John McCain’s Houses
How rich and out of touch with ordinary American working stiffs is John McCain? Why, he doesn’t even know how many houses he owns!
This story, published by The Politico, is now the top story on Memeorandum.
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.
The subject has especially captivated Matt Yglesias, newly of the Center for American Progress, who has written not one, not two, not three, not four, but five posts on the subject as of this writing. And Matt, who is no McCain fan and who will certainly pull the lever for Obama in November, isn’t even upset about the issue. Indeed, he’s perfectly fair about the whole thing, noting in post four that it takes some really bogus math to come up with some of the high numbers of McCain property opponents are touting.
Andrew Sullivan, who some have accused of being over-the-top in his praise for Obama and criticism of McCain, likewise gives this a big, “So what?” He’s right, too, that this is tit for tat:
McCain invited accusations of elitism by calling Obama an arugula-loving, berry-tea-drinking, Starbucks-swilling, elite liberal know-nothing. But watching the left attack McCain for having multiple houses and $520 shoes is not exactly uplifting either.
Indeed. The whole “I’m a regular guy and my opponent is an elitist poof” meme that gets trotted out every four years is silly. The last time we had a regular working stiff get elected president was . . . when, exactly? Never? I suppose Bill Clinton wasn’t rich when he got elected in 1992 nor was Richard Nixon in 1968. But a sitting governor or a former vice president isn’t exactly Joe Lunchpail.
Photo credit: JAMD
James,
Stop and consider the possibility that McCain knows exactly how many houses he owns.
None.
Cindy made him sign a prenup before marriage, what are the odds she would put real estate in his name?
See Here
What’s worse, saying you own say 7 houses, or that you don’t own any houses?
The Obama camp is not focused on the elitist issue, as much as the “out of touch” issue. Their point is that it is not surprising that McCain thinks the economy has made great progress and that his chief economic advisor thinks we’re all just a nation of whiners. Regardless of whether people deserved what they got when they bought more house than they could afford, the reality is that there is a lot of economic insecurity out there and that McCain, perhaps in part because of his lavish lifestyle, might not be the best person to deal with this challenge.
Regardless of Obama’s own elite status — he’s a wealthy (though self-made), Harvard-educated Senator — he seems to be concerned about the kinds of issues that McCain largely just wants to dismiss.
Conservatives want to make this about elitism, liberals want to make this about sensitivity to economic insecurity. We’ll see how the debate plays out.
Another great example of the short-term memory of politics. Remember in 2004 when Republicans were hammering John Kerry about his wealth (also via his wife)?
Now because the GOP candidate has the bigger portfolio (and make no mistake, Obama certainly isn’t an “average guy” financially either), the Democratic party is taking shots at McCain over wealth without the slightest sense of irony.
“poof”
I’m sorry, have you become the landlord of a pub in the East End of London while I wasn’t looking?
From an income standpoint Clinton was pretty close. If “Joe Lunchpail” was a union member, his income was probably higher than Bill Clinton’s salary as governor of Arkansas. Clinton’s compensation did include living expenses, though.
The point of this isn’t that Obama is some kind of a regular joe and McCain isn’t…it’s that McCain is just as elite (if not more so) than Obama, so he’s simply pushing back against charges of “elitism”. Sure it’s tit for tat, but people are really going to complain about this kind of thing when McCain spent a whole month running ads comparing his opponent to Paris Hilton? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Clinton was the closest, in terms of income, yes.
However, it is hard to be considered anything other than “elite” if one is a governor of a state.
Indeed, his Rhodes Scholar background and his Yale law degree make him elite by themselves.
I state this, btw, not as a critique of Clinton. It is simply that no one becomes a major party candidate for the presidency of the United States without first achieving elite status (if not being a “celebrity” to some degree).
Having been involved with SCCA for many years,I have met elitists and regular guys.Being rich has little to do with what is essentially an attitude.
There are “Regular Guys” who own large companies, and elitists who carry lunch pails through the week, and vice-versa.
The truly Elite don’t need “elitism” to maintain their status.
I think many of these comments miss the point. Most Americans don’t have a problem with people (even candidates) being rich, successful or even elite. They have a major problem with candidates that are elitist, i.e., those that look down on others.
That is, if you’re rich and share my values, I can vote for you. If you are elitist (and you don’t have to be rich to be elitist) and don’t share my values or worse still look down on my values (e.g., you think I “cling to guns†rather than having an appreciation that I enjoy and want to protect what I see as my heritage) then I won’t vote for you.
