I'm enjoying Jon Chait's blogging chez TPM. He notes today that America's elderly are by and large opposed to privatization because they're nice people who care for their families and fellow Americans. I can't help thinking, though, that the way Bush sneers, "you'll get your checks" has to bother a lot of these folks. It bothers me. It just sounds so ... condescending. Nasty, even.

That said, apparently according to John Zogby (and Nadezhda) there is, in fact some empirical support for the Mallabyian conventional wisdom that the Democrats need to do something to show that they, too, believe in some kind of opportunity society.

First, choose an aspect of popular culture that you find offensive. This can be anything from Janet Jackson’s breast to “Desperate Housewives” to low-cut jeans. Label it un-American, and claim it is a symptom of the downfall of society. Then completely ignore the fact that popular culture is created by market forces and that most large media and entertainment corporations are owned by conservatives and contribute heavily to the Republican Party. Now you are free to blame popular culture, and by extension, the downfall of society, on liberals.

Yes, yes, the culture war trumps the class war and Hillary is making all the right moves. But it's still a big sham worthy of mockery. Don't tell anyone.

via Tim Blair, of all people.

I think he did. But I'm not sure. Is he serious? Should I laugh at this, or be grossly offended? Chait? Yglesias? DeLong? How do you feel about being compared to Yasir Arafat?