From Politico (3/20/12):
David Gregory, host of NBC‘s Meet the Press, and Bret Baier, host of Fox News‘s Special Report, are among the latest applicants to the Chevy Chase Club, the historic social club that has catered to Washington’s wealthiest for over a century.
The Club’s recent “Membership Report” shows that both Gregory and Baier are up for consideration as “newly proposed candidates for membership.” Gregory is being sponsored by Joseph Stettinius and William M. Walker. Baier is being sponsored Burke F. Hayes and by Brit Hume, the former anchor of Fox News‘ Special Report.
The Chevy Chase Club would not disclose the cost of admission, but a member told me that the initiation fee is $80,000 and that members pay $6,000 in annual dues. The member also said that Bob Schieffer, host of CBS‘s Face the Nation, was a member of the club.
The piece adds:
The Chevy Chase Club was founded in 1892. As recently as 1976, it did not accept Jewish or African-American members, according to a report in the New York Times. And despite reforms, some who have visited the club believe it has maintained an atmosphere reminiscent of earlier days.
“Order a cocktail at the Chevy Chase country club and you’ll step back into ante-bellum Savannah,” one British reporter for the Telegraph observed last year. “The blacks wait on WASPs, showing all the deference expected of them. You won’t find many Cohens either, lounging on the well-kept lawn.”
Something to keep in mind next you hear the likes of David Gregory talking about the need for “shared sacrifice” or “hard choices,” or for cutting Social Security.
Old times there are not forgotten
Because they never really ended, did they?
@Doug Latimer:
I’m certain that the club is now open to all, as long as they know and keep themselves in their proper place(s).
The fact that this place services a mostly White elite, in a city with a majority Black population which, by law, has no representation in the Senate, adds to my sense of disgust. The fact that many of the shakers and movers who frequent this club are the same people who love to pontificate about “meritocracy” and about exporting American “ideals” to benighted others in foreign lands, is sickening.
Can’t we share these on FB anymore?
Interesting.
I was under the impression that the gentry didn’t allow their hired help to loiter about their private clubs.
Color me (not) surprised.
@Dana: We need to add a plugin to enable Facebook and Twitters posts for our new version of WordPress. Are there any WordPress bloggers out there who have a recommendation? In the meantime, you can always copy the url and paste it into Facebook directly.
In my younger days the members in this organization would be considered as being part of the elite class. When Conservatives rail against today’s elites, would these people be part of those they vehemently criticize as well? I doubt it since the elite class is comprised of Liberals only now-a-days (Conservatives are good at defining the terms of any issue and the media and the Democrats let them).
“The Chevy Chase Club was founded in 1892. As recently as 1976, it did not accept Jewish or African-American members, according to a report in the New York Times.”
In 2012, however, things have changed. They now accept Jewish members, particularly those with connections to DC, AIPAC, Tel Aviv, etc.
Broadcast media is way down the same rat hole as professional sports — there’s just too much money in it. Personally, I pay very little attention to either, and I’d love to see social media used to promote a boycott of both.
Blog what you know about, then go for a run or watch your kid play soccer…and let the “pros” die on the vine.
sounds good to me.
Well I just called the club and they don’t seem to have any restrictions at all.And yes there are black members now and Jewish members.Are there any poor people?Nope doubt it.Many non college grads?Few I would wager.Any Rap stars? Doubtful. Of course it is a classic case of good ol boy-ism.You need to be proposed by a member.Most members who are willing to spend that kind of money have been traditionally rich , and white in the past.That like every other thing has changed.Rich upscale blacks wanting to play the insiders game are now joining ,showing they are just as jaded as the rest of us. 301 652 4100 is their number, and you may ask to talk to someone there.They are very nice and hospitable.How bout those spin classes at all the clubs.Whats with this woman only bit?Talk about segregation. :)
@michael e:
I have no doubt that in 2012, this and many other clubs are now open to a wider spectrum of American society. Whether that means that such places have been “improved” and are now “cured” by the presence of non-Whites is debatable. There were Blacks in the Mormon Church during the decades when it openly expoused anti-Black theology. There were Jews in America and in South Africa and elsewhere who supported White supremacy and Jim Crow laws, at the same time as they complained about anti-Semitism. If an institution is dysfunctional and/or hostile or indifferent to the concerns of large segments of society the presence of non-Whites and Jews within that institution may mean nothing other than that such places can always find those from traditionally outcast groups who are desperate to be “accepted” by others, no matter what their “values” may be.
Pleasehead I agree with that assessment.I think that any place that has an open policy toward inclusion -but a past that is the exactly opposite, probably has some carry over of the old guard.
I looked into the Chevy chase club.For what you get it is way way overpriced.It must be a status thing.Or a place to meet muckety -mucks to get contacts. A power trip.There are places all over like this.Gated communities where only the rich need apply(because they are the only ones dumb enough to lay out that kind of green?).
David Gregory is a practicing Jew (his father is Jewish), so the accusation of exclusionary behavior on the part of the club is no longer an issue. However, his membership points to another problem, that of our supposed adversarial watchdog press being a part of the wealthy elite they’re supposed to be scrutinizing and reporting on. It’s a huge conflict of interest, but it suits our overlords, so it continues unabated. Gregory is a tool for the 1%.