Every four years, the Republican Party sets out to brand the Democratic presidential candidate as an out-of-touch elitist, and it’s frustrating how well this strategy seems to work for them. I am old enough to remember how they made Michael Dukaksis, the son of middle-class Greek immigrants, out to be more elitist than George H.W. Bush, the son of a senator who grew up in a very privileged environment, attending elite private schools from a very young age.

Progressive Media USA is trying to turn the tables by releasing this web video about “The Fabulous Life of John McCain”:

I have mixed feelings about this strategy. I don’t think we want to say don’t vote for McCain because he married a wealthy woman and has multiple fancy residences.

On the other hand, it is pretty damning to watch video clips of McCain advising struggling Americans to work a second job or skip a vacation, when we’ve just learned that McCain has an American Express “black centurion” card, which is apparently reserved for people who spend more than $250,000 on it each year.

I also like the clip of McCain answering a question about our economic problems by saying, “A lot of this is psychological.” The video closes by asking viewers how McCain can solve our problems if he can’t understand them.

What do you think about this video and/or the general strategy of trying to brand McCain as a super-wealthy elitist?