Elitism and Obama

Interesting article by Richard Sennett here looking at the roots of the perception among many working-class American voters that Barack Obama is elitist. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/04/uselections2008.barackobama

Sennett rightly argues that treating ordinary Americans as victims of the system comes across as patronising and demeaning, but there is a tendency to attribute the perception of elitism to psychological flaws and fatalism in the outlook of working-class voters. Might it not in fact be the case that, given the repeated failures of the Democrats to offer an inspiring alternative to the Republicans, they are elitist?