I think McCain is fair game on this. His campaign has tried to pin the “grand lifestyle” label on Obama. There is also the issues of the GOP painting Obama as lacking in core American values. Well, Obama made his money the old fashioned way. He earned it.
I think the entire issue is bogus. Joe Lunchpail will never have the resources to run effectively for national office. They run all the time for President. How many are out there this time? Something like 120? Not one single one will be considered seriously regardless of their ability to lead. They’ve never proven, on a national level, they have the ability to pay their own bills much less understand a trillion dollar budget. We won’t say stuff like that out loud, but instinctively we want people what are successfull to be the commander in chief.
Point 2: Don’t give me that Average-Joe Bill Clinton crap. They were in the top 3% nationally in income BEFORE he got elected:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/1992/07/01/87389/index.htm
The only President in my lifetime that wasn’t pretty dang wealthy before he went in was Nixon.
That should tell ya something.
That should also tell ya something about all those people lookin for the next average guy who wants to be president.
To play in this league, I want the pros. I think most people expect that whether they’ll admit it, or even understand it.
Forget the president I’d be very happy if we could get more working class people into congress.
How can you have a representative democracy in which your representatives are all taken from a single economic class?
That’d be fine if wealth were any indication of success but it isn’t. Given that inheritance and investments are the two largest sources of wealth for the rich there’s no correlation at all between having money and having the first clue who to operate anything.
Single economic class? They’re mostly drawn from a single profession: the practice of law.
Alexander Hamilton’s reflections in Federalist 36 are interesting on this topic:
Far from what Hamilton envisioned practically all of our representatives are members of a single “learned profession”.
By the way, any real tea drinker knows that you don’t drink “berry tea”, you drink Barry’s Tea.
At least acknowledging that this is tit-for-tat (as James is) is a lot better than McCain’s spokesman’s response It doesn’t matter — he was a POW.
You were alive when Nixon was president, but not Clinton? Carter was comfortable financially, but not wealthy. Not sure about Ford.
Like James and others, it doesn’t bother me in the least that McCain is rich. It is fair to note, however, that McCain was the first to bring his campaign down to this level. I think that says something.
Hugh Shytle’s point is correct. Money and elitism don’t go hand in hand. Ask Uncle Jed.
Barry’s Tea? Tea from Ireland? Why not schedule some more pep rallies at the EU?
Seriously, I like Honest Tea. I get it at regular grocery stores or Target. It seems like its about the same price as Lipton’s Ice Tea or Snapple. How did it become elite?
I think many of these comments miss the point. Most Americans don’t have a problem with people (even candidates) being rich, successful or even elite. They have a major problem with candidates that are elitist, i.e., those that look down on others.
Bingo. Which is why this probably won’t get much traction after a day or so.
Most people understand and know that it is mostly the rich that run for office. I don’t think anyone is shocked that McCain is rich.
I think what rubs the wrong way is the “I know better than the peons” attitude. I am not even convinced not being certain of how many houses you own comes across this way. I honestly suspect McCain wasn’t sure how to answer the question-after all his wife certainly is the sole owner of some of those homes, and I imagine he has investment properties. His answer was definitely a flub, but not one that I think will resonate much beyond those who don’t like him anyway.
Much like I think a lot of the elitist charges towards Obama don’t fly too much outside of the segment predisposed to disliking him.
What evidence do we have that McCain is a regular guy who just happens to have money? None that I am aware of.
Maybe going to the Bahamas in Charles Keating’s private jet was his version of bowling night…
With all due respect, that misses the point too.
Rich people do rich things, like jet to the islands. That fact doesn’t affect any of us either positively or negatively. We have to judge the candidates words and deeds vis-Ã -vis the policies they support that WILL affect us (e.g., foreign policy, taxes, social policy) to determine if we think they share our values and worldview. Where they vacation, what they drive/fly, and how much money they have in the bank really doesn’t matter, or at least shouldn’t matter.
Actually, James is a really good indicator of how much skin this skin this stuff is taking from McCain. Most of the stuff he ignores and doesn’t bother to post about causes some roiling but not a big bite out of McCain.
However, it seems that when he does bother to post as he did with this one, the issue is one where it seems to actually get some skin and a bit of muscle in the blow.
