I've been thinking about this a lot since I have to make some big decisions about my education and career path pretty soon.

The people who call the shots all seem to know each other. They hung out in college. They pointed each other towards connections and job opportunities. I'm not just talking about the super elite, but even lower level guys who just have some local sway and name recognition. Just about every congressman and GOP official went to college and was either a lawyer or business executive before going into politics.

When you look at it this way, blue collar culture can seem like a sort of handicap. It's true that truckers, farmers, plumbers and people with hands on jobs keep the country moving. They're collectively very powerful. But the people on top are always the organizers and ultimately they're the ones who get to direct everything and call the shots. Since there's such a divorce between "college educated" culture and the "silent majority" things always seem to go in a liberal direction no matter who's in power.

I think that's because the "conservative" elites are more comfortable with affluent liberal standards. People like Kevin McCarthy might hold conservative beliefs personally when it comes to certain things, but he's culturally not much different from Nancy Pelosi. There's a quiet understanding that certain topics are just low class and embarrassing to talk about, so they don't get talked about. That's why there's such a disconnect.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but I think people on our side should put more of an emphasis on education and navigating the world of big time doers. Blue collar folks might be the gas that keeps history moving, but intellectuals and managers are in the driver's seat.