New Obama ad: Hey, McCain’s rich; Update: RNC releases Rezko memo; Update: Rezko may be sentenced on October 28
posted at 12:05 pm on August 21, 2008 by Allahpundit
After 18 months on the trail, this is the closest he’s come to a memorable ad. Seriously. I wrote about this line of attack back when David Brock floated his “sugar mommy” turd. It’ll help Obama marginally — the appeal of class warfare is evergreen, especially in a bad economy — but it’d help a lot more if McCain actually looked the part Obama’s trying to make him play. Americans are used to the idea of politicians being filthy rich; it’s not wealth itself that puts fangs into the attack, it’s how wealth suggests luxury, entitlement, softness, and selfishness. Good luck with that, Barry. The instant response from McCain HQ:
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? Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people “cling” to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans?
The reality is that Barack Obama’s plans to raise taxes and opposition to producing more energy here at home as gas prices skyrocket show he’s completely out of touch with the concerns of average Americans. –McCain spokesman Brian Rogers
It’s high time for a Rezko ad, just like it was high time for an Ayers ad yesterday. Still, an embarrassing gaffe this morning in forgetting how many homes he owns, nearly matched by the embarrassing lameness of Tim Kaine’s third-grade bon mot in reply. Was the Nelson Muntz “ha-ha” sound effect not available? Exit question: Is this final, definitive proof that Hillary’s not going to be VP? Surely Obama wouldn’t drop this ad and then turn around and put the $100-million-dollar woman on the ticket.
Update: Prepare for Rezko-mania: The McCain camp is e-mailing around Freddoso’s op-ed about him in today’s New York Post. Oh, the fun we’ll have with that Hillary “slum lord” soundbite if she’s the nominee.
Update: Good point at the Standard. Too bad Silky’s no longer in the picture politically. He would have come in awfully handy here.
Update: Rezko-mania arrives at last. Here’s the RNC fact sheet, in PDF format.
Update: October surprise!
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 Next »
So why did the Democrats nominate John Kerry then is what I wonder.
Topsecretk9 on August 21, 2008 at 1:32 PM
True dat playa!
carbon_footprint on August 21, 2008 at 1:32 PM
Time for a “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Democrats” ad from the RNC, featuring the Edwards manse, the Kennedy Compound, John Kerry’s multiple homes, Pelosi’s San Francisco block-sized mansion, and maybe a Soros yacht or two.
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Don’t forget Diane Feinstein.
carbon_footprint on August 21, 2008 at 1:37 PM
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Perfect, I’d also like to an ad of Obama claiming he was on the banking committee or whatever committee he claimed he was on.
Topsecretk9 on August 21, 2008 at 1:41 PM
From NRO Corner. The Dems really think this has legs:
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 1:44 PM
If someone offered me a few extra houses and a dump truck full of money in exchange for agreeing to let people shoot bullets and missiles at me for a while, and then be malnourished, beaten and tortured in a Viet Cong prison for a few years, I think I’d decline. So if McCain has a bundle, good for him– he’s as entitled as anybody I know.
morganfrost on August 21, 2008 at 1:44 PM
Not to mention John Edwards’ house in NC he was too embaressed to let people in to, so it had to be photographed from the air for news reports.
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 1:46 PM
If I were a woman, I would want McCain spokesman Brian Rogers to father my children. His response statements are priceless. 2 for 2. The last one nailed him on Ayers and this one gratuitously tossed in Rezko.
Brian Rogers is made of win.
BKennedy on August 21, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Oh rockmom, when will you learn that those Dems you mentioned are out there fighting injustices and inequality that people like Bush and his twin McCain have put in place. Therefore, it’s okay for those champions of freedom to have mansions and live luxurious lifestyles – - they are superior to us all. We should all be happy that they want to take money away from the evil rich republican corporations and people, and put it into healthcare for all and clean energy (not that nasty earth-killing oil that makes us sick). These great Democratic leaders will bring Big Oil to its knees, improve our image throughout the world by making friends with all leaders, and redistribute wealth.
SARCASM
Rick on August 21, 2008 at 1:50 PM
You must admit, it is pretty moronic to not know how many houses you own. And it’s not a senile attack; it’s an attack on his rich a*s trying to act like an everyday American.
