Utah Republican, Senator Orrin Hatch, took to the Senate floor today to speak against President Obama's energy policy. While speaking, Sen. Hatch accused the President of favoring people in big cities instead of those blue collar workers throughout the country.
In fact, his exact words were, "President Obama has traded in the hard hat and lunch bucket category of the Democratic Party for a hipster fedora and a double skim latte."
quickmeme.com
Hipsters and hipster culture are targets for a lot of derision on the Internets and offline in real life. If you don't believe me, just go to the Google.
Even joking about hipster culture can be a target for derision.
Now I'm not the only Last Word staffer who lives in northern Brooklyn (aka, hipster territory), and while I don't actually see that many fedoras (Hatch is a little behind the times when it comes to fashion), there are plenty of lattes.
But here's the biggest gripe I have with the senator's remarks. He's essentially saying one type of American is more American than another type of American. It's the same line of attack Newt Gingrich has used when talking about urban "elites" who "ride the subways."
Firstly, I rode the subway home last night. At Union Square while waiting on the next train I watched a rat lick the inside of a discarded food package. I know, it's all so glamorous.
Secondly, yes, urbanites live in big cities. Cities with lots of coffee shops. Yes, we do some things differently than people who don't live in cities. We may wear different clothes. Spend our free time differently. But that doesn't make us any better or worse or more American or less American than anyone else in this country.
My point, can't politicians disagree on policy without trying to pit one group of Americans against another?
Sigh.
You can see more of Hatch's speech here from The Hill.
ht BuzzFeed
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GOP leaders always have used all kinds of methods to divide the country and culturally have been the most successful. The ignorance of their base is the culprit for that success. The GOP leadership has also been so successful in keeping that ignorance that I can only compare it to the ignorance of the Dark Ages.
Although they love big cities and their suburbs they want their base to stay nicely sheltered under their pinions. And their base is willing to even let their leaders regulate their whole lives if need be.
It will take the whole country to bring them out from dark into the light.
Well, I was trying to think of something suitable for Oral Orrin, but there's so much it's tough. Have at him folks; many of us wish the LDS Church would call him as an apostle so we could get him out of the Senate, but apparently even the brethren aren't going for that one...
Well, there's his presidential candidacy, I suppose... Popularity-wise, he was definitely in the one-percent category.
And the whole country can thank Senator Hatch for his role in the confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas. Hmmm... No mention of that one in Wiki. Inquiring minds want to know why...
The reference to Wiki is in Senator Hatch's biography, not other accounts. My apologies for not making that clear.
Establishment politicians have been decrying those who drink coffee in coffee houses since at least the 1600s. Drinking coffee is as American as the Boston Tea Party, after which people made a point of drinking coffee instead of tea. Hatch can suck my double decaf soy mocha.