August 21, 2008

John McCain, too rich to be President.



How many houses does he have? "It's seven. Worth thirteen million dollars." You don't want a President who's managed to become rich, do you? So pick Obama, who lives in a hut. No, wait, that's Barack's brother George. Obama lives in... that Chicago house that cost... how much?

UPDATE: The McCain campaign rushes out this ad to respond:



Today's the day things really went negative.

253 comments:

1 – 200 of 253   Newer›   Newest»
chickelit said...

One thing you gotta love is the compressed time scale of events and response, follwed by the awaited counter response. Amazing!

Anonymous said...

Obama's getting by on what? Forty grand a year?

Brian Doyle said...

You don't want a President who's managed to become rich, do you?

Well not just by marrying his rich mistress, no.

UWS guy said...

John S. McCain III....scion of a wealthy WASP family...

Nobody ever refers to him as John S. McCain III, even though he himself used it as a byline in his own newspaper column describing his life as a POW.

Wonder why he dropped that?

UWS guy said...

Will Coors Light suffer the fate of Heins Katsup this political season?...

Anonymous said...

I wonder why Obama changed his first name from Barry to Barrack a few years ago. Also, why doesn't even mention his middle name Hussein?

Methadras said...

This isn't even good class warfare? Who the hell does Mr. Barely think he's fooling?

Anonymous said...

Doyle -- It's interesting that you failed to make this argument four years ago.

Pastafarian said...

It's shocking to me that Obama would open the subject of house values, given his dealings with Fast Tony Rezko. The counter-ad almost writes itself.

But I guess Obama probably earned anything that he got from Tony; quid pro quo. It's not like he receiving something for nothing -- that would be unethical.

Asante Samuel said...

doyle, think of Cindy as hitting the lottery, or Affirmative Action for POW's. It will make you feel better.

Seriously, envy will be the death of this Nation of ours. Grow up, people. Get a second job or rob a 7-11, but for fuck's sake stop whining.

UWS guy said...

woah...hold on...


Obama's middle name is Hussein??!

chickelit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Automatic_Wing said...

It's not like he receiving something for nothing -- that would be unethical.

Of course not...Tony Rezko helped Obama buy his house strictly out the the goodness of his heart. Big-city slumlords are known for this kind of charity.

Freder Frederson said...

So Ann gets bent all out of shape when Obama dodges a question on abortion, but when McCain doesn't even how many houses he owns, she just ridicules Obama.

Yet, we are supposed to believe she is still cruelly neutral.

Anonymous said...

Yes and 1.3 million dollars is firmly middle class. At that price point, you can barely find enough space.

Anonymous said...

If you are going to be president, your position on abortion isn't that important. What's important is your real estate holdings. That's what I vote on, and that's why I'm voting for McCain. The guy with the most houses.

Ann Althouse said...

I finally put up an Obama ad and still you bitch.

chickelit said...

Come on Freder, the election's still a ways off. You just can't stand neutral cruelty!

The Drill SGT said...

UWS said...Nobody ever refers to him as John S. McCain III, even though he himself used it as a byline in his own newspaper column describing his life as a POW.

Wonder why he dropped that?


likely that was in the period where he recognized that he was not going to become a 4 star Admiral like John S. McCain Sr, or John S McCain Jr. Think of it as a homage to his fathers.

ricpic said...

It's not only that Obama is utilizing the standard Democrat get the rich meme, it's the way he's doing it:

"Ya see? Ya see? McCain's RICH! He's Rich! Tee hee hee."

So jejune. So childish. Obama's a child. He's a CHILD!

kimsch said...

Rezko's sentencing hearing* has been pushed back to October 28th, one week before the election.

*shameless self promoting link

David said...

I think the point was that he didn't know how many, not that he had them. I'm sure Bill Gates can tell you how many homes he owns.

Zachary Sire said...

It's been a day of posts criticizing and/or questioning Obama (like any other day)... mixed with one about Madonna in a bra.

Cruel neutrality at its finest.

But wait...there's a big headline about McCain, where me makes a big gaffe about not knowing how many houses "he" owns. The news breaks early this morning, every blogger and media outlet has their shot at it.

But now, not until the end of the day...Althouse weighs in!

She probably would've preferred to just not say anything about it...too risky...how can she pull it off without offending her readers?

Could it be that Obama isn't the only elitist in the race? Cindy's Millions sure do come in handy.

No! She's got it...this ad isn't about McCain's hypocrisy, it's about Obama's hypocrisy. He owns a house too!

