For Conservatives Thankfully the Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

The Republican right has long been associated with the principle of meritocracy. Like it's devotion to limited government, one might be sympathetic to their cause if they actually upheld these principles in reality as opposed to simply championing them rhetorically. (See this article for conservatives self-serving and selective embrace of federalism to illustrate their limited government hypocricy.)

The bench of A-List conservative celebrities who have demonstrated little value other than serendipitous genetic lineage is long and sad:

I'm not the first person to point out this irony.

Glenn Greenwald, summoning all the righteous anger he is known for, writes (see this post and this post as well):

Just to underscore a very important, related point: all of the above-listed people (Jenna Bush Hager, Luke Russert, Liz Cheney, Megan McCain and Jonah Goldberg, Chris Wallace Lisa Murkowski, Evan Bayh, Jeb Bush, Bob Casey, Mark Pryor, Jay Rockefeller, Dan Lipinksi, and Harold Ford, Jr. Bill Kristol, Tucker Carlson and John Podhoretz, and Liz Cheney) are examples of America's Great Meritocracy, having achieved what they have solely on the basis of their talent, skill and hard work -- The American Way. By contrast, Sonia Sotomayor -- who grew up in a Puerto Rican family in Bronx housing projects; whose father had a third-grade education, did not speak English and died when she was 9; whose mother worked as a telephone operator and a nurse; and who then became valedictorian of her high school, summa cum laude at Princeton, a graduate of Yale Law School, and ultimately a Supreme Court Justice -- is someone who had a whole litany of unfair advantages handed to her and is the poster child for un-American, merit-less advancement.

I just want to make sure that's clear.

This topic inspired a blog post after I read a typical vapid, conventional wisdom peddling mush of an article from the tragically unaccomplished Megan McCain who has, for obvious and downright depressing reasons been given the perch of contributing author to the ultimate nexus of Hollywood and politics, The Daily Beast.

Matthew Ylgesias captures the disappointment many of us feel that someone like Meghan McCain has been given a microphone to pontificate on the issues of the day:

So instead I’ll just say that the fact that Meghan McCain is, apparently successfully, launching a career as a political pundit capable of garnering a book deal worth hundreds of thousands of dollars all based on being the daughter of a failed presidential candidate should give people pause about the meritocratic nature of American capitalism. I mean, more power to her. But I’d sleep better at night knowing she’s going to pay a very high tax rate on that book deal, and the money could be put to use giving Pell Grants and health insurance to kids who don’t have multi-millionaire celebrity dads.

But some of you might be inclined to give Meghan the benefit of the doubt so let's go to the record, in this case her article entitled "Obama's Oil Spill Insanity."

In the article we get piercing insights such as:

As we push Day 50 of this oil spill, I find myself questioning why it has taken so long for the mainstream media, aside from James Carville and Chris Matthews, to start putting extreme pressure on the president. I wonder whether the media, or the American public, for that matter, would be reacting to this oil disaster differently if a Republican were in office right now.

What would this "extreme pressure" accomplish? Is it in BP's interest to slow walk a solution? When the company is losing 25% of it's share price I would say that the company is probably already experiencing "extreme pressure" from its shareholders. Meghan's desire for the President to engage in some histrionics stems from the naive belief that the executive holds mythical powers to solve all problems.

This is in stark contrast to the Katrina disaster which the government saw coming and supposedly planned for. Only after did we learn that Bush had installed his crony, Brownie, whose previous experience was managing thoroughbred horses, to prepare our disaster response.

I grew up vacationing in Destin, Florida, and to hear that the oil has now reached that area is heartbreaking. Anyone who has been to Destin knows how spectacular its white beaches are and how tragic the idea of them covered in oil is. I am scared, I am upset, and I am angry that the media and the American public aren’t putting more pressure on the president. Yes, it is just as much BP’s problem, and the company should be held equally accountable. I also don’t begin to understand the extreme bureaucracy involved with a British oil company in the context of this oil leak. But what I need right now is more intense leadership from my president. And I need more emotion. Maybe these are things he is incapable of doing or his administration doesn’t think is a smart idea. I no longer care.

This paragraph is almost too rich to tackle, but I'll attempt to translate:

I grew up vacationing in Destin, Florida, and to hear that the oil has now reached that area is heartbreaking. Anyone who has been to Destin knows how spectacular its white beaches are and how tragic the idea of them covered in oil is.

Translation:

I grew up rich and privileged and had the opportunity to vacation in Florida unlike most of you sorry, middle class saps. Now that my conspicuous carbon consuming habits have finally affected me in a tangible and obvious way it is now clear to me our dependency on oil has tragic consequences.

Please pay no attention to the fact that my father, facing a challenge from the Tea Baggers, has abandoned all of his principled stances on global warming and limiting greenhouse gases.

I am scared, I am upset, and I am angry that the media and the American public aren’t putting more pressure on the president.

Translation:

Eager to reinforce the stereotype of my generation as grown up children, when confronted with adult problems I get scared, upset and angry like I used to get when I was six years old and I yearn for a father figure to take care of these overwhelming and perplexing problems.

Speaking of perplexing...

I also don’t begin to understand the extreme bureaucracy involved with a British oil company in the context of this oil leak. But what I need right now is more intense leadership from my president.

Translation:

Well here I can't really translate, just comment. If you can't begin to understand an important aspect of the issue maybe you should refrain from pontificating about it on the pages of a prominent website. And I can't even begin, or possibly I don't want to begin wondering what in the hell she means when she says she wants "more intense leadership from my president." Intense? Really? Just a bizzare choice of adjective.

Here is someone else who couldn't begin to understand the ways of the modern world. Although unlike Meghan this character knew all to well the ways of the modern world and was simply trying to pull a fast one on the guillable American public:



Here is another classic:

Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer @ Yahoo! Video

Maybe these are things he is incapable of doing or his administration doesn’t think is a smart idea. I no longer care.

Translation:

I am not going to think about this problem any longer. I'm just going to sit around and pout and sip Cosmopolitans at elite, night clubs none of you could ever dream of gaining entrance to until my emotional pain is salved.

Meghan concludes with:

The idea of waiting until August for this leak to be stopped is infuriating. I do believe Obama is working as hard as possible, but his problem is that he is not conveying this to the American public. I want him to show me how angry he is. Because at this point, it seems as if his trips to Louisiana are things he is doing in between hanging out with rock stars.

So she concedes that she has no problem with anything Obama is doing she just really needs him to show he cares. So I'm at a loss as to what is the whole point of this article. If she knows that Obama is working as hard as possible why is she so distraught? It seems as if she is just lashing out like spoiled brat teenager. Maybe this is not as it seems but simply what it actually is.

Meghan McCain follows in the ineffectual footsteps of her nepotistic brothers and sisters. The only unique flair she adds to this well worn path is that she throws a temper tantrum while she does it.