Populism Run Amok
Everyone's focused on the none-too-subtle racial politics behind the RNC's Fancy Ford attack website, but what about the substance? Have we seriously reached a point where a person can be condemned for enjoying a trip to a nice restaurant when he gets the chance? Surely, even in Tennessee people like good food. Insofar as most of us don't, in practice, engage in a lot of fine dining that's not because there's something wrong with fancy restaurants, it's because we don't make enough money. But if everyone could afford to eat out in good places more often, that would be a good thing there's no sense in pretending otherwise.
Michael Kinsley's article on Bill O'Reilly and reverse snobbery is always worth revisiting. The dynamic here is actually a quite insidious effort to distract to distort the conversation about the very real problem of social and economic inequality in Ameria.
"The dynamic here is actually a quite insidious effort to distract to distort the conversation about the very real problem of social and economic inequality in Ameria."
Sure. But all the more reason to make sure the Democrats don't suffer from a stylistic populism gap.
If the right is able to blunt the left's substantive populism with stylistic populism, that means the left is failing in terms of stylistic populism.
A couple of points of Bill Clinton's approval rate could be directly linked to his well-reported fondness for McDonald's. John Edwards' anniversary ritual at Wendy's is pure gold.
Folks won't listen to the message if they don't like the messenger.
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"Insofar as most of us don't, in practice, engage in a lot of fine dining that's not because there's something wrong with fancy restaurants, it's because we don't make enough money. But if everyone could afford to eat out in good places more often, that would be a good thing there's no sense in pretending otherwise."
I'd even disagree with you there. I think there are lots and lots of voters who see something wrong with fancy restaurants, with haute cuisine, with dress codes and unpronounceable words in French.
They might like to eat out at TGIFridays more often, but the idea of politicians acting "fancy" is always going to poll badly.
March 10, 2006 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
"I should say this, that Pat doesn't have a mink coat. But she does have a respectable Republican cloth coat, and I always tell her she'd look good in anything."
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même choseMarch 10, 2006 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's not mere <i>good food</i>! They explicitly show raw naked fish.
Harold Ford is a hardcore raw naked fish eater and spends taxpayer money to eat hardcore, raw naked fish.
He is a sushi-eating liberal and I do not understand how you can condone that.
March 10, 2006 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't know whether it is more sad or funny how rich Republican's regularly run against rich Democrats by positioning themselves as the more down to earth commoner. Just how gullibile are the voters? I know that was a rhetorically question.
The Daily Show had a greta bit with Lewis Black where he showed Daryl Waltrip talkign to a bunch of NASCAR fans saying how Bush lived on a ranch in Texas and Kerry lived in Nantucket. That was all he needed to know. Black evisterated him. Something like: "Give me a break, the guy was born in Connecticut, his middle name is Walker, he went to Prep School, Yale and Harvard. If that's a ranch your race car is a Yugo"
The Faux populism is absurd, here is a multi-millionaire race car driver who probably has a Beach house somewhere like Hilton Head telling a bunch of Joe Six Packs to vote for the rich Aristicrat over the other rich Aristicrat becase he has a pretend ranch in Texas instead of a summer house in Nantucket.
And of course nonsesne like this probably guarantees the Reps 10-20% or more of the vote, election after election. WTF is wrong with this country?
March 10, 2006 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
But all the more reason to make sure the Democrats don't suffer from a stylistic populism gap.
But that's what I don't get about the Fancy Ford site. I'd buy "stylistic gap" if Ford were eating at the latest Vongerichten restaurant. But Capital Grille? Doesn't, like, every GOP legislator dine there twice a week? At least that's my image of the place. I'm from TN originally, and while populism works just dandy, I'm finding it hard to believe the most down-home of voters are going to punish a candidate going to steak houses.
March 10, 2006 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll have you know that people in Tennessee love really kick-ass food (although what that constitutes depends on where in the east-west axis of the state you are exactly: here is my bid).
Which brings me to my long-held argument that for the love of all that is good Matt, you must get out of your blue state ghetto and make some serious trips to the South if only to enrich your culinary appreciation of the wonders of southern food!!!!!!! Plus, since you seem to be into cute blond chicks with guns on the other site, Southern red states seem like a better place to fulfill that particular fantasy.
March 10, 2006 11:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
I also noticed they list Signatures, which, IIRC, was Abramoff's restaurant (not shuttered)....
March 10, 2006 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sure, but lots of people eat at Signatures. The scandal was that lots of Republicans have signing prevlidges there, they never actually pay for the meals.
March 10, 2006 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I remember that Kinsley article. I think that was the first time I'd ever heard of Bill O'Reilly.
As for the matter at hand, to echo LCL, the Capital Grille is a frickin steakhouse, and since when were steakhouses elitist? And it isn't even all that expensive. You can get lunch there for around $20 if you don't order the filet and I doubt that Ford's eating there every day of the week anyway.
And how ridiculous is it that a GOP attack site would criticize someone for eating at Signatures? It's almost reminiscent of that Sideshow Bob attack ad from the Simpsons.
March 10, 2006 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oops, not clear about my point, which was more that it seems a dumb thing for them to bring up because a) it points the finger back at their problems, b) similar to the previous Capital Grille point, Repbulicans love them some of it, too, and c) the restaurant doesn't even freakin' exist anymore.
March 10, 2006 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, thought you were trying to tie Ford to Abramoff
March 10, 2006 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I enjoyed the food in Tennesse, we should be thankful they didn't show Mr. Ford eating at Sticky Fingers in Chattanooga, Who knows what connotations could be drawn.
By the way they make a great barbeque sauce.
March 12, 2006 1:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wanted to add this link http://www.stickyfingersonline.com/famouscustomers.asp
check out President Bush, leaving a place called Sticky fingers, what ever will his constituents think?
Definition: stick'y fin'gers Informal.
a propensity to steal.
March 12, 2006 1:24 AM | Reply | Permalink