A vocabulary lesson for the Left

Back when President Obama committed his "bittergate" gaffe during the last campaign, it was widely pointed to as just another sign of liberal elitism. It's fascinating that many on the cultural Left actually tried to turn elitism into a good thing. Completely ignoring the dictionary definition of the word, it tried to confuse the meaning of "elitist" and "elite," and claiming that we should all strive to be elitists! Apparently this attempt at revisionist lexicography was first undertaken when Hillary Clinton used the term to refer to certain of Mr. Obama's supporters during the campaign for the Democratic nomination. It persists among supporters of Mr. Obama's healthcare initiatives.

The word elite, of course, indicates excellence; the word elitist, snobbery. The distinction was apparently lost on the authors of those particular sites, and on others who imitated their attempt to redefine a pejorative as a compliment on their own blogs and websites. Dictionary.com defines "elitist" thus:

e⋅lit⋅ism  [i-lee-tiz-uhm, ey-lee-]
–noun
1.
practice of or belief in rule by an elite.
2.
consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group.
Origin: 1950–55; elite + -ism Related forms:
e⋅lit⋅ist, noun, adjective

Well, here is an article by Mike Rosen of the Denver Post correcting their mistake, and pointing out that while liberals may be elitists, they aren't necessarily elite.

HT: Real Clear Politics