I was reminded of Morison when I read neoconservative David Brooks’s thoughtful February 18thNew York Times column, The Power Elite, about the historic shift in clout from what he calls the“inbred” Protestant Establishment to what he somewhat deceptively designates as the new“meritocratic” elite:
Sixty years ago, the upper echelons were dominated by what E. Digby Baltzell called The Protestant Establishment and C. Wright Mills called The Power Elite. … Since then, we have opened up opportunities for women, African-Americans, Jews, Italians, Poles, Hispanics and members of many other groups.
(As I wrote at the time, what Brooks is really talking about is the rise of the Jews. For example, Jews make up a mere 2 percent of the population, but 35 percent of the 2009 Forbes 400 and half of the 2009 Atlantic 50 ranking of the most influential pundits. That’s a lot more “inbred” that the Protestant Establishment -- perhaps 60 percent of Americans were white Protestants in 1910. Indeed, even as late as the 2008 Presidential election, white Protestants cast some 42 percent of the votes. They went overwhelmingly for McCain.)