And the point isn’t that Obama isn’t rich. The point is McCain is a highfalutin’ rich guy who’s out of touch with the common American’s struggles. Obama isn’t much less out of touch, but he is closer to regular folks by a large margin.
I can’t wait for idiots to shriek that the houses belong to his wife, not him, so they don’t count.
Dave Rywall on August 21, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Rezko is being sentenced two weeks before the election. Wonder what kind of cooperation the US Attorney is asking for in exchange for a recommendaiton of a more lenient sentence.
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 1:53 PM
John Kerry said his cars, especially the gas-guzzling SUVs, belonged to the “family,” not to him.
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Well thats a strong argument for Obama to use, I suggest you email the Baracky campaign and recommend it.
As I said earlier, this could be a winner for Obama: “Vote for me because my limo isn’t as long as McCain’s”.
Hope and change, change and hope.
Bishop on August 21, 2008 at 1:56 PM
dig, dig, dig that hole
right until you lose!
I’m going to make a donation to the RNC right now. Good work guys! Still sitting on my McCain donation until I know if it’s a decent investment or not. Hint, hint: I’m pro-choice and I won’t donate if the ticket includes Lieberman or Ridge. They are electoral suicide, and I don’t enable suicide.
funky chicken on August 21, 2008 at 1:57 PM
I don’t want to spoil the party or anything, but I was driving home from work today when I heard this on the radio. My friend that I commute with didn’t think it would fly, but I disagreed. It’s a neat package and the statement documents itself, making it an easy, quick soundbite. It won’t change a lot of votes in itself, but it will be used for a variety of purposes, including reinforcing the senility meme and establishing McCain as an out-of-touch rich guy.
Of course, I also said at the time that McCain’s best counter is the “I may not keep close track of my wife’s financial investments, but none of the people who paid for our properties are currently doing time.”
Immolate on August 21, 2008 at 1:58 PM
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Shhhhhh…you’re ruining his claim that the party of Kennedy consists only of salt of the earth types.
BTW, have you average American farmers seen the price of arugula at the Whole Foods store lately? You guys shop there, right?
Bishop on August 21, 2008 at 1:59 PM
I wonder if Obama sold his condo when he moved into the mansion?
davod on August 21, 2008 at 2:02 PM
Sure he is. Everyone in Iowa eats arugala and buys groceries at health food stores when they aren’t bitterly clinging to their guns and bibles. Barry’s just a regular folks kind of guy. So was John Kerry.
a capella on August 21, 2008 at 2:03 PM
.
+1
Think_b4_speaking on August 21, 2008 at 2:06 PM
“In October 1998, Obama wrote city and state officials, urging them to give Rezko $14 million to build an apartment complex outside of Obama’s state Senate district. The Chicago Sun-Times noted last year that Obama’s request included $855,000 in “development fees” for Rezko and for another developer, Allison Davis, who happened to be Obama’s old law-firm boss. Obama’s spokesman said it was just a coincidence that the state senator wrote letters to obtain millions of dollars for his two longtime friends.”
Can you imagine if a Republican did anything CLOSE to this and then received a “loan” from the guy?
Good lord. It’s not only “why is Barack Obama running for President”, it’s “why isn’t Barack Obama serving time in jail”.
What an absolute piece of stinking garbage Barack Obama is.
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 2:06 PM
I hope McCain and the RNC are prepared to turn on a dime and campaign against Hillary. The DEMS flipped twice in New Jersey and the courts let them get away with it.
davod on August 21, 2008 at 2:07 PM
And you “just folks” out there, do you know how much it costs for dancing lessons and summer camp these days? Michelle O can tell you.
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 2:09 PM
That’s gonna backfire and bite them in the ass, bigtime. Their boy has way too many skeletons rattling around to go this route with no meat on the bone.
a capella on August 21, 2008 at 2:09 PM
Rick on August 21, 2008 at 2:11 PM
Dave,
I suppose it would not occur to you that John McCain has had a few other things on his mind for the last 26 years or so than how many condos his wife owns. The reason it does matter that his wife owns the propoerties is that, well, she does. He’s a U.S. Senator, not a real estate mogul. I daresay liberal heroes Ted Kennedy and Jay Rockefeller probably couldn’t tell a reporter on the spot how many houses their families own.