Gotta give your readers what they want.

chickelit said...

David said: "I think the point was that he didn't know how many, not that he had them."

Agreed He stumbled because the question was beneath his pay grade.

Steven said...

You know, you could do a quite effective attack ad on Barack Obama with George (assuming the George story checks out).

1)
White text on black background, reading "This is how Barack Obama's brother lives." Same said by announcer.

2)
Various stills of George Obama and his living conditions, with "Easy to be Hard" by Three Dog Night playing in the background.

3)
Text-and-announcer again, "This is what Barack Obama has done for his brother, who lives on one dollar a month."

4)
Blank white screen.

5)
Text-and-announcer again, "Barack Obama says he wants to change America. But he can't even spare some change for his own brother."

6)
Image of George Obama. Song cuts back in again, on the lyrics "And especially people who care about strangers / Who say they care about social injustice / Do you only care about the bleeding crowd / How about a needing friend? / I need a friend".

---

No, I'm not saying it's a fair ad. But it would hit pretty damn hard, wouldn't it?

Titusis going home said...

John Kerry marries a rich woman and he is elitist.

John Mccain does it and we don't question it, because he was a POW.

He "earned" his money by getting married to it. Nothing wrong with that.

If Obama didn't know how many houses he had the gallery here would be in an uproar. Mccain doesn't know, no problem.

The cruel neutrality is a little tiresome but it is understanded that you have a bunch of old men as fans that you need to feed.

former law student said...

The message: this man is clearly out of touch. McCain is not only rich, he's Croesus rich. And he's lecturing us voters about fiscal responsibility when he's got money coming out of his ass.

Or he could just be batty and forgetful. (How many houses do we have again, honey?)

And yes, Rezko took a look at Obama's house before he bought it. Rezko also bought the lot next door, then sold a strip of it to to Obama. Because nobody could afford a house so grand, certainly not the MD couple who sold it to the Obamas.

Zachary Sire said...

The ad that Steven suggests would be fine, just as long as the Obama campaign puts out an ad showing McCain's disabled and cheated on first wife, Carol, being left in the dust for a younger, prettier heiress. Show those clips of poor Carol limping around, brutally disfigured from her car accident, juxtaposed with John and Cindy whooping it up at a Miss Buffalo Chip contest.

Titusis going home said...

Also, it is nice to see Obama punch the old fart around.

More please, much, much more.

Ad ad from the POW guy that isn't supporting Mccain would be great-very Karl Rove.

Also, maybe an ad from the cookout with all the reporters. How dare the liberal media go to his house for barbecue, which was being served by a slew of servants-American's love that shit.

But all of this wouldn't be fair...because he was a POW.

Noun, verb, POW.

former law student said...

You know, you could do a quite effective attack ad on Barack Obama with George (assuming the George story checks out).

Because Americans feel pity for deadbeat brothers? Besides, Barack Senior reportedly got around quite a bit. I picture a Spartacus scene:

"I am Barack's brother." "And I am Barack's brother." "I too am Barack's brother." Etc.

UWS guy said...

Ann wants us to be pithy and entertaining in our reply...So lets not fail her like bloggingheads.tv commenters fail Bob Wright...

There once was a man named Obama,
He bought a house with his baby's momma,
McCain, he did too, but with Cindy's phat loot,
and now we're left with Rezko drama.


thank you thank you, I'll be here all day.

Joan said...

there's a big headline about McCain, where me makes a big gaffe about not knowing how many houses "he" owns.

I know the campaigns pounce on any sign of weakness, but this is ridiculous. Yuval Levin reported what McCain actually said in The Corner:
Politico: How many houses do you and Mrs. McCain have?

McCain: I think, uh, I’ll get, I’ll have my staff get to you and talk to you about that, it’s condominiums, it's where they're—I’ll have them get to you.


This frankly sounds less like a guy who has too many houses to count than a guy with money invested in various places who doesn’t do his own accounting for it and who’s afraid to give the wrong answer and get called on it. [...] It’s a guy who knows the answer is complicated and is worried about a gotcha question.


It's not McCain calling us bitter, gun-clinging and appallingly religious. I'm not sure the elite & out-of-touch tag will stick to McCain.

FLS: Because nobody could afford a house so grand, certainly not the MD couple who sold it to the Obamas for substantially less than market value.

Fixed.

Martin said...

If a woman marries a rich man she's called a gold digger. What does that make John McCain?

