Dumber demographic rules TV, DC

DUMBER DEMOGRAPHIC RULES TV, DC
[Commentary] The Presidential race's preoccupation with demographic-based voting has made the similarity between Hollywood and Washington (DC) even more striking. That's because the debate surrounding Barack Obama's campaign needing to dumb down the message and messenger to appease the masses has a longstanding precedent in television. In both spheres, well-educated millionaires agonize over how to engage Joe Six-Pack, as voters increasingly split along clear demographic -- as opposed to geographic -- lines: The young, college educated and African-Americans lining up behind Obama, while older, blue-collar and white voters have preferred Hillary Clinton. Only in showbiz and politics, however, is "smart" a perceived insult. As the Democratic primaries slog onward, Harvard law alum Obama has been pilloried for elitism. While his oratorical eloquence has drawn comparisons to the bygone days of Robert Kennedy, opponents hammer at perceptions that he alienates key voting blocs. On CNN, Democratic strategist Paul Begala disparagingly described Obama's coalition as "eggheads and African-Americans."
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117985618.html?categoryid=1682&cs=1&ni...