Coming to a Commercial Near You
Remember now, Obama is the elitist:
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in an interview Wednesday that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own.“I think — I’ll have my staff get to you,” McCain told Politico in Las Cruces, N.M. “It’s condominiums where — I’ll have them get to you.”
The correct answer is at least four, located in Arizona, California and Virginia, according to his staff. Newsweek estimated this summer that the couple owns at least seven properties.
In recent weeks, Democrats have stepped up their effort to caricature McCain as living an outlandishly rich lifestyle — a bit of payback to the GOP for portraying Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as an elitist, and for turning the spotlight in 2004 on the five homes owned by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Channeling my inner Jeff Foxworthy: “If you don’t know how many houses you have, you might be elitist.”
I fully expect Bob Schieffer to dedicate his Sunday morning speech to the fact that McCain is just too busy defending us from evil to count his houses, and plus, why are you attacking his integrity? Don’t you know he was a POW?
Punchy
Ah…I bet CNN is all over this….
Headline on CNN.com:
Or maybe not. I’m so glad CNN doesn’t stoop to kindergarden puns and completely worthless information.
WAIT! OBAMA SNEEZES! HE CANT POSSIBLY BE PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL!
Jeffro
If the Obama campaign can’t turn this into the political ad of the year, I’ll be completely unsurprised.
But still…WHAT. A. GIFT.
Thanks St. John!
dmsilev
Possible VP candidate Tim Kaine on CNN yesterday:
Link
He’s rich and he’s a doddering fool. A two-fer.
-dms
jibeaux
One of the funnier things about this, to me, was that when the staff did get back to them, the answer was “at least four”.
Evidently, actually pinning down a firm number would take more manpower than they can spare right now.
AkaDad
McCain thinks the economy is strong. He also thinks the recession is psychological, it’s all in our heads. He doesn’t know how many houses he owns. He thinks earning 3 million a year is middle class.
If you just put yourself in his Ferragamos, you’ll see that he’s a man of the people.
UncommonSense
Here is the most amazing part of this story:
Even after researching it, the campaign could still only offer a ballpark estimate of how many homes McCain owns.
The guy literally owns more houses than he can count. Compared to McCain, Bush really is a brush-clearning cowboy.
wasabi gasp
Many Americans are currently unsure about their housing situation as well.
McCain is just one of the People.
croatoan
john Sidney McCain III, the senior senator from Arizona, can’t remember how many houses he owns.
Ed Drone
If you don’t know how many houses you have, you might be elitist.
If you think $2.5 Million a year is “middle class,”—you might be an elitist.
If you think the economy “is doing pretty well,” because your friends aren’t hurting, you might be an elitist.
If you think the answer to high gasoline prices is to give big oil companies rights to drill in environmentally risky areas, even though the oil won’t flow for five to ten years, you might be an elitist.
You may be an elitist if you think the answer to all our economic problems is to give huge tax cuts to the rich and skimpy ones to the rest of us.
If your footwear costs more than a month’s rent in Dodge City, Kansas, you might be an elitist.
If you are John Sidney McCain, you might be an elitist. Might be? Oh, Hell No! You are an elitist!
Ed
Davis X. Machina
I’m often told that the GOP gets the middle class voter to vote against their economic self-interest by convincing him his or her aspirations, and not his fears.
They’ve got my vote.
My aspiration is to live long enough to not be able to remember how many houses I have.
Keith
I would expect Andrea Mitchell to also posit that McCain doesn’t know because his wife is probably buying houses without telling him, so cut the poor (and honorable!) guy a break.
jibeaux
To be fair, I’m not sure exactly how much house I own either, but off the top of my head I’d put it at .05. Bank’s got the rest, but they do let me live there.
smiley
I don’t want to give them any ideas but I think this would be pretty easy to defend/deflect. But I don’t want to give them any ideas…
Davis X. Machina
Never say “Bob Schieffer”.
Say “Bob-whose-brother-Tom-was-the-Bush-appointed-US-ambassador-first-to-Australia-and-then-Japan Schieffer.”
Davebo
It seems likely that John McCain doesn’t own any houses.
Cindy made him sign a prenup before she married him. What are the odds she trusted him enough to put real estate in his name?
And if Cindy McCain doesn’t trust her husband, why should we.