Obama only got really rich when people bought his first book after his 2004 convention speech. Up to then he still had his and his wife's educational debts. Yes, he's rich now, but he earned it. Unlike McCain who f**ked his way to wealth.

garage mahal said...

Well not just by marrying his rich mistress, no.

POW!

Christy said...

I wouldn't bet Gates knows his holdings in that much detail.

First, I think it is an effective ad.

Still, my first thought is to wonder how many of those houses are investment properties. My second thought is that it makes sense to me that the rich Mrs. McCain would be in charge of all that. I wouldn't expect the Senator to know.

BTW, rich is when your investment income equals your salary.

Revenant said...

Well not just by marrying his rich mistress, no.

You didn't vote for Kerry? :)

blake said...

Wonder why he dropped that?

Because his grandfather and father died?

Just guessing, but that's common amongst Jrs and IIIs.

Titusis going home said...

Yea, lets get his deformed first wife in an ad.

Or how about an ad about how he tried to commit suicide after his POW experience. That would be hot.

Maybe an ad with him in all the movies he has been in-celebrity.

Automatic_Wing said...

And yes, Rezko took a look at Obama's house before he bought it. Rezko also bought the lot next door, then sold a strip of it to to Obama.

The fact remains that Rezko did Obama a substantial favor...what did he get in return? Surely you don't believe that Tony Rezko goes around buying chunks of people's yards just to be helpful.

Revenant said...

So Ann gets bent all out of shape when Obama dodges a question on abortion, but when McCain doesn't even how many houses he owns, she just ridicules Obama.

It could be that a President's views on abortion are actually relevant to the job and the number of houses he owns isn't? Nah, that can't be it. It must be that Ann's taking her marching orders from the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.

former law student said...

Ah, I should have commented all at once. Right now John McCain would be John McCain I, or John McCain, Sr. You're only a III while I and II are living. It's not like being Louis XIV; your order number isn't fixed. It's etiquette; you could look it up.

Anonymous said...

When Kerry married an heiress, we weren't supposed to care. Now that McCain did, we are supposed to care.

Got it. Check.

Revenant said...

Wonder why he dropped that?

For the same reason Barack doesn't call himself "Junior", I'd imagine.

Anonymous said...

This is an ineffective ad. Red meat for the base, I guess.

UWS guy said...

oh I didn't know that. learn somthin' new every day...

Kirby Olson said...

Obama will shortly make sure that there aren't any rich people left. Everyone will have nothing, and there will be fairness at last. Everyone can go around begging for a handout from the Democratic party, which will give money in exchange for your vote.

Titusis going home said...

I am John Mccain's first wife and if he will lie and cheat on me when I was in a car accident can you think of what he will do to the country, but he was a POW.

UWS guy said...

McCain is getting good play from riling up the evangelicals, maybe Barry needs to steal a verse from that chapter.

former law student said...

Surely you don't believe that Tony Rezko goes around buying chunks of people's yards just to be helpful.

Obama gave Tony Rezko -- a real estate developer -- the opportunity to buy the lot next door. Would you not want to be the President's next door neighbor? It's a nice location -- right across the street from a landmark snyagogue.

UWS guy said...

Kerry was teased constantly about being a "kept man" by the right.

Automatic_Wing said...

I am John Mccain's first wife and if he will lie and cheat on me when I was in a car accident can you think of what he will do to the country, but he was a POW.

Actually, McCain and his first wife are on fairly good terms, are they not? Maybe he gave her a house or something...

vbspurs said...

Carter. Too rich to be President.

JFK. Too rich to be President.

FDR. Too rich to be President.

All three inherited their wealth, in the form of farms, business and real estate, and in FDR's case, being to the manor born.

If this were Europe, stupid men would be considered failures. But
in the US of A, poor men are considered failures.

Obama has become a rich man not only because his wife earns a fairer penny than he does, but because he's had the acumen to sell himself in the best sense of the word.

Cheers,
Victoria

Zachary Sire said...

I know the campaigns pounce on any sign of weakness, but this is ridiculous

Yes, so ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as talking about arugula and metRX bars and herbal tea.

Joan, honey, sorry to break it to you, but if groceries from Whole Foods are fair game, so are multi million dollar properties that your wife bought for you. Suck it up.

Revenant said...

Kerry was teased constantly about being a "kept man" by the right.

Sure, but so far as I'm aware nobody on the right said there was anything wrong with Kerry being rich. People just made fun of the way he GOT rich -- or, rather, "richer", since both he and McCain were rich to begin with.

chickelit said...