I also suppose it would not occur to you that John McCain is still willing to risk an occasional gaffe like this one in order to continue meeting and talking to ordinary people at townhall meetings and have regular discussions with reporters, unlike your Messiah who apparently had to sneak off to Hawaii for teleprompter training and refuses to allow any off-the-cuff discussion with reporters.
This isn’t the first little gaffe McCain has made; and it won’t be the last. But every day that Barack Obama spends playing “gotcha” on these things and not spelling out to the American people why, after one year in the U.S. Senate, he is ready to be the leader of the free world is a GOOD day for John McCain.
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 2:11 PM
If you think “arugala”(sic) is some fancy food then you’re a complete idiot. If you think shopping for food in a health food store means anything else other than you enjoy shopping there, you’re an even bigger idiot.
Just admit McCain is a rich, rich, rich guy who is rich. Nobody ever said he didn’t deserve to be rich. The point is he’s trying to paint himself as aregular guy when he hasn’t been one in a long long time.
Obama certainly isn’t a regular guy either, but his life is far closer to the common American’s experience than McCain.
Everyone who runs for president is rich. I don’t understand how this very simple fact eludes you all.
Dave Rywall on August 21, 2008 at 2:13 PM
I misspoke. It’s one week before the election, Oct. 28, not two.
Wonder how much Obama will offer Rezko to have a “heart spell” so it gets postponed? A pardon would be contingent on getting elected, and he wouldn’t dare do it until his second term..
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 2:15 PM
“Obama certainly isn’t a regular guy either, but his life is far closer to the common American’s experience than McCain.”
Yeah, I remember when I went to Harvard and got elected as the editor of the Harvard Law Review, became a “community organizer” (whatever the hell that is), got elected as a representative where I did pretty much nothing but grasp for the next rung on the ladder. I really connect with Obama.
Please. Obama thinks of himself as a god on earth because he’s been treated that way his whole life.
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 2:17 PM
How many common Americans went to exclusive Hawaiian high schools, then on to Columbia (on affirmative action) and Harvard Law (on affirmative action) and then went to work for a crooked political machine?
If you want to meet common Americans, the military is the most diverse place you’ll find. Only group missing is the lefty, anti-military, argula-eaters.
How many years did MCCain serve with the common folk?
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 2:18 PM
rockmom –
The question isn’t how many investment properties the MCCains have.
The question is how many do they have that they LIVE IN.
He does not know.
That is ridiculous.
And more ridiculous is you trying to claim her stuff is hers and his stuff is his.
Obama went on vacation, and you have a problem with that? Wtf is your problem?
Dave Rywall on August 21, 2008 at 2:18 PM
You’re right, Obama didn’t have to endure what McCain did as a POW, or serve his country as a US Senator for decades.
Regular Barry grew up in that hot bed of controversy, Hawaii, attended the best schools, was a community organizer and law professor, and served as a state senator.
Rick on August 21, 2008 at 2:19 PM
Hmmmm… lets see…
McCain retired from the Navy at about age 45…
Now, military pay is NOT that great folks… he had a family and wife to support… trust me, he was not RICH… he then MARRIED into riches… but a good part of his experience is trying to run a family on limited funds…
Now, lets look at the Obamas, who have been on the Gravy train ever since College….
Sure, make that comparison…
Romeo13 on August 21, 2008 at 2:19 PM
That’s great! Every day Barack Obama spends on this trivia makes him appear smaller and more ordinary. Every minute the media spend trumpeting this non-story takes away from the runup to the DNC convention.
America is waiting to hear Barack Obama explain why he is qualfied to lead this country and what his plans are to fix all the problems he thinks we need to fix. They are not waiting for him to rag John McCain about how many houses he owns. He is making an epic mistake here, just so he can say to some of the nervous nellies in the Democratic party that he knows how to throw a punch and have a “rapid response”, unlike those other losers before him. But his entire premise for his candidacy is getting tossed out the window in the process. And it just confirms that Democrats STILL don’t know why they keep losing national elections. Hint: it isn’t because they don’t get nasty enough against those meany Rethuglicans.
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 2:20 PM
HOUSE, not HOME. Houses, and condos, and property are often used as investments… HOMES are where you live…
He was asked about HOUSES!
DOH!
