Limousine liberal
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Limousine liberal and latte liberal are pejorative [[U.S. politics|Template:Nowr]] terms used to illustrate perceived hypocritical behavior by affluent liberals and other [[Left-wing politics|Template:Nowr]] people of upper-class or upper-middle class status. Related terms include "champagne socialist", "silver-spoon socialist", "Mercedes Marxist", and "RedTemplate:Nbspnobility".
Formation and early use
Procaccino campaign
Democratic New York City mayoral hopeful Mario Procaccino coined the term "limousine liberal" to characterize incumbent mayor John Lindsay and his wealthy Manhattan backers during a heated [[New York City mayoral election, 1969|1969Template:Nbspcampaign]]. Historian David Callahan says that Procaccino:
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...conjured up an acid image of hypocritical wealthy dogooders insulated from the negative fallout of their bad ideas. This theme has remained a staple of conservative attacks ever since.Template:Zwj[1]
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It was a populist and producerist epithet, carrying an implicit accusation that the people it described were insulated from all negative consequences of their programs purported to benefit the poor and that the costs and consequences of such programs would be borne in the main by working-class or lower-middle class people who were not so poor as to be beneficiaries themselves. In particular, Procaccino criticized Lindsay for favoring unemployed minorities, Template:NowrTemplate:Nbspblacks and Hispanics, over working-class Template:Nowr.Template:Zwj[2]
One Procaccino campaign memo criticized "rich super-assimilated people who live on Template:Nowr and maintain some choiceTemplate:Nbspmansions outside the city and have no feeling for the small middle class shopkeeper, homeTemplate:Nbspowner, etc. They preach the politics of confrontation and condone violent upheaval in society because they are not touched by it and are protected by their courtiers".Template:Zwj[3] Template:Nowr later stated that "Lindsay came across as all style and no substance, a 'limousine liberal' who knew nothing of the concerns of the same 'silent majority' that was carrying Richard Nixon to the WhiteTemplate:NbspHouse at the very same time."Template:Zwj[4]
Desegregation
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against school integrationTemplate:Nbspdelays in [[Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education|AlexanderTemplate:Nbspv. HolmesTemplate:NbspCounty BoardTemplate:Nbspof Education]], former AlabamaTemplate:Nbspgovernor George Wallace denounced the court's decision and called the Justices "limousine hypocrites".Template:Zwj[5] Wallace continued this line of attack when he ran for governor again inTemplate:Nbsp1970, as Steve Fraser notes:
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[H]e railed against "rich folks" in their Template:Nowr and "big old houses" drinking "those martinis with their little fingers up in the air" who were calling for integrated schools. "And guess where their children go to school. They go to lilyTemplate:Nbspwhite [[Private schools in the United States|privateTemplate:Nbspschool]]. They've bought above it all."Template:Zwj[6]
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Later use
The New York Observer applied the term to [[2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries|2008Template:NbspDemocratic presidential candidate]] Template:Nowr, who paid $400 for a haircut (Template:InflationTemplate:ZwjTemplate:Inflation/fn) and, according to the newspaper, "lectures about poverty while living in gated opulence".Template:Zwj[7]Template:ZwjTemplate:Sfn
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton used the term latteTemplate:Nbspliberal to criticize (mostly white and Template:Nowr) Template:Nowr people "sit[ing] around Template:Nowr" who advocated for the "[[defund the police|defundTemplate:Nbspthe police]]" movement and ignored the concerns of African-Americans that suffer under highTemplate:Nbspcrime rates and rely on a strong police force.Template:Zwj[8]Template:Zwj[9]Template:Zwj[10]
See also
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References
Further reading
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External links
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