Titus said: "but he was a POW"


Take that !

Titusis going home said...

Joan, darling don't be a hypocrite.

The wingers bitch about what Obama eats for chrissakes.

UWS guy said...

The right starting calling Obama an arugula eater (...don't know why that's an epithet but but w/e) and an out of touch ivory tower elitist.

Team McCain should have tried a different track...unless....this really is a rope-a-dope to get rezko back into circulation.

could team mccain be that savvy?

kimsch said...

Victoria,

Did you see my bumperstickers based on your Comedy Gold post?

garage mahal said...

When Kerry married an heiress, we weren't supposed to care. Now that McCain did, we are supposed to care.

Correct.

Actually, McCain and his first wife are on fairly good terms, are they not? Maybe he gave her a house or something...

Ironic that she could in one fell swoops decide the fate of the election with one interview. I know Cindy McCain's two half sisters don't seem happy about Cindy McCain going around saying she was an only child. That, and getting cut out of all those millions.

Titusis going home said...

Of course John and his first wife are on good terms. Every this is peachy.

ricpic said...

So Titus, I take it you're not a fellow Republican?

You know what you are, Titus? You're a false advertiser.

That's not nice.

Jeremy said...

You know how Republicans talk in code? Like when they say Obama is inexperienced they actually mean that he's black. It turns out that Democrats work the same way. By saying McCain is rich, it actually means that he's racist. Or that he kicks puppies. Or both.

Unknown said...

As Gomer might say, Sur-Prise! Sur-Prise! Sur-Prise!

Every McCain attack is wise and devastating. Every Obama attack is banal and counter-productive. When you can predict the results of a blog response so easily, it seems quite clear that the claim of "neutrality" is little more than cheap marketing.

Althouse's neutrality - now that's what's truly rich.

Roger J. said...

the dems are bringing a knife to a gunfight--Ms McCain is insulated by virtue of a pre nup; Obama has opened the flood gates about his house purchase in chicago; The Ayers annenberg thing hit cnn today and is now in the msm--McCain has the cone of POW covering him--Obama continues to look clueless--Oh yeah--lets discuss the price of argula in whole foods markets, Ms McCain's houses and Tony Rezco---and wait--the BIG NEWS is that Obama has made a decision about his running mate--pant pant pant--god can we handle the suspense.

I think this will continue to drive obamas numbers down because how one buys houses is not fair game in the campaign--and ole barry baby aint going to look too good splaining his relationship with a felon--what a crew--and I thought Kerry was a fool

vbspurs said...


Did you see my bumperstickers based on your Comedy Gold post?


Kimsch, no! :)

I am dying to see them. Thanks so much. Let me check my blog, as I only just got home.

Titusis going home said...

I will turn straight if Althouse tells her audience she is going to vote for Obama.

She would lose her old fart single men that fantasize about actually hooking up with her.

I'm actually an independent Ripic. I am going to sound like Ann now, but I voted for Romney (when he didn't hate gays), Rudy, and Bloomberg twice. I know none of them are real republicans. Wouldn't vote for a southern republican though, but fortunately, I will never have that problem as I will never live in the south.

Peter V. Bella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Revenant said...

Obama gave Tony Rezko -- a real estate developer -- the opportunity to buy the lot next door.

How exactly did Obama "give" Rezko the "opportunity" to buy a property Obama didn't own and couldn't afford?

Peter V. Bella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Automatic_Wing said...

Ironic that she could in one fell swoops decide the fate of the election with one interview.

Hmmm, I don't know that a bitter ex-wife from 30 years ago would change too many minds. No one listened to Mary Jo's bitching about Ted Kennedy's driving while he was running in 1980.

Meade said...

You know, with all her campaign debt, Hillary couldn't possibly be too rich to be President.

Hmm... is Obama too rich to be President?

vbspurs said...

I just saw the ad.

I'll go against the grain and say this is an effective topic (but narrated in a somewhat ineffective tone. They should've ixnayed the voice-over and gotten the exact quote from McCain in his own words).

However, from a purely political stance, it is suicidal as it allows the Rezko story to resurface.

Obama bought his house at a below market rate, at the same time that Tony Rezko's wife bought a lot priced $650,000 next door. Later the Obamas bought a slice of that Rezko lot-property at another favourable rate.

That's two properties the Obama's couldn't have afforded, which they did courtesy of a slum lord.

Is he insane? God, he has such bad political instincts...

