The Eastern media establishment.

It's a term that's thrown around during political seasons - mostly by Midwestern and Southern conservatives looking to establish an "us vs. them" rapport with potential supporters. It's the language of commoner vs. snob, a good day's living vs. ivory-tower intellectualism, manliness vs. the metrosexual.

Now, media criticism of farm subsidies has led some North Dakota Democrats to pick up similar rhetoric.

Over the last few months, the Washington Post did an investigation titled "Harvesting Cash," in which it highlighted cases where nonfarmers and dead people received subsidy checks. The Post, along with the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, also editorialized against farm subsidies.

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., cited these "bias" reports, which are read heavily in Washington, as a top roadblock to the farm bill.

"They've always kind of looked down their nose at us," he said of Eastern reporters. "It's an inescapable feeling after dealing with them for so many years."

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said at a gathering of farmers that the reports happen because Eastern reporters have no idea what it's like to be a Midwestern farmer.

"They really don't understand our lives out here," he said. "They don't care to understand."

- Jonathan Rivoli