So far, the OTB metric seems spot on. I’ll have to see if this is another one of those issues.
Considering that McCain and his Rovian team have decided that the “Celebrity” attack against Obama was a winning ticket, this gaffe of McCain’s seems to be pretty debilitating. Obama seems to be pressing it pretty well and it seems highly likely that it will at least neutralize his Rovian strategy on this – and may do much more damage in the long run.
That too, although at least you can make a case that intimte knowledge of the law is a boon to those who write the law. I think the argument has serious holes in it but still it is something. On the other hand there are no arguments for electing only the rich except utilitarian ones (the rich are more capable of spending the time/money required to get elected).
prostitutes?
The danger for McCain (and I am not saying he is in any) is not whether he has 7 houses or 70, but whether he is perceived to have any idea what it is like to be someone with zero or one heavily mortgaged one. Kind of like GWB at the grocery store in 1992. Usually rich people can do better in this area so long as they were once regular people and seem to remember what it was like. If McCain doesn’t, then there is more room for Obama to score points on issues like taxing work vs. cap gains, etc.
Perhaps McCain should say, “look pal, what joe sixpack like me is going to run away from Miss Budweiser?”
As for elistism, well … most Americans are pretty elitist (shining city on the hill, greatest country in the world, etc). In reasonable doses it might be pretty healthy. Christianity is pretty darn elitist. Seems to me that many people who complain about others being elitists are themselves insecure elitists from a different tribe. Heck, isn’t it also elitist to look down on someone for holding views you think make them elitist? So you think you’re better than that latte-sipping Ivy Leaguer? Please, go on.
The issue isn’t “elitist”–it is the fact that McCain is clueless.
Do you want someone with the power to send the country to war who doesn’t even know something as basic as how many homes he has?
It is part of a pattern:
He needs two people to help him use email and the web, for crissakes.
He repeatedly talks about conditions in a country that hasn’t existed in nearly 20 years.
He thinks that the liberal Congressman John Lewis is one of the wisest men in the country and promises to commit to having him serve as an adviser in his administration, yet he has never asked his advice on any subject during their time together in the House and as a Senator.
He thinks that an undocumented agricultural worker makes $100,000/year picking lettuce.
He thinks that Iran is training Al-Quaeda forces in Iraq and has to count on the liberal Democrat Loserman to correct him.
He calls Social Security a “disgrace.”
This latest “house” gaffe is further evidence that McCain is simply not mentally solid enough to be president. He is in way over his head.
Heck, isn’t it also elitist to look down on someone for holding views you think make them elitist? So you think you’re better than that latte-sipping Ivy Leaguer? Please, go on.
Fence, excellent comment.
McCain hasn’t got the faintest idea what it’s like to be an ordinary guy, because he never was one. That isn’t fatal in a candidate — think of Kennedy — but it is fatal if you also can’t empathize with the ordinary citizen. McCain has been coddled all his life, sheltered by being the son of a flag officer, and living the luxurious life of an heir. The only time he ever had a normal career, during his early Navy days, he was protected by his father from mistakes that would have ended the career of any other officer or cadet.
Americans don’t mind rich people. They like Gates, Trump, Buffet, and Perot perfectly well. What they don’t like is some out-of-touch jackass who obviously would be helpless if he suddenly had to ear an honest week’s pay. This house gaffe combined with his comments on the border between Iran and Pakistan and his shameless warmongering on South Ossetia will put many Americans off the McCain bandwagon.
The only time he ever had a normal career, during his early Navy days, he was protected by his father from mistakes that would have ended the career of any other officer or cadet.
Cite?
“I think McCain is fair game on this.”
This is true but I think this is a big loser for the Obama campaign. It gives the McCain camp a reason to not only bring up the Obama home dealings story (again) but it opens the door to the poeple around those dealings that I don’t think Obama wants to talk about.
As for pinning the “out of touch elitist” pin on McCain, that’s pissin’ in to the wind on the heals of a week long secluded private getaway to Hawaii. Don’t get me wrong, maybe a good tactic, definitely the poor timing.
Congratulations to all that bit on this topic. JM made a silly gaff (no doubt) and BHO’s campaign threw this up to draw fire away from his poor performance at The Saddleback Church last weekend and his drop in the polls. Glad to see that the Blogosphere is now beginning to join the MSM is devoting so much time and energy to useless partisan bickering instead of productive examination of things that will have a bearing on our future.