Romeo13 on August 21, 2008 at 2:23 PM
So Dave’s argument is that McCain is rich and therefore not a regular guy, and also that Obama is rich and therefore also not a regular guy….but even though neither are “regular” guys, Obama is closer by a few degrees to being something he isn’t……
Ugh, why do liberals throw poo just to see what it looks like on the wall?
Bishop on August 21, 2008 at 2:24 PM
As Michelle would say: Snort.
Here’s a hint Dave: more people who have served in the Navy during ‘Nam than got into Harvard thanks to affirmative action. Most people have not had every single thing in their life handed to them on a silver platter.
Barack Obama is a spoiled oversized child. When McCain was 47, he STILL had a galaxy more life-experience than Obama does now, except perhaps in Obama’s forte(fort): Associating himself with terrorists, fraudsters, and reprobates.
BKennedy on August 21, 2008 at 2:25 PM
My BS meter just exploded in flames due to an overload.
Yet again, I’ll have to buy another one… and due to the Obama campaign (with its many sycophants and toadies), finding one that will withstand these extreme levels of BS is becoming quite difficult.
electric-rascal on August 21, 2008 at 2:30 PM
*Sigh.* Where do I start?
He’s a U.S. Senator. He lives in Washington, and his family lives in Glendale, Arizona. How many other places could he LIVE? I know that Cindy owns a condo in San Diego because she was photographed there for Vogue. Am I supposed to care whether or not her husband might have spent a weekend there once in a while?
Why? She has the money in the family and they have a prenuptial agreement. They have never made a secret of this or apologized for it, and they shouldn’t. He has never had money of his own – do you know how little even a Captain in the Navy makes? He has other things to deal with every day than her real estate holdings. Why is that so difficult to comprehend?
Now THIS is funny. I can’t afford a Hawaii vacation, can you? I guess he flew Southwest and stayed at the Honolulu Motel 6. Riiight.
And I thought McCain was supposed to be the geezer in this race. He hasn’t needed any vacation time. Why does Obama?
And if you were interviewing for the job as CEO of the world’s biggest corporation, would you run off to Hawaii for a week right in the middle of the interviewing process? And if you were doing the hiring, would you hire a candidate who did that?
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 2:36 PM
Not many common Americans are cosy with Bill Ayers/Tony Rezko/Saul Alinsky types, or have the Illinois political system running cover for not releasing embarrassing documents at the University of Illinois library, either. Sorry, Dave, I hve to conclude that Barry’s contacts aren’t quite the same as those of common Americans.
a capella on August 21, 2008 at 2:37 PM
Great snarky comment from Jim Geraghty:
“Will this ad run in all 57 states?”
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 2:45 PM
“LIVE IN” as in live in, vacation in, spend the odd weekend in – PROPERTIES THEY OWN AND USE. If you cannot grasp this simple concept, then I cannot help you.
And for fu*k’s sake – so he goes to Hawaii for a vacation. Who. Gives. A. Sh*t.
“And I thought McCain was supposed to be the geezer in this race. He hasn’t needed any vacation time. Why does Obama?”
———————-
This is a ridiculous and irrelevant comment.
“And if you were interviewing for the job as CEO of the world’s biggest corporation, would you run off to Hawaii for a week right in the middle of the interviewing process? And if you were doing the hiring, would you hire a candidate who did that?”
—————–
Bush averages OVER 60 VACATION DAYS A YEAR. That’s TWO MONTHS off every year. Go be uspet about that before you waste my time with frivolous stupidity about Obama taking a break from the campaign.
McCains are filthy rich, Obama’s rich. Next.
Dave Rywall on August 21, 2008 at 2:46 PM
“And if you were interviewing for the job as CEO of the world’s biggest corporation, would you run off to Hawaii for a week right in the middle of the interviewing process?”
Oh please, there’s no major corporation EVER who would even consider a clown like Obama for CEO. Their stock would plummet if the inserted a child like Obama as CEO.
But President of the United States? By all means.
Bambi’s going to wear a big “Trainee” nametag come January 2009, you see. We’ll just tell our enemies that we have a new guy here and to please give us time for him to get familiar with his new duties, all of which that are brand new to him.
I’m sure they’ll cooperate.
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 2:49 PM
In retrospect Obama didn’t accomplish that much for people in Chicago. I can tell you his work left virtually every problem in those neighborhoods still unsolved, millions of dollars later.
