Roger,

Respectfully, I see it slightly differently.

Every socialist movement has had cadres of people who believe that, “Yes, we’re all equalt; but somebody has to be in charge, so that things are distributed equitably. And those should be the elite who can see the big picture better than the peons — oops, I mean ‘people’ — can. And of course, WE are that elite.”

And then, when the socialists gain power, there’s a falling out, as different elite cadres vie to determine who will be THE elite cadre.

And once the true elite are selected, the first thing they do is start accruing power. Equality is for the people, not for the elite. They deserve special privileges and special powers as keys to doing their important work of keeping everyone equal. Meanwhile, less privileged people learn to kiss up to the elite as a way to get what they want.

So all that I see different here is that the elite are building off a base of capital. Is there any doubt that Mr. Soros sees himself as a leader of the utopia he hopes to create?

Oh, one more difference: the elite don’t seem to think they have to pretend to be part of the people. And sadly, they seem to be right: when a George Soros or a Michael Moore’s hypocrisy are pointed out, their fellow travelers are quick to excuse or explain away their failings as being good for the cause, on balance.