Cite?
John McCain’s own book Faith of My Fathers.
If they are already rich, then maybe they’d be less susceptible to selling their votes or working to impress a future employer.
Because the wealthy have a long history of being so ethical?
It is a theory but it fails in real life.
The whole “I’m a many regular guy and my opponent is an elitist
poofpoufâ€Pfffft.
Yeah, James, but he started it.
(I mean, c’mon!!!!, for John McCain to flog Obama for being elitist… It is a joke.
Follow the money…
How many houses do you own? I’ll bet 5 mill at 10 to 1 odds, you can answer that question. Game?
The whole elitist thing is just electioneering on both sides, and I think most people know it. Its probably one reason almost 50% of the population doesn’t bother to vote at all … they think it makes no difference because whoever gets elected doesn’t have the foggiest idea of what life is like for normal folks.
They’re probably right. On the other hand, knowing what life is like for normal folks isn’t necessarily the most important element of being a good president.
JW Baker:
All his life? I presume you have never been a Naval Officer or a military brat else you would not have made that statement. His father certainly was not a flag officer all of Senator McCain’s life. Looking at a few details I find that McCain was born when his father was 25. Assuming commission at 22 years old he was probably an Ensign or a new LTjg when his future Senator son was born. He made flag rank about when John McCain entered the Naval Academy and during Sen McCain’s elementary school days was away fighting on submarines in the Pacific War, with submarines having the highest WW II mortality rate. Now the life of the son of a Naval Officer (and from a line of Naval Officers) in the 1930s and 1940s is not the comparable to the Joads of Steinbeck, but it wasn’t “coddled.”
Regardless, there is further clarification at Politico. The homes are owned by his wife and she takes care of the domestic financial arrangements while he worries about politics. That should be OK unless you are a Neanderthal regarding male-female roles. John McCain has never tried to say he came from a poor background, and he certainly did marry into money (with a prenupt).
McCain is not only confused about how many homes he owns, he is also confused about foreign affiars –Supposedly his Strong Point, as revealed by the link below:!
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-john-mccain-and-his-secretive-plot-to-kill-the-un-903998.html
“If someone can’t keep track of their personal finances — for example, can’t even say how many homes they own — should they really be in charge of our whole nation’s finances? (Gordon Fischer)
McCain, I do think your Confusion or pardon me, your Age is Showing!
One liberal supports the Holocaust of 49 million murdered American babies and one don’t, but once again the things that should qualify or disqualify are are ignored for piddly partysin stupidity substituted as discussion!
Dude why does the first black candidate support whole heartedly the Nazi institution of abortion created in this country by a racist to control the black population?
for that matter why does the Democrat party or any black person or any one who thinks that they are Christian, or when you come down to it any one with a heart or a functioning brain support it.
there are two possible answers.
1) you are evil.
2) you have been brainwashed by evolutionists and your were taught that a consensus of them said it was OK.
Sure, it’s either 1 or 0, depending on one’s view of a mortgage.
McCain’s situation is more complicated because 1) his wife inherited some properties that they’ve likely never been to, 2) people with such holdings tend to have “people” to manage them for them, and 3) McCain seems not to much care about this sort of thing and lets others handle them.
As one moves up the economic ladder, one is less cognizant of money matters generally. I used to know, within a couple dollars, what my utility bills were each month off the top of my head. That’s no longer the case. If I had a multi-million dollar estate, I presume I’d lose track of more details.
markm,
“This is true but I think this is a big loser for the Obama campaign. It gives the McCain camp a reason to not only bring up the Obama home dealings story (again) but it opens the door to the poeple around those dealings that I don’t think Obama wants to talk about.”
And true enough, McCain is releasing an ad about Tony Rezko. On the other hand, does anyone really believe that in a campaign managed by a Karl Rove disciple, the Rezko ad would not have run? As an Obama supporter, I’d rather have the ad go out now, when it will be swallowed by the VP nominations and convention coverage, than in mid-October. Obama is keeping his powder (Keating 5, flip-flops on taxes and abortion, in extremis Cindy McCain’s drug use, etc.) dry for now.
If McCain weren’t such a hothead, he’d be doing the same.
The Rezko ad or at least something along that line was definitely going to run at some point. I also don’t think there is any way possible Obama is going to survive the general campaign without a few ads about Ayers and Wright. Whether McCain is involved in the ads or some other 527 type group is to be seen, but Obama isn’t going to get a pass on either when it comes to the ad wars.