You’re flailing. McCain’s wife is loaded, and they have a prenup. That really does complicate things. There are things that are hers that he’ll never have or gain any financial interest in, and it’s frankly and as a matter of law none of his business what she does with them. Hell, she might own pieces of dozens of properties. McCain wanted and needed to provide an honest answer, so he hesitated and said he’d have a staffer look into it.
Obama’s approach would be to answer the question, and if corrected later (1) deny he said it and say he’s said something else “for months,” (2) say he was misinformed and use the associated staffer as a human shield, or (3) claim the exercise in fact checking was a distraction or an example of old politics.
And if Obama thinks the elitism charge has been disposed of in his case, I’m willing to bet he’s wrong.
DrSteve on August 21, 2008 at 2:51 PM
Fixed it for you.
Remember the wonderful scene when Teresa had to have the menu in Wendy’s explained to her?
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 2:58 PM
Oh, if only Kerry was going to be the VP candidate.
Theresa and Michelle could campaign together for their hubbies.
Republicans would sweep all 57 states.
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 3:02 PM
Normally it is best to ignore those of your ilk, but some things beg rebuttal:
One, excellent ad hominem attacks – really underscores the reasoned and well laid out premise you’ve constructed.
Obama’s arugula comment is simply indicative that he’s not quite in touch – when speaking to a group of rural Iowans perhaps “the price of a gallon of milk at the store” would have been a more apt example. Perhaps even “lettuce”? That his mind went to arugula and Whole Foods (not known to be price-friendly and not usually the store of “common folk”) is not indicative of being in touch with average Joe. That is the reason for the jibes.
I suppose I can admit that he is a “rich guy who is rich”. We tried to field a poor guy who is rich and even a rich guy who is poor but couldn’t find one at the last minute.
You wordsmith, you.
I suppose Obama is not trying by contrast to appear more a “man of the people” by pointing out how “out of touch” McCain is with this soundbyte? Perhaps it would be more to your liking if McCain just made up an answer to the houses question while not really knowing for sure and then having smarter folks spin it for him later if it turned out he was wrong – that has seemed to work wonders for Obama’s popularity until recently.
With the way your man performs while not in front of a teleprompter I’d be careful shouting “gotcha” every time a man who can form sentences without such aid doesn’t have a fast smooth answer.
I can’t argue with you there. He’s far closer to the average American in terms of time spent in the Senate. He’s got a couple of years compared with most of our zero. I mean – McCain’s spent all those years gaining experience, separating himself from those of us out of that arena. He’s also closer to most Americans than McCain in terms of military service. In fact since most Americans never serve he shares a great deal in common with them.
It was funny enough when Hillary and Obama debated and McCain came out the winner. Now Obama’s own ads are doing more for McCain than for him.
RDuke on August 21, 2008 at 3:06 PM
I do – - Obama is claiming to have better judgment. Taking a vacation right when Russia invades one of our allies, and showing lack of interest in that shows he has poor judgment. The least he could have done was given a more informed statement, not a general everybody needs to calm down one. He showed he had no clue as to the Russia/Georgia conflict.
Bush doesn’t ignore conflicts while he’s on vacation. And, he’s not trying to get my vote by claiming that he’s the anti-Bush. If you have a problem with Bush taking time off, then you sure as hell should have a problem with Obama hitting the beach during a very tense global moment – - one that he will inherit if elected.
Rick on August 21, 2008 at 3:07 PM
Oh Dave, I am sorry. I didn’t realize until I just read the RNC fact sheet, that Obama HAD to go to Hawaii because his regular vacation spot at Tony Rezko’s Lake Geneva place is no longer available.
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 3:13 PM
As if any US President “takes a vacation”.
Good lord, are we in grade school? Simply being away from the White House at the same time Congress is in recess, is not a vacation.
The entire White House operation goes to Camp David, to Crawford, or to wherever the President is. It’s business as usual.
Please.
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Barry is clearly loosing it. His appearance mocking McCain makes him sound like Jerry Springer
Very foolish.
Change?
iam7545 on August 21, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Bush doesn’t ignore conflicts while he’s on vacation.
Unlike President McCain who dispatched an envoy to Georgia?