Peter V. Bella said...

Ann Althouse said...
I finally put up an Obama ad and still you bitch.



As my old police captain used to say, let them bitch and moan. That's the only way I know they are happy.

Ann Althouse said...

I wonder why we haven't had more cases of outsiders pretending to be Titus?

Ann Althouse said...

Let me count the ways that I know the current Titus is not the real one:

1. "understanded"

Oh, this is too boring. It's obvious.

Ann Althouse said...

So maybe the McCain-Hillary conspiracy is real. McCain did this can't-remember-my-own-houses routine to lure Obama into attacking, and the idea was to spew Rezko everywhere in the days running up to the convention. Superdelegates! Save us!!!

Peter V. Bella said...

Gee, not one comment on Obama's brother living in a hut on a dollar a month. No one questions who owns the hut. How many huts does that person own? Is Rezko involved in hut development in Africa?

Does Obama secretly send a couple bucks to his brother? Where does that money come from?

See how silly this can all get. Who cares how many houses anyone owns and how they got them.

UWS guy said...

Being surprised that that Obama's african relatives are poor is like being shocked that were his family from Russia they were drunks.

Rush Limbaugh making fun of poor africans today, I thought was bit....what's the word?....

Revenant said...

Team McCain should have tried a different track...unless....this really is a rope-a-dope to get rezko back into circulation.

could team mccain be that savvy?

Or maybe they thought Team Obama just wouldn't be clueless enough to start a discussion over where the candidates' houses came from. :)

Revenant said...

Gee, not one comment on Obama's brother living in a hut on a dollar a month.

It might hurt him with people who both (a) actually bought his "my African heritage is important to me" and "I care about the poor" schticks and (b) aren't devout Obamitarians.

So, like, two people maybe?

vbspurs said...

Oh, this is too boring. It's obvious.

The Titusisgoinghome fella (or gal) is not the real one, not just for the reason you mentioned, but the whole 'understanded' post is so not his style.

But I think the 'diva' Vanity Fair one in the Wolcott post is.

So what does this mean -- they have a rota?

Cheers,
Victoria

ricpic said...

"Rush Limbaugh making fun of poor africans today, I thought was bit....what's the word?...."

Funny?

UWS guy said...

Titus has posted inflamatory posts on occasion. This is the "can't hide my hate at the right-wing for being bigots" Titus. It peeks out every once in a while, and for good reason.

He can't always be a jester.

UWS guy said...

Is today opposite day ricpic? Then yes, very funny.

Eli Blake said...

It's not that McCain has seven houses.

It's the elitism and contempt that he shows for ordinary people.

It's having this many houses but opposing legislation last March that helped keep people in their homes instead of being dumped out onto the street during the mortgage meltdown.

It's his not bothering to pay property taxes for years on the homes he does own. How can he seriously talk about tax cuts when he didn't even pay his own?

It's his thinking that even multi-millionaires are not 'rich' (in fact, by McCain's definition of having to earn $5 million a year to be rich, Obama isn't 'rich.')

It's his not even knowing how many homes he does have.

It's his firing Phil Gramm for saying that Americans are 'a nation of whiners' but then showing us that he thinks that himself just by his contempt for ordinary people.

UWS guy said...

Of course the benefit of being rich before you become president is you don't have to whore yourselves out after leaving office like the Clintons did.

blake said...

Kerry was teased constantly about being a "kept man" by the right.

Well, yeah. Kerry married a homely rich woman five years his elder. That's called a "gigolo".

McCain married a hot babe 17-18 years younger, who happened to own a beer distributorship. That's called a "lottery winner".

(Actually Teresa Heinz is not bad looking, but that kind of ruins the joke.)

vbspurs said...

It's not the comparative poverty, but the character.

Harry Truman was very much in queer street after he left the White House, but you didn't see him whoring himself out either.

Fortunately, the Former Presidents Act went into effect in 1958.

But the pension is less than $200,000 and you know, for an ex-President of the US, that's ridiculous, even with all the other benefits such as security and office funding.

Cheers,
Victoria

blake said...

She would lose her old fart single men that fantasize about actually hooking up with her.

Regardless of flatulence, I'm pretty sure we're not all old or single, nor would any fantasies we have be altered by her voting for Obama.

Also, some of us are gay, and some are straight women, so I'm not sure where the fantasies fit there.

(Forgive my use of the collective pronoun here, fellows; think of it as an "I am Spartacus" thing.)

vbspurs said...