The timing of this one just provides some cover to the attack-a sort of “he did it first” type cover.
WRT Rezko, I think that it will only have legs and do any real harm if the media start running with it. Given that Obama sat down and spent hours exhaustively answering any an all questions with reporters on this issue during the primary, and given that even the toughest of those reporters left proclaiming they were fully satisfied with Obama’s explanation and answers, I don’t think it will even begin to crawl.
The “keeping the powder dry” comment is a good one. McCain’s camp seems to be flailing – the “kitchen sink” strategy, to coin a phrase. They’re throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. Nothing really has at all. And to the point of the comment, it’s quite early for them to be flailing this badly. It’s like a complete amateur with a powerful weapon, spraying bullets all over in the vain hope of hitting something vital and doing damage.
I think that when the dust settles, we’ll get a nice juicy document dump from the McCain campaign like we recently saw from the Hillary campaign and we’ll find they were remarkably similar in their failings.
All of this goes to showing that a brutal primary fight really has honed the Obama team and prepared them quite well. McCain’s odd victory and subsequent rolling due to the winner takes all rules the Republican primaries were operated under has left the McCain campaign lazy, soft and incredibly undisciplined.
It’ll be quite entertaining to see how things move from here on out.
Do you know–off the top of your head–which countries border Afghanistan and Iraq?
I would assume you do–lightweight McCain doesn’t.
Do you know–off the top of your head–that the establishment of the Awakening Councils in Anbar preceded Bush’s surge?
I would assume you do–lightweight McCain doesn’t.
Do you know–off the top of your head–that Czechoslovakia has not existed for nearly two decades?
I would assume you do–lightweight McCain doesn’t.
The more we learn about this guy, the more he shows a lack of fitness for processing basic information. To have this clown making life or death decisions is incredibly scary.
Triumph do you know off the top of your head how many states there are in the union?
Hmmmm. Doesn’t look like McCain will come out on the winning side of this political tiff if they keep printing paragraphs like this:
Killer retort, dude.
I usually don’t like posting the same post on two different blogs but what the hay.
My interest is Obama’s great leaps in income once he became a politician. Book sales after he became a top Presidential contender, I can understand but the rest should be investigated.
McCain attitude toward being rich has been more in term of a person lifestyle than net income. I’m sure he considers himself as currently rich. When he was being torture, he may had trust funds and receiving a pretty good income as a Naval Officer but I doubt that he consider himself rich at the time.
Brilliant point, Wayne! If a rich person has a high income and stays rich, that’s the American way! But if a regular person suddenly becomes rich, that’s probably a crime!
What doe McCain’s experience as a POW have to do with this issue? It’s 40 years later, and he has been living a life of a very wealthy, very powerful man for a long time.
Does John McCain have a frigging clue what it is like to not be able to afford a decent education for you kids? To wonder if you can keep up on house payments if you are laid off? I think not.
I have nothing against McCain for having money, but the fact is that he married his, and his attempt to portray Obama, a guy who worked his way up and made his money, as an elitist living the life or Reilly, is kind of an insult to one’s intelligence.
James,
it’s 0… (houses that you own)
And yes, one does lose track of certain things as one moves up (or “over” as in my own case) (I put so much per month in the joint account and my girlfriend pays the bills and I am only too happy to let her)
BUT… McCain brought this on himself… He attacked Obama for being elitist because he preferred arugulla lettuce (I have some growing in my garden) to iceberg (I have none in my garden)…
This is like saying, “I drink Coors!” (What is the difference between Coors and having sex on a beach? They are both F***ing near water.) as opposed to a “micro-beer”.
McCain: “Obama, (who was raised by a single mother, got thru college on his own smarts and college loans), is ELITIST!!!”
McCain: “I don’t even know how many houses I own.”
Yes, it is a stupid discussion, having absolutely nothing to do with the issues of the day, but McCain brought us here…. and now he doesn’t like it?
“If the shoe hurts, wear it… and shut up.” as I like to say.
Good point. The fact that the McCain campaign has willfully brought our pubic discourse to a new low should be a campaign issue in it’s own right. We have a lot of serious problems to deal with and he wants to talk about Paris Hilton.
Hearing macho John McCain whining when he is hoisted by his own petard is rather revealing of his charachter…