What was Obama supposed to do? Cut short his vacation so he could give press conferences about what he would be doing if he were president?
Obama being on vacation during the Russian invasion hurt him because he couldn’t act the role like McCain did. But to fault him for “ignoring” the conflict while on vacation is stupid. He did talk to people about it. He did have a press conference to address the situation. What else would you have wanted him to do? Cut short his vacation so he could campaign some more?
Tom_Shipley on August 21, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Obama’s arugula comment is simply indicative that he’s not quite in touch – when speaking to a group of rural Iowans perhaps “the price of a gallon of milk at the store” would have been a more apt example. Perhaps even “lettuce”? That his mind went to arugula and Whole Foods (not known to be price-friendly and not usually the store of “common folk”) is not indicative of being in touch with average Joe. That is the reason for the jibes.
And forgetting how many houses you own isn’t of not being in touch with the experience of average Americans?
Tom_Shipley on August 21, 2008 at 3:19 PM
“What was Obama supposed to do? Cut short his vacation so he could give press conferences about what he would be doing if he were president?”
Heavens no.
By all means, continue your vacation, Barack.
In fact, may it never end.
It would be the best thing for you, for Michelle’s kids and for the American people.
A win-win-win. Spend more time with your family Barack, they need you MUCH more than we do.
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 3:20 PM
The average American who’s pulling in over a million a year would not let a relative, even a half-brother, live in a squalid hut.
If they had the money, the average American would probably buy a home for an elderly aunt to use (as does Cindy’s aunt). Maybe McCain was trying to count up all the relatives he and Cindy help out, and decided it was better to check with her.
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 3:25 PM
Barack has piano lessons to fund, dance recitals, private school tuition (Michelle’s little darlings can attend PUBLIC school now can they, but of course it’s good enough for your little rugrats of course), and of course his joint flower garden with neighbor Tony Rezko.
Give a few bucks to a brother? Extended relatives of Barack “hope” for spare “change”.
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Obama’s half brother thing is silly. He’s met the guy something like two times. They live half a world apart. He most likely didn’t know anything about how he was living until that newspaper report (though, I suppose that means he’s a bad person too).
McCain f’d up bad. You guys have been continually hitting Obama for being out of touch because of the arugula comment. And now McCain blows that out of the water by not know how many houses he owns.
Obama grew up partially relying on food stamps. He chose to work with Americans in the lower economic bracket to try and help them get ahead. He’s made money, but he’s earned it. That’s not an “elitist.” Someone who loses track of how many houses they own is an “elitist.”
Tom_Shipley on August 21, 2008 at 3:31 PM
Address the situation? Are you serious? My 4 year old could have addressed that better.
Let’s see, Obama addresses all other current affairs as if he’s our president already (including when he’s in Europe), but this Russian aggression takes place and he can’t be bothered?
Part of running for President is showing how you would react to the issues facing us – - remember, he is the one telling us all that he has the “JUDGMENT TO LEAD”.
Rick on August 21, 2008 at 3:34 PM
Why didn’t he know about his brother and his situation? He wrote about the little round-headed boy in his book. Why not keep in touch and see that the kid is ok? What kind of big brother is Obama?
Isn’t Obama the one quoted Scripture at Saddleback about how we should be our “brother’s keeper”? Not exactly leading by exmaple, is he?
Wethal on August 21, 2008 at 3:39 PM
Rick on August 21, 2008 at 3:34 PM
Rick, what would the point of cutting his vacation short been? Cutting the vacation short would have only benefited HIS CAMPAIGN. It hurt him not being out on the campaign while this occurred.
How does not cutting short his campaign reflect negatively on him? What could he have helped the situation?
Tom_Shipley on August 21, 2008 at 3:41 PM
Why didn’t he know about his brother and his situation?
Let’s see… maybe because he grew up in Hawaii and Kansas while his half brother grew up in Africa? Maybe because he’s the son of Obama’s father who left his family when Obama was a kid?
Yes, he is his half brother. But circumstance and distance have (understandably) prevented them from being close.
Tom_Shipley on August 21, 2008 at 3:43 PM
The very fact that the Obama campaign ad is named seven shows that this isn’t as easy an answer as one might think. One of the seven is a compound with five actual houses.
I bet if they asked Obama how many Che posters he had he wouldn’t know either.
