If I read one more otherwise smart person* confuse “elite” with “elitism,” I’m going to scream. I don’t care which side of cling-gate** you come down on, there’s no need to mangle the English language.

From the online Oxford Dictionary (because I don’t have my awesome hardback available):

elite:

• noun 1 a group of people regarded as the best in a particular society or organization. 2 a size of letter in typewriting, with 12 characters to the inch (about 4.7 to the centimetre).

elitism

• noun 1 the belief that a society or system should be run by an elite. 2 the superior attitude or behaviour associated with an elite.

— DERIVATIVES elitist adjective & noun.

Or if you prefer an American English dictionary, from the online American Heritage Dictionary:

elite

1a. A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status: “In addition to notions of social equality there was much emphasis on the role of elites and of heroes within them” (Times Literary Supplement). b. The best or most skilled members of a group: the football team’s elite. 2. A size of type on a typewriter, equal to 12 characters per linear inch.

elitism

1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. 2a. The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class. b. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class.
OTHER FORMS: e·litist —ADJECTIVE & NOUN

One has to do with your social status (elite) and one has to do with your attitude about your social status (elitism). You can be elite and not be elitist. You can be an elitist and not necessarily be a member of the elite.

They are not the same.

If you defend Obama by claiming Clinton is also an elitist because she has a lot of money and doesn’t hunt, you’ve missed your mark by providing evidence only that Clinton is a member of the elite, not that she is elitist. I doubt very much that anyone, including Hillary Clinton, would deny she’s a member of the elite.

Similarly, if you seek to back up your indictment of Obama by pointing out he ate $100 a pound ham, all you’re doing is proving Obama is rich or likes good food. Obama, like Clinton, is most definitely a member of the elite, the issue is whether he’s shown elitist tendencies, e.g., a superior attitude.

Note: * I’m picking on the linked folks only because I happen to have just read their blogs back-to-back. They are in no way the only ones making this mistake, as Bob Somerby pointed out.

** It’s been nearly 35 years since Nixon resigned, I think it’s time we moved beyond adding “-gate” to every “scandal” name. That goes doubly when the entire “scandal” consists of a presidential candidate saying something stupid. It only defines the entire concept of scandal down, particularly at a time when we have just learned that the highest levels of our government ordered people tortured.