Susie Madrak at C&L has a rather gentle biography of Senate Candidate, and spider from Mars, Christine O'Donnell. It how she became first a wacky pundit, and now an even wackier Republican nominee for Senator in Delaware.
Ms. O'Donnell came from a politically liberal family of modest means, and she would never have had the resources to do more than part time activities in Democratic party politics, but as a Republican, she was able to eke out a living as a Z-list pundit (and by stealing campaign funds).
Looking at the young people involved prominently in think tanks, magazines, and in low-level paid staffing positions, Ivy League Trustifarians appear to occupy a greater role in Democratic party institutions, even if you ignore The New Repubic's aggressive affirmative action program for Ivy League plagiarists from Ivy League.
I think that the DC Democratic establishment, and its donors, have a much shorter term view regarding identifying, and cultivating talent, and this is penny wise and pound foolish
(Quotes from Ms. Madrack more after break)
.... Due to the many economic hurdles presented by the elite Democratic classes (things like unpaid, career-track internships), it's almost impossible for working-class activists to move up to the national policy and strategy ranks. The only realistic route for lower-class people who aren't identified with a specific group but have leadership qualities are via conservative Republican politics.
.....
Their [Republican] organizations have numerous programs to develop leadership qualities among the bottom ranks, programs where people don't have to worry about having the money to pay for it. The fundamentalist churches feed their talent directly into the Republican party structure. Where do you go if you're a working class Democrat and you don't have a union job?
The difference, I think, is that Republican donors are more than willing to subsidize that kind of long-term strategy -- and most Democrats aren't. Democrats seem to think you can only be a leader if you're a lawyer, a member of the military, or a college professor -- or went to an Ivy League school.