RW_theoriginal on August 21, 2008 at 3:46 PM
Obama is using the Monopoly, Milton-Bradley, Hasbro logos on his smear ad. I have filed a formal complaint with Hasbro over their either taking sides, or not protecting their trademarks. We shall see.
ilitigant on August 21, 2008 at 3:47 PM
You’re right. Just let him take a vacation. Poor guy – - afterall, he’s only running for the most powerful job in the world. We’re being too hard on him. And, that rich, cranky old man McCain needs to play nice.
Rick on August 21, 2008 at 3:48 PM
“As if any US President “takes a vacation”.
Good lord, are we in grade school? Simply being away from the White House at the same time Congress is in recess, is not a vacation.
The entire White House operation goes to Camp David, to Crawford, or to wherever the President is. It’s business as usual.
Please.”
NoDonkey on August 21, 2008 at 3:13 PM
———–
Thanks for proving my point.
When W is on vacation, obviously he’s still in the loop.
But somehow, when Obama goes on vacation, accoring to some yahoos around here, he’s not.
Duh.
Dave Rywall on August 21, 2008 at 3:51 PM
I’m pretty sure that McCain only actually owns one, maybe two houses himself. McCain isn’t rich. Of his own money, he is probably one of the least wealthy Senators in a long time.
His WIFE is extremely wealthy. Her father was one of the richest men in Arizona. But Jim Hensley and a large team of very sharp lawyers saw to it that McCain would never get control of the Hensley fortune. McCain is even severely limited in the value of gifts his wife can give him from income provided by any of the business interests that were owned by Cindy’s father.
Even if this were not the case, what is the big deal about owning a bunch of houses these days? I keep hearing these commercials where people that were unemployed and down to their last ten dollars a year ago now own seven- ten- twelve houses. never having to put a penny down, all because they went to some real estate guru’s seminar or got the free video tape.
I don’t like McCain, and won’t vote for him, but you little lefty liberals here are not only WAY off base on this matter; your ‘class envy’ is showing badly.
LegendHasIt on August 21, 2008 at 3:53 PM
Hell, Tom, TUCC claims to be Afrocentric. Wouldn’t a guy donating twenty thousand bucks a year to a church with Africa as it’s main focus, be even a little curious about his sib’s welfare? Circumstances and his church affiliation should have reinforced his contact. He knew where his brother was, just like he knew the location of that little Kenyan school he promised to help and then ignored. Are those the actions of a politician in touch with the common man?
a capella on August 21, 2008 at 3:58 PM
The date’s too close, and they’ll probably get it pushed back somehow, but I think there’ll be other surprises — the field is rich for mining, so to speak.
Nichevo on August 21, 2008 at 3:59 PM
Obama’s middle-class vacation
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 4:01 PM
Drywall: serious question.
Are you and alphie in fact the same person?
carbon_footprint on August 21, 2008 at 4:02 PM
Yeah, if you consider that heroism and torture are not typical in the lives of Americans.
mikeyboss on August 21, 2008 at 4:13 PM
Interesting link you provide with your handle. I thought your breathless news had a odor.
a capella on August 21, 2008 at 4:18 PM
There’s that smell again….
Think_b4_speaking on August 21, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Cue the BushCo conspiracy theories!
CP on August 21, 2008 at 5:04 PM
Compared to common people, they are both financially better off. The thing is McCain is willing to talk with the common man and be understood by speaking clearly, logically. Obama avoids the common man in a setting that would allow questions from us commoners. McCain is definitely closer to common people in that communication is allowed to be two way instead of talking at people.
Pat in NC on August 21, 2008 at 5:10 PM
Can I question the timing?
lorien1973 on August 21, 2008 at 5:10 PM
Good Lord, there are rich Democrats out there. Pelosi and Kennedy and Gore are not exactly suffering, neither is Kerry. I heard that Kerry had a chalet brought to the US from Switzerland for skiing trips. I mean come on, a lot of these people are rich. Think Soros, Cloony, and the rest of Hollywood. Those folks spend more to cater a party than the average American family lives on in a year.
