5sbslr5,
Yes, there is a real difference.
Both major parties are comprised of both elitist and populist elements. For instance, the elite faction within the Democratic party is represented by Robert Reich and his Caynesian (sp?) macroeconomic policies while the populist faction generally tends to be the unions and the "Reagan Democrats".
The Republicans likewise have their elitist camp known as the Rockefeller Wing of the party. They also have their populist wing in the religious right.
The fight over the results of the last presidential election was an elitist / populist split. The populists screamed "every vote must count" and "one man / one vote!" The elitists appealed to the framer's aristocratic distrust of the unwashed masses as embodied in the Electoral College and the Rule of Law.
I think that I am a bit of an elitist. I'd rather have constitutional scholars interpret the 2nd Amendment than a hoard of estrogenical harpies (say a Million Moms or so). [BD]