"Whole Foods Republicans?"

Everyone worries about the Republican big tent. It never seems to be large enough.

The latest worry, from Michael Petrelli, is that a majority of college-educated voters went for Obama: 53 percent.

According to exit-poll data, a majority of college-educated voters (53%) pulled the lever for Mr. Obama in 2008—the first time a Democratic candidate has won this key segment since the 1970s.

That certainly is a problem. But what's the solution?

What's needed is a full-fledged effort to cultivate "Whole Foods Republicans"—independent-minded voters who embrace a progressive lifestyle but not progressive politics. These highly-educated individuals appreciate diversity and would never tell racist or homophobic jokes; they like living in walkable urban environments; they believe in environmental stewardship, community service and a spirit of inclusion.

So how to woo these voters to the Republican column? The first step is to stop denigrating intelligence and education...

The same is true for Mrs. Palin's inability to name a single newspaper she reads...

Even more important is the party's message on divisive social issues. When some Republicans use homophobic language, express thinly disguised contempt toward immigrants, or ridicule heartfelt concerns for the environment, they affront the values of the educated class.

Hmm. The thing is that Republicans don't do these things. They just don't believe in big government solutions to intelligence and education; they don't like the elite press that sneers at them. And they don't like the liberal bullying on race, sex, and the environment.

In the conservative view, the Whole Foods set has drunk the liberal Kool Aid. They've bought the liberal snobbery: We are the enlightened people and conservative Christians are ignorant yahoos that don't deserve to be taken seriously.

Obviously a political party can't treat the Whole Foods set as liberal dupes. That goes against Rule 1 in politics that you don't insult anyone. It turns waverers into opponents and opponents into enemies.

But what Republicans can do is go to work on liberal lies: brand the Democratic Party as the nasty party. There's an real upside to a campaign like that. It happens to be true.

Everything that liberals touch is nastified. Social Security? A terrible deal for educated people. Government health care? Treats educated people like idiots. Education? A dysfunctional mess that threatens the education of educated people and their children. Cap and trade? A top down monstrosity of taxing and subsidizing that treats the American people like delta-minus morons to be shoved around like numbers.

While George W. Bush was president the Democrats had a free rein to characterize all conservatives and Republicans as idiots. The Whole Foods crowd went along, because they were flattered to be in the in-crowd.

But Obamanomics and ObamaCare make it pretty clear that the Whole Foods crowd are to be the piggy-bank for liberal plans. Somehow that didn't get much play in the awful Bush years and in the immaculate campaign for Hope and Change.

Whole Foods shoppers are right now finding out what Obama is doing to their pocket books, what he will do to their children's education, and what he will do to the environment. Think waste, fraud, and abuse.

Let's be nice to the Whole Foods shoppers. They are good people. They just made the mistake of listening to the propaganda from the nasty party and believing it.

Now they know what we know. Government is force, and politicians are only interested in power. Educating the people? Saving the planet? Fabulous way of winning elections, baby! Fools 'em every time.