McCain: Obama Is Rich Middle Class Too!

by hilzoy

The McCain campaign responds:

"Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?"

I thought that people who only make $4 million a year are still comfortably part of the middle class, according to John McCain. Of course, John McCain made even less than that last year, and since his definition of 'rich' conveniently omitted any mention of wealth, I guess he's middle class too, however many houses he has.

Comments

[Margarita]

... million-dollar mansion

I get the appeal of this dig, but just out of curiosity, does Obama really own a mansion? A million dollars ain't what it used to be. In California, it gets you a well-appointed (granite countertops!) ranch-style house in a nice subdivision, not a "mansion." But that's California.

[cleek]

apparently he does want to get into that debate, Mr Scrooge McCain !

and it's one you're gonna lose!

[hilzoy]

Excellent headline watch:

"People Who Live In Seven Glass Houses ...

[Jesurgislac]

Perhaps McCain meant to say "McMansion?"

[Jeff]

bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon

I wonder if the press will bring up that this is a flat-out lie? No I don't -- I know they won't.

[UncommonSense]

Does McCain really want to snipe at Obama over how much money each of them has? Because if he does, he should be prepared to talk about how each of them came into his fortune.

Obama made millions of dollars over the last few years by writing books that people wanted to buy. He grew up on food stamps, and now he's a self-made millionaire. That's the American dream.

McCain acquired more money than %99.999 of all Americans by divorcing his crippled, disfigured wife and marrying his young, pretty, immensely wealthy mistress whose fortune and family connections gave him his start in politics. He's living a dream. The family he left behind lived a nightmare.

If McCain really wants to have that argument, Obama should say, "bring it."

[Margarita]

"McMansion?"

Thank you. Yes, that's what a million dollars might get you. Rather more déclassé than élite, in polite society.

[Jesurgislac]

UncommonSense, I think you're kind of missing the point:

The media is on McCain's side. It's okay to marry into millions and jeer at your opponent's wealth if you're a Republican

The media is not on Obama's side. It's bad to be a self-made millionaire and it's bad to jeer at your opponent's wealth if you're a Democrat.

And judging by past performance, Obama is terrified to the point of inanity of the media being mean about him. It doesn't matter how popular a sharp retort to McCain would be to the regular people who can't imagine losing track of how many houses you have or when you became eligible to receive Social Security: the regular people don't matter. It's not as if their votes are going to decide this election.

[Nell]

Again, I recommend strongly that those seeking to take electoral advantage of McCain's not being able/willing to say how many houses he has focus the criticism not on his wealth (all presidential nominees are wealthy) but on his being

out of touch.

Out of touch with details he should know.
Out of touch with something every ordinary voter knows.
Out of touch with the lives of ordinary voters.
Out of touch.

[Turbulence]

Private beach? Huh?

Hawaii doesn't have private beaches. If it did, then every single foot of beach would have been bought up long ago. That's why you see little public beach access signs pointing the way to paths for public accessibility. Anyone can walk up to the Hyatt Regency or the Four Seasons and walk onto their beach. Whether or not they can get parking is a different story...

At least that's how I remember it on the main islands. I think some of the much smaller islands are effectively owned by single entities so the rules might differ in practice there.

[Turbulence]

Actually, on second thought, the Hyatt did have special parking reserved for public access beach goers. In fact, it seemed less full than the guest parking lot.

[bedtimeforbonzo]

What is cruel, Nell, is that McCain's "celebrity take" on Obama has painted the candidate his camp refers to as "The One" as out of touch, some would say with success.

[cleek]

yeah... but McCain was a POW.

QED.

[Bernard Yomtov]

I'd like to se a really nasty response to this. Something along the lines of uncommon sense's comment.

"Michelle and I got the money to buy our house by working for it. How many of his six or seven or ten houses can John McCain say the same thing about?"

[cleek]

yeah, what Bernard said.

[Gary Farber]

"yeah... but McCain was a POW."

But he doesn't like to talk about it.

[Nell]

@btfb: Some would say so. Those would mostly be people trying to push that same idea. (Not necessarily you.)

I don't agree, and certainly don't think that should prevent the use of the theme

McCain: out of touch

from being used effectively against the Republican nominee. Because it's true, it's easy to illustrate, it affects a great many important aspects of being a good president, and it's a way in which he closely resembles our current disaster of a president.

Meanwhile: Barack Obama is one of the least out-of-touch candidates for president in a long time. He's made his own money, he hasn't been in the Washington political-media elite bubble for decades, he and his wife are raising their young children themselves... (There's more that can be said in that vein, from people more closely identified with his candidacy; I'll leave it to them.)

True, he's not an average Joe: He's smart, good-looking, accomplished, and extremely capable (his campaign organization is an excellent demonstration of that). Aren't those are things people look for in a leader?

Haven't we had enough recent, painful experience with someone who can't or won't handle details himself?

[Curtis]

The question he answered Saturday night was specifically asking how much income you needed to be rich, and not how much wealth. He didn't conveniently leave it out; he just answered the question he was asked.

That said, out of touch, not like us, out of touch ....

[Ugh]

yeah... but McCain was a POW.

My god. That's all they have, isn't it? Literally, all they have.

Jim Lehrer: What does your healthcare plan consist of?

St. John of POW-BBQ: Well Jim, I didn't have to worry about healthcare for those five and a half years I spent as a POW, so I'm not sure it's of much concern to regular americans.

JL: How should America address the trade deficit?

SJOPB: Jim, the trade deficit was the last thing on my mind back when I was a POW.

JL: What's your plan for dealing with high gas prices:

SJOPB: We didn't even have money, let alone prices, when I was being held as a POW by the North Vietnamese.

JL: Are you insane?

SJOPB: *chuckles* I didn't worry about going insane while I was a POW in prison as a POW in a Vietnamese prison being held as a POW, why start now?

[Matt]

Nell has it absolutely right.

McCain needs to be hammered on this. You're basing your attacks on your opponent on him being "out of touch", and you can't even answer a simple question about your personal finances?

John McCain: Out of Touch. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

[Jeff]

The question he answered Saturday night was specifically asking how much income you needed to be rich, and not how much wealth. He didn't conveniently leave it out; he just answered the question he was asked.

The question was "For tax purposes, what would you call rich?" (at least that what it said on my TV screen). He totally failed to answer it.

[bedtimeforbonzo]

I like "John McCain: Out of His League" better.

But that might take too much explaining.

Actually, it's unfortunate that the Obama campaign still needs to define McCain.

Should have been done already.

[Nell]

Reckless and out of touch.

More of the same.

Hey, that first night of the Minnesota convention is really a draw, eh? Lieberman, Cheney, Bush.

[Lynn Dee]

Quote: "Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?"

But, Obama agrees he's well off and should pay more in taxes along with the rest of America's top 4%.

It's John McCain who keeps insisting this is all middle class and anyway taxes should be cut for everyone.

[jwo]

By all means, read the article that Hilzoy links, but keep reading down through the comments. All of the points brought up here for not attacking McCain's (Cindy's) wealth are supported there. "Out of Touch" would appear to be a much stronger approach.