Teresinha Heinz was never a babe, but she HAS aged well, I agree, Blake.

I mean the woman is 70 years-old, and she looks at least 15 years younger.

blake said...

I actually don't know what she looks like very well, but if she looks like this, that's pretty babe-y. She's got a kind of Mary Steenburgen/Diane Lane thing going.

UWS guy said...

Thomas Jefferson...I'm going to guess he owned at least 3 houses...maybe an apartment or two in Paris...

John S. McCain...par for the course?

blake said...

Also, truthfully, I find Cindy McCain a little frightening, at least in the "Presidential Wife" warpaint.

blake said...

Jefferson was, of course, notoriously bad with money, and he didn't own much for very long. I'm think Monticello was only safe because of his status.

Our first tax 'n' spend liberal!

vbspurs said...

She's got a kind of Mary Steenburgen/Diane Lane thing going.

I'll give you Mary Steenburgen, but no way to Diane Lane. Sacrilege!

Teresa is oddly unpolished for a woman who came from an elite background in Mozambique, and married two of the most elite families in the US. She's almost Martha Stewart-like in unkemptness, you know?

Still, there are some men who don't like, as you put it, the warpaint.

And Blake, remember that I likened Cindy McCain to a cross between Dina Merrill and Brigitte Nielsen?

I understand where you and others are coming from, because I know why she evokes this reaction.

Cindy McCain is aggressively Aryan.

UWS guy said...

charles keating > rezko.

McCain doesn't want to pick that fight.

garage mahal said...

Or maybe they thought Team Obama just wouldn't be clueless enough to start a discussion over where the candidates' houses came from. :)

Or everytime they bring up Rezko and Obama's house, just say "McCain has 7". Pretty effective deflection I think. Alot easier than trying to explain the inner-workings of a land deal.

And actually the $300k off the asking price Obama allegedly received is almost exactly the same amount the McCain's pay for their staff of servants per year. To put it all in perspective as they say.

Palladian said...

Interesting. I never thought about the possibility that "Titus" is a multiple-writer character. There are enough mentally ill Althouse haters to create a shared blogger I.D. and pass it around at will in order to more effectively troll the comments section.

Palladian said...

Democrats want you to remain poor and stupid. How dare anyone be wealthy! It's un-American!

chickelit said...

UWS: but Keating is so yesterday and Rezko so fresh.

UWS guy said...

Not to older voters...

chickelit said...

vbspurs said: "Cindy McCain is aggressively Aryan"

Do you mean in looks only?

UWS guy said...

Of course....does McCain really want to turn this election to the economy?

Nobody's talking about russia today...

who does that help?

chickelit said...

UWS guy said: "Not to older voters..."

Old as in...over 50? Fair enough. I'm not there yet. There's plenty of little skirmishes ahead, so maybe Keating will come up as a result of some lapse in McCain strategy.

Palladian said...

The interesting thing about "Titus" is that each of his many, many names has a different blogger profile. As far as I know, it's slightly time consuming to set up a new Blogger profile, and I'm not sure why someone would do it like every day. Ann's old mentally ill troll who once went by the name "AJD" changed its name frequently, but only its display name. The name always linked back to the same (unavailable) profile number so you could always tell it was the same person. "Titus" and his many names links to different blogger profiles. I took a random sample of 10 different "Titus" names and they were 10 different Blogger accounts. Perplexing.

Peter V. Bella said...

Eli Blake said...
It's his firing Phil Gramm for saying that Americans are 'a nation of whiners'…”


You just proved Phil Gramm’s point. You and your ilk are a bunch of whiners.

Fen said...

Too rich? Compare what McCain and Obama do with their own money. McCain adopts a child from a 3rd world country and raises it as his own. Obama won't even lend a hand to his own half-brother who's stuck in a 3rd world country.

Revenant said...

It's the elitism and contempt that he shows for ordinary people. It's having this many houses but opposing legislation last March that helped keep people in their homes instead of being dumped out onto the street during the mortgage meltdown.

I disagree with your assertion that "ordinary people" are greedy and stupid. Call me a hopeless optimist, but I like to think that the terminally greedy and stupid are a minority in American society, and so far as I'm concerned they can go rent an apartment after they're finished pissing away investors' money on houses they never should have bought.

Why the hell should I bail them out just because they were morons? It isn't like it took much common sense to realize that taking out an adjustable-rate loan when home prices were at record highs and interest rates at record lows was a fucking retarded idea. People did it anyway because they thought they could dump the house on some bigger sucker somewhere down the line. As it turned out, they WERE the bigger suckers.

