Liberals, Elitism, and Lattes

i've become a big fan of al franken's show on air america. i love his choice of guests in particular. recently, he had a guest on his show who discussed the negative image of liberals. it's a well known right wing screed that defines liberals as elitist and out of touch. he mentioned that one of the primary props in this trope is the 'latte-drinking' liberal.

i find this ironic because 'latte' didn't become a household word until starbucks went national. i think it's fair to say that starbucks is the mcdonalds of coffee. it's everywhere, even in the south. perhaps one could make an argument that starbucks does attempt to capture something of upper middle class pretentions in its corporate image. even so, it doesn't seem to me that they represent 'elitism' since the company does aim for a mass market.

starbucks markets itself as a purveyor of fine taste in coffee. however, the strategy they employ is not one that attempts to capture an elite market. otherwise, they'd cultivate a 'boutique' image that both expresses and practices exclusivity. if anything, their eye-popping commercial success illustrates just how mainstream the latte and the cappuccino have become.

starbucks isn't even the only player in this phenomenon. it's not unusual for big chain bookstores to have an espresso bar on their premises. suburban america is no stranger to the arabica coffee bean. you can even buy espresso and french roast, often but not always sold under the starbucks logo, at most grocery stores nowadays. so, how did the latte-drinking liberal become an icon for liberal elitism? there are millions of latte-drinking republicans across the country, even in solidly republican states like texas and south carolina.