By Waymon Hudson
Cross-posted at Bilerico

“If there be no bread, let them eat cake” — Marie Antoinette.

The historical portrait of Marie Antoinette is one of legendary excess and disconnection to the common man. When confronted with a starving populace, myth has it that she blithely responded with the line above- not understanding that perhaps working class people did not have the luxuries in life she had come to know and depend on.

It seems history always has a way of repeating itself. John McCain, once seen as a maverick and an “everyman”, has continually been exposed for what he truly is- completely out of touch with the needs and realities of the American people. Not only does he not grasp the hard times that most Americans are going through, he surrounds himself with advisors and staff that do nothing to educate him to the issues facing the American people.

McCain’s standard response to people in times of trouble has become a simple: “let them eat cake.”

Of course, the most obvious examples of McCain’s elitist attitude have come in his recent statements on wealth- both his own and that of others. Whether it is not knowing how many homes he owns (it’s a least 7), flying around on his private jet, or touring poor regions in $520 Ferragamo shoes, McCain seems to have no idea how truly wealthy he is.

This leads to his more damning statements about the wealth (or lack thereof) of others. From his statement that “rich is making at least $5 million a year” to his continued statements that the American economy is “strong and robust,” his lack of understanding about the harsh fiscal realities of most Americans is astounding. One of his top financial adviser even said that we are in a “mental recession” and “Americans are just being whiners” about the tough economy.

Sounds suspiciously like “let them eat cake” to me…

Yet it’s not just on fiscal issues that McCain Antoinette can’t relate to Americans and is out of touch. This is simply a continuation of his “let them eat cake” attitude on important cultural issues towards anyone different than him.

When asked about the huge issue of the thousands of children in foster homes, for example, and his view on same-sex couples adopting, McCain once again showed his elitist views by saying foster children should have “the values that two parents, the traditional family represents. With thousands of kids in foster care, McCain would rather preserve his antiquated views than help children find loving homes.

Need a family? Let them eat cake.

McCain has also refused to listen to the people when it comes to issues of the military. He supports sending more and more troops around the world, stretching the military to the breaking point, yet also supports not allowing openly gay and lesbian service members to serve. He is a staunch supporter of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, getting rid of thousands of qualified men and women needed to keep our country safe, even though the vast majority of military leaders would like to see DADT repealed.

Need more troops? Let them eat cake.

Although McCain says he supports “family values”, he seems unable or unwilling to see how families can look different from his own. McCain Antoinette has consistently looked past the need of same sex couples to have relationship recognition and protection. McCain voted for the “Defense of Marriage Act”, which prohibits same-sex couples from receiving federal rights and benefits in any state. He campaigned for a ban on same-sex relationship recognition in his home state of Arizona – even appearing in a campaign television ad. For someone who purports to support “strong families”, he has continually speaks out against families that don’t fit into his narrow view of how they should look.

Need a stronger, safer family? Let them eat cake.

And much like the Antoinette of old, McCain has refused to surround himself with anything other than “yes” men. He sits by as advisors run his campaign and political kingdom, coming out only to offer tidbits of elitist talk to the masses that only magnify his disconnect to the common American.

McCain Antoinette continues to show his true views- he is above the everyday American. From wealth he can’t even keep track of to not seeing the struggles that people face every day, McCain’s plan to help Americans has become crystal clear:

Let them eat cake.

Tags: economy, Iraq war, John McCain, LGBT families, Republicans

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under John McCain, Republicans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.