Church Lady
How can anyone possibly own more homes than they can count? I can understand a second home, for vacations; but really, how many homes does one family need? And to not even have campaign staff be able to answer the question? Don’t they have access to McCain’s tax records? Unless the McCains own the homes free and clear, there’s probably interest on mortgages being deducted.
Face
McCain can’t count houses; he can only count thatched-roof prisoner-of-war huts. He was a POW, ya know. POWs can count these things. So shut up, that’s why.
boonagain
Since he has $100 million, I bet there aren’t too many mortgages involved
Davebo
Just as I suspected.
thomas
Church lady, they (probably Cindy) own those houses free and clear, I assume. With a net value of $100,000,000+ they don’t have to go to the mortgage company like us elite libruls.
I like Davebo’s comment. If Cindy can’t trust him with a budget why the hell should we?
jake
Perfect. To answer the question directly would immediately kill the “Common Man” meme. So he went with the doddering ditz who has to have the help count his houses.
Oh wait. Owning more homes than one can count isn’t as elitist as talking about arugula. Never mind.
This thread is chockfulloWIN btw.
rachel
Wasn’t one of their houses (in California) nearly seized by the state for non-payment of taxes recently?
guyermo
the obama campaign HAS turned this into a political ad, slated to run nationally
guyermo
grrr.
link
wasabi gasp
“Some Americans collect pennies or stamps, I collect living rooms.”
“I have ‘em, but I never really use ‘em. Its like having an extra toaster or ten.”
“When was the last time you counted your houses.”
William Teach
I seriously hope that what guyermo wrote is correct. I have heard the same thing.
And then the McCain campaign can remind people that Obama doesn’t even know how many states the USA has.
Balloon Juice
[...] Coming to a Commercial Near You [...]
Bedlam UK
I think Davebo is right.
He’s not sure, but the answer is probably zero. His missus owns at least four, probably more.
McCain, he has a room booked in at Shady Grove Retirement Home in case he doesn’t get the Whitehouse.
Poor Ol’ Wan*er (pow)
Andrew L.
I don’t think the Democrats should hit back using the term “elitist”. It’s such an empty word, and it just reminds people of the attacks on Obama. I would prefer that they change the terms of the debate. I think “out of touch” works better. Bonus: it reminds people he’s old.
“If you don’t know how many houses you own, you might be out of touch”
“If you only wear $500 Ferragamo loafers, you might be out of touch”
“If you think anyone making under $5 million isn’t rich, you might be out of touch”
les
Actually, when you have $100MM, you can reliably earn higher returns than us commoners; they may well have debt on the homes and make more $$ as a result.
Joanie Abalone
What If John Was One Of Us
If John was revealed, what would we see
And would Brian Williams tell you
If he were faced with John without John’s baloney
What would he ask if he had just one question
And yeah yeah John is great yeah yeah John is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if John was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Not some straight-shooter on a bus
Trying to weasel his way home
If John was revealed what would he look like
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like endless needless thoughtless brainless war
And yeah yeah John is great yeah yeah John is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if John was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Not some straight-shooter on a bus
Trying to weasel his way home
He’s trying to weasel his way home
Back up to claim that white house throne
Three AM callers on the phone
But in John’s head there’s no one home
And yeah yeah John is great yeah yeah John is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if John was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Not some straight-shooter on a bus
Trying to weasel his way home
Just trying to weasel his way home
Like the anointed George Bush clone
Back up to claim the white house throne
Just trying to weasel his way home
Back up to claim that white house throne
But in John’s head there’s no one home
Paul Weimer
I think Davebo is right.
He’s not sure, but the answer is probably zero. His missus owns at least four, probably more.
McCain, he has a room booked in at Shady REST Retirement Home in case he doesn’t get the Whitehouse.
Fixed.
I’d pay money to see McCain go up against Bubba Ho-Tep!
CMcC
“Why are you attacking his integrity? Don’t you know he was a POW.”
A POW who only got where he was in the Navy because his grand daddy and daddy were admirals. A POW who wasn’t even tortured (see George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, et all). A POW who came home and cheated on his wife (who had loyally waited for him, been horribly injured, and desperately needed her returning husband). Dumped her. Paid her off. Married his rich mistress. Moved into more homes than he can count.
Impressive.
smiley
BUT HE WAS A P
W!
smiley
What happened to the O?