The Village discovers Costco

A number of the liberal bloggers I read (Atrios and Digby, primarily) use the term "The Village" to describe Beltway DC insularity in an unflattering way. This New York Times article illustrates this issue in a way that makes my skin crawl:

Ms. Baldrige said she saw no problem shopping for dinner parties at Costco.

“I would say bully for you, get the best deal you can,” she said. “Just don’t make that the main topic of conversation. Know a little bit about foreign affairs as well as how Costco is doing. Be able to be a little more scintillating other than being able to discuss the cost of your food.”

I guess it's nice to know that people involved in government are cost-conscious. But really, New York Times? Meanwhile, Rome burns.