Donkeys have tin ears

I hope this finds you at least somewhat recovered from your shock and outrage over the First Family’s vacation in Spain. If not, there are probably support groups to help you heal.

Here’s a sample from one blogger on Fox Forum:

“It is disgraceful that our president and first lady are so out of touch with the plight of the average American. This ‘let them eat cake’ attitude will come back to haunt them.”

Let the record show that this is the assessment of Bradley A. Blakeman, formerly a deputy assistant (isn’t that redundant?) to that exemplar of ground-level populism, always in touch with the plight of the average American … George W. Bush.

That’s pretty typical of the political chum being thrown in the water around this non-issue right now, especially given the source (Fox) and the subject (anything Obama).

As a general principle, anybody who can listen straight-faced to some prominent Republicans -- specifically, the ones who toady to corporate robber barons or anybody even remotely associated with the Bush dynasty -- wax righteously indignant about lifestyles of vulgar opulence lacks not only a sense of humor, but quite possibly a soul.

I mean, we’re talking about folks W. publicly sucked up to at a fundraiser as “my base – the Haves and the Have Mores.” The folks at $5,000-a-plate invitation-only dinners at private country clubs in places like Westchester and Palm Beach where they scarf down Maine lobster and champagne and raise millions to hire political strategists to portray Democrats as “elitists.”

That said … why do Democrats always leave themselves so open to politically damaging crap like this? Why did nobody in the president’s camp see this flap – justified or not – coming from a mile away?

Because they’re Democrats. That makes them politically tone deaf, almost by definition.

Isn’t all this white noise blasted at Michelle Obama and her children flagrantly absurd -- especially after eight years of shameless Bush excesses that make this Spain junket look like the taxpayer equivalent of an extra drinking fountain at the Smithsonian?

Of course it’s absurd. So what?

This stuff sticks, and if you don’t understand why, you’re tone deaf, too.

It’s Bill Clinton’s $200 (or was it $500?) haircut -- which turned out to be mostly right-wing noise, but only after Clinton had successfully been cast as a vain and arrogant emperor keeping planes circling overhead while Mr. Monique finished his custom coiffure.

It’s the Obamas’ first White House dog being some absurdly expensive yapping purebred given them by, of all people, Ted Kennedy. Jeez Louise.

Hello? Did it not occur to anybody that taking the family (and of course a battalion of Secret Service guys) to some underfunded D.C. animal shelter, and picking out some sad sack mutt that needed a home, would have been great PR, an indelible photo-op and, oh by the way, a really cool thing to do?

This Spain trip is Chelsea Clinton’s gazillion-dollar wedding (though, to be fair, that doesn’t seem to have been exploited for publicity or political gain).

It’s every vocal Hollywood liberal who shows up on the red carpet sporting a $450,000 pair of shoes.

Want to know how Gucci Republicans manage to call Democrats “elitists” and not get laughed out of political relevance by voters struggling to pay their own bills?

This is how.