Uh, Mr. Manning, I hate to break it to you, but as a long time federal political party leader and federal political party bigwig (including creator of a political think tank that bears your name), YOU are in the upper echelon of Canada's political elite.
So if 'elite' is a bad word because it describes bad people, guess what, Mr. Manning?
You're the pot calling the kettle black and you've made that your livelihood for decades. Now quiet down.