and i bet they don't ride the bus, either

though i view public education as a value choice, i was not at all surprised to learn that barack and michelle obama, joe and jill biden, and john and cindy mccain adopt a different view. regarding the obama family's choice of an elite private school for their children, today's times offers some strongly worded rantings of a "rabid public school Democrat" PTA mom:

So it is with huge grief-filled disappointment that I discovered that the Obamas send their children to the University of Chicago Laboratory School (by 5th grade, tuition equals $20,286 a year). The school’s Web site quotes all that ridiculous John Dewey nonsense about developing character while, of course, isolating your children from the poor. A pox on them and, while we’re at it, a pox on John Dewey! I’m sick to death of those inspirational Dewey quotes littering the Web sites of $20,000-plus-a-year private schools, all those gentle duo-tone-photographed murmurings about “building critical thinking and fostering democratic citizenship” in their cherished students, living large on their $20,000-a-year island.

ouch. the vast majority of american families send their kids to public schools. on that count, at least, they have something in common with sarah and todd palin. but is it fair to indict the obamas (or john dewey, for that matter) for choosing private schools for their kids? do such issues give traction to the critique of Democrats as cultural elitists, or are they a red herring? it isn't just private schools, of course, but a constellation of elite markers. how do you respond to family or friends who criticize left leaders as latte-swilling "limousine liberals" who look down their noses at the common rubes "clinging to guns and religion"?

in the end, we're all hypocrites about something. i can only think of one way out of the whole "gasp! he's not a common man" hypocrisy charges. i'd build something like the following into my stump speech:

The other candidates will tell you that they're just like you and that only they can feel your pain or advocate on your behalf. You can't possibly believe that crap, right? None of us have your problems. We went to fancy schools and we were either born rich or we're got lots of money now. But look at my positions and my record -- what I'm promising now and what I've actually delivered in the past. You're electing me to represent your interests, so you probably need to make two basic judgments: (1) can you trust me to follow through on the plans I've outlined or am I just BS-ing you? and, (2) do I have the skills to put a team together that will work these plans successfully? I think I have a decent sense of empathy and I'll try to do right by you, but I won't insult your intelligence by pretending that I'm staying up at night worried about making rent.