Terrye on August 21, 2008 at 5:20 PM
hey I wonder if crack pipe barry will finally renounce his terrorist buddy ayers?
elduende on August 21, 2008 at 5:23 PM
Obama never lived in Kansas. His grandparents lived there twice for differing amounts of time, but he has never lived there. See Beldar for more information.
kimsch on August 21, 2008 at 5:27 PM
Obama’s beach house on the South Shore is a fully functional campaign HQ?
He issued a three sentence statement calling for a cease-fire and went back to fund raising and body surfing. Curious behavior for a man who wants to burnish his image worldwide as presidential by acting as though he has the job when scripted.
Obviously he did work on the trip – he spent some of it working on weaning himself from teleprompters so he won’t “lock down” and “fail to get the words out”, fine speaker that he is.
RDuke on August 21, 2008 at 5:33 PM
Ralph Nader isn’t rich and he’s run for President several times, including this election.
AZCoyote on August 21, 2008 at 5:36 PM
GASP! Stop the presses! An independent woman buys another condo! And doesn’t even pay attention to what her husband was saying on the campaign trail on the same day!!!11!!
I guess she should have stayed home and baked cookies, right liberals?
rockmom on August 21, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Seems like Obama’s mother received food stamps for a time not necessarily because she needed them but because she could.
As Barack Obama said in a 2006 Time Magazine interview, “For example, I was going to a fancy prep school, and my mother was on food stamps while she was getting her Ph.D.”
The Obama family’s food stamps were a lifestyle choice, not one forced on them by poverty. His mother chose to stay in school instead of working to support her family, which she of course was free to do, but it doesn’t exactly grant Barack Obama any genuine hardscrabble points.
The same relatively affluent grandparents who sent him to Hawaii’s poshest academy were alive and in the picture during his mother’s period of eligibility for food stamps. Like most of Obama’s tales about himself, the closer you look, the less credible he becomes.
Gilda on August 21, 2008 at 6:19 PM
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I think McCain WANTS to lose. Maybe the left is correct – perhaps he really is senile. If he’s rich, great, God bless him, but to not know how many houses he owns is just plain stooopid. And for him to not be prepard for a question like this? stooopid. I just dont get it.
gxpgxp on August 21, 2008 at 6:33 PM
You got that part right.
a capella on August 21, 2008 at 6:56 PM
This is one of the sickest things I’ve ever seen. A major party candidate running such an ad. What could he be thinking. Maybe he’s thinking of his formative adult years working in the South Side of Chicago among the poor, where there was probably a sentiment among many of envy, of wanting to stick it to “the man”. But if that sentiment is widely shared across the country, we’re in big trouble.
He’s like the monkeys at the zoo, throwing feces. He hopes it will stick. Or maybe he does it to laugh when McCain pulls out his hankerchief to wipe off his brow. It’s beneath the Obama campaign to pursue this politics of envy.
Paul-Cincy on August 21, 2008 at 6:59 PM
And while Barak Obama was painting the town red with Tony Rezko, poor little George Obama was living, destitute, in a shack in Kenya.
Kralizec on August 21, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Who cares when Bush goes on vacation? He is still the president no matter where he is. It is not as if they don’t have phones in Texas. That has nothing to do with this anyway.
McCain’s wife has money, she has a trust, that trust might well own and control property that has nothing to do with McCain. In his own right he is not a wealthy man.
But the Democrats always do this, they act as if they have the God given right to be rich, that is just fine, but when the rich guy has an R behind his name..that is a bad thing. I wonder if the Kennedys even know how much property they own?
This whole thing is stupid, who the hell cares?
Terrye on August 21, 2008 at 7:13 PM
gxp:
I don’t think that is fair. Just how do you answer a question like that? None of your business. What if he actually does not know the answer?
Terrye on August 21, 2008 at 7:15 PM
Dave:
Speaking of facts eluding everyone, it is the Democrats who are making an issue of wealth here, not the Republicans.
Terrye on August 21, 2008 at 7:17 PM
I wonder how many houses the Clintons own? I read that Bill has made tens of millions since he left office. hmmmm.
Terrye on August 21, 2008 at 7:19 PM
Maybe you’ve got a point, Terrye. But I think the Maverick should answer with “straight talk”. It sounds like a fair question to me.
gxpgxp on August 21, 2008 at 7:26 PM
gxp:
He did answer with straight talk, he said he would get back with him. Was he supposed to make something up?
Terrye on August 21, 2008 at 7:40 PM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 Next »