Roger J. said...

no one has commented on the fact that obama looks like a chimpanzee and has the big ears to go along with the look--how come? when the nutroots refer to the president as the chimp, the havent looked hard at obama

oh was that racist> I have to do better

J said...

"I am John Mccain's first wife and if he will lie and cheat on me when I was in a car accident can you think of what he will do to the country, but he was a POW"

Given the fact that McCain's ex-wife supports his campaign, I'm pretty sure McCain would be delighted to see O make an issue of her. I don't think Obama's that stupid, but he's working hard to prove me wrong.

For description of the relationship between John and Carol McCain, see this - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html .

And bear in mind, that article is HOSTILE to McCain.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Eli Blake said:
"It's the elitism and contempt that he shows for ordinary people."

Care to elaborate on this claim? Beyond what you call the mortgage meltdown?

Ann Althouse said...

Palladian, this one just isn't him. I can feel it. The real Titus would come back and say something funny when I accused him of not being real, so the accusation created even more evidence. This guy isn't funny, isn't cool, and is too political.

Revenant said...

charles keating > rezko. McCain doesn't want to pick that fight.

Even if it were true that McCain's ties to Keating were worse than Obama's ties to Rezko, the latter is still worse for Obama than the former is for McCain.

The reason is obvious: the Keating scandal happened decades ago, and McCain's involvement in it has been public knowledge for all that time. Whatever harm McCain was going to suffer from it, he has suffered already. Beat that dead horse all you want, but it isn't going anywhere.

Obama, on the other hand, is the Golden Boy, the New Kind of Politician. Not that many people know he's in bed with convicted real estate fraudsters. To most swing voters, that's something new -- which means it can, and will, hurt Obama.

Steven said...

"Deadbeat", FLS?

George Obama is 26, which would mean he was born the year his father was killed in a car accident. How many opportunities do you think a fatherless child in Africa has, exactly? Or does being poor make you a "deadbeat" automatically, no matter how bad your opportunities were? At least an inner-city American has a chance to get a high school diploma and a Pell Grant for a two-year certification at a community college.

What I see is a guy, born into hard circumstances, who would have his annual income tripled if he got a $25 check for Christmas from his brother the presidential candidate. How many Mexican immigrants, busy sending remittance checks home to their families, would approve of the current situation, writing off George as a "deadbeat"?

Barack Obama has an excuse at the moment; George apparently was hard to find. And George might turn out to be a conman or something. That's why it would be unfair to run that ad right now. If George checks out, though, such an ad won't be unfair in October.

The Drill SGT said...

OK, a couple of comments, spurred on by Eli:

1. I'm a III, but both my father and grandpa are dead, I use III on a couple of things, but go without in normal operations

2. turns out McCain owns NO houses. Cindy owns it all, 8, including ones for a daughter, and elderly aunt, etc.

3. Eli said...It's his not bothering to pay property taxes for years on the homes he does own. How can he seriously talk about tax cuts when he didn't even pay his own?

Let's be clear. Condy owns a condo in La Jolla where she parks an elderly aunt. John has no connection to the property. I suspect that the house is owned by a trust, or by a commercial entity, and expect there is an escrow account, property management etc involved. somebody didnt pay taxes. it fell through the cracks somewhere. That doesn't rebound directly to John McCain, it would seem buffered 5 ways.

she does a good deed for her aunt. somebody screwed up. its not willful criminal evasion or consorting wth felons :)

4. Kerry of course married rich women twice, from poverty, one good marriage, then dumped her and married even better. McCain? You'd have to say he was Navy nobility when he married a divorce with kids, adopted them, went to war, came back, cheated, divorced her, but still did right by the ex-wife and step-kids. He married a rich gal, but he was a famous hero at the time. He signed a pre-nup and basicly lives within his income. Their lifestyle comes from her money, controlled by her.

Revenant said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Revenant said...

Or everytime they bring up Rezko and Obama's house, just say "McCain has 7".

Until such time as the Democratic Party finally succeeds in allowing convicted felons to vote, the "it is better to acquire one house with a criminal's money than seven houses with your own" line is unlikely to win you any elections.

Joseph said...

McCain "managed to become rich"

...by leaving his first wife for a rich heiress.

Whatever you say about Obama, he's much more a self-made man, like Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan, which is something a lot of people think is worthwhile.

garage mahal said...

