

generosity is superior to selfishness

hope is superior to fear

science is superior to mysticism

intellectual curiosity is superior to ironclad ignorance

diversity is superior to homogeneity

truth is superior to lies

equality is superior to inequality.

The qualities in the left hand column above are not exclusive to any group or party, but because of the polarization and radicalization of the Republican party they are not found currently in any official position of the conservative movement. There is an old joke that a liberal is someone who won’t take his own side in an argument. There’s truth in that. Educated progressives are no one’s enemy, but they’ve sat in Starbucks for too long. Our message offers hope to so many in this country. Time to get to work.