"HAIR STYLE by Christophe's:Seventy-fivedollars. Designer shirts: Two-hundred fifty dollars. Forty two-foot luxury yacht: one million dollars. Four lavish mansions and beachfront estate: over thirty-million dollars. Another rich, liberal elitist from Massachusetts who claims he's a man of the people: Priceless."
The forgoing is the text of the latest attack ad produced by the conservative group Citizens United, which takes aim at the posh lifestyle of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. In recent weeks, conservative groups have run several such ads, in hopes of framing President George W. Bush's presumptive opponent as a blue-blooded millionaire, utterly out of touch with the values of ordinary Americans. If the conservative accounting is correct, then Kerry is certainly no man of the people. But, then again, neither is Bush.
As Republicans paint the upcoming election as a contest between a stodgy New Englander and a straight-shooting West Texan, it's worth remembering that the Bush family is the closest thing America has to royalty. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a wealthy banker who represented Connecticut in the Senate from 1952-1963. His father, George H.W. Bush, is an oil tycoon who served in two Republican administrations before being elected president in 1988. Meanwhile, Bush's younger brother founded a large commercial real estate business before becoming governor of Florida in 1998.
Like his father and grandfather, and indeed, like Kerry, Bush attended Yale University, where he joined the prestigious secret society Skull and Bones. And, like his Democratic rival, Bush has several sprawling mansions to call home, including his ranch in Texas and his family's beachfront compound in Maine. Simply put, Bush is a blue blood of the first rank, and to the extent that he can be considered a man of the people, it's only because he passed his youth as a drunken idler, neglecting the power of his name and the privilege of his birth.
Given the princely lineage of both men, who are thought to be ninth cousins twice removed, Bush and Kerry might as well stand in front of the mirror when making accusations of elitism. But whatever the absurdity of two multi-millionaires competing for the confidence of Soccer Mom and NASCAR Dad, the winner of the regular-guy contest may well be the winner of this year's election. For, whatever their concern with issues and resumes, voters are easily seduced by candidates who think, act and talk like they do.
America's preference for regular guys has shown itself on several occasions. In the 2000 election, Vice President Al Gore was punished for his intellectual arrogance, which he demonstrated by several audible sighs during his first debate with Bush. And in 1992, the elder Bush suffered from the widespread belief that he was out of touch with ordinary Americans, fed by his well publicized amazement upon encountering a supermarket checkout scanner for the first time. Whatever the actual demands of the presidency, American voters want regular guys first and policy wonks second.
The paradoxical nature of this new populism can be seen in the outrageous demands that it makes of presidential candidates. In order to win the confidence of the modern voter, it's not enough to demonstrate one's qualifications and offer compelling solutions to the problems of the day. Rather, candidates must present themselves as humble men of simple wants, even as they fight tooth and nail for the most spectacular job in the world. Never mind that the president doesn't buy his own groceries. If you can't act like you've been to the supermarket, you just can't be trusted.
But whatever its democratic spirit, America has often been led by men of old money and lofty bearing. George Washington was so famously conceited that, during the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Hamilton challenged Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania to greet the general with a friendly slap on the back, knowing full well what icy reception Morris would receive. Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were wealthy plantation owners with vast tracts of land and hundreds of slaves between them. Franklin Roosevelt was a wealthy New Yorker so popular that he was reelected three times, while John F. Kennedy was a wealthy New Englander admired as much for his glamorous lifestyle as for his leadership abilities.
Perhaps the best America can hope for is a new Roosevelt, an uncommon leader with the interests of the common man at heart. And on this score, Kerry comes out well ahead of his Republican rival. Throughout his presidency, Bush has shown a naked contempt for the working classes, systematically starving their programs of funding, while doling out massive tax breaks for the super rich. Meanwhile, Kerry has amassed one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate -- a somewhat dubious achievement, but an indication that his political vision extends beyond the narrow confines of class interest.
Whatever the claims of Citizens United, presidential candidates cannot be judged by their family backgrounds, because they usually come from the same privileged place. Rather, they must be judged by their desire to protect the interests of ordinary Americans, whatever their detachment from ordinary life. There are no men of the people in this race, but Kerry, at least, is a man for the people.
Alec Solotorovsky's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at asolotorovsky@cavalierdaily.com.
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