You're right Revenant. Republicans are kicking some major ass all around the country aren't they. I bet Democrats would line up to hear your advice on how to win elections.

I'm glad everything will start to come out though, it will be fun to see McCentury get mad. You just know that Mt St Helens temper will erupt at some point.

Anonymous said...

If by self-made you mean made his fortune through affirmative action. You know who is a self-made man? Clarence Thomas. Of course, he is a stupid, unqualified Uncle Tom of a self-made man.

Or, perhaps, you are talking about those two autobiographies.

And, yeah, McCain isn't self-made. What can you do? Sometimes you are unavoidably detained in Hanoi or whatever.

Revenant said...

Joseph, it is true that Obama is more of a self-made man than McCain is, but as a Democrat he can't run on that. Democratic policies are based on the fiction that people can't become rich through their own efforts; the rich are by definition undeserving of their wealth, and ordinary folks can only survive with government assistance.

He could say "hey, I'm a black American and I became enormously successful through my own merit and actions". But then the Republicans will just nod and say "and that's how we've always said it ought to work".

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that people like Garage say that McCain has a temper. Interesting that they know, I mean.

Tell us, though. What about Obama? His character? His politics? His policies? Anything?

...Crickets...

vbspurs said...

Do you mean in looks only?

Well, Chickenlittle. Unless she harbours a yen to invade Poland, yes. :)

Revenant said...

You're right Revenant. Republicans are kicking some major ass all around the country aren't they. I bet Democrats would line up to hear your advice on how to win elections.

I don't get your point. Sure, Republicans are doing poorly all over the country, but it sure as hell isn't because they took my advice on anything. The pack of losers currently stinking up the Congress need to all be out on their asses, so far as I'm concerned.

blake said...

And Blake, remember that I likened Cindy McCain to a cross between Dina Merrill and Brigitte Nielsen?

Yes, and you brought up Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS, yesterday, too, which, in the language of my people means we're married.

But, seriously, I'm pretty sure the McCains could kill the Obamas, despite the age advantage, eat them, and clean up for a formal dress ball later in the evening.

I know why I get that vibe offa McCain, but I sort of get the idea that his wife had to be similarly fierce and tough to rein him in.

Sprezzatura said...

BHO got NO Rezko deal on his house.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aR8NLIoQEDc4

I'm genuinely stumped by some of the commentators above.

How can folks not know the basic facts of the home purchase? Many of you make ridiculous claims that are known to be false. Even a 527 couldn't air an ad with your imaginary facts.


Regarding wife #1, it does look odd that McCain's mother was suing her, and now Roberta is denying this happened, while wife #1 and court documents are both saying it certainly did happen. And, don't forget that McCain himself has been caught lying about when he took up with Cindy relative to wife #1. The McCain's seem to think that they can lie when ever they want--it's Clintonesque.


Fen,

McCain lied about the details of that story at Saddleback. He was telling us all an embellished compelling personal anecdote rather than even pretending to answer Warren's actual policy question about what JSW would do as president.

Anonymous said...

WWF Four-Person Cage Match Battle Royal Predictions

First Place. John McCain
Second Place. Michelle Obama
Third Place. Cindy McCain
Fourth Place. Barrack Obama

vbspurs said...

I know why I get that vibe offa McCain, but I sort of get the idea that his wife had to be similarly fierce and tough to rein him in.

GOOD OBSERVATION!

Last night, CNN followed Fox News a day later with their own "Presidential Portraits" segment on both Obama and McCain, only CNN's was an hour and a half (and much less interesting -- there's a shock).

Carol McCain seemed a very meek lady, which might've her on-camera persona, however. Certainly no one who was close to Nancy Reagan, could've been that meek.

(The latter famously only likes
"big" personalities, like her best friend, Gloria Vanderbilt and the late Merv Griffin)

Whereas Cindy McCain has a more commanding presence, even in distress -- they showed her druggie confessional, and though embarrassed, she didn't come off as a victim type (unlike Kitty Dukakis).

It's ironic that there are two diametrically opposed ladies vying to be First Lady, in terms of physique.

Cindy McCain, the über WASP, Betty White throw-back.

Michelle Obama, who if she throws on a hat, looks like Sanford and Son's Aunt Esther.

vbspurs said...

Seven Machos for the win!!

Anonymous said...

1992. Gennifer Flowers and Bimbo eruptions for Bill Clinton. Winner: Clinton.

2000. George W. Bush's drunk driving arrest is exposed days before the election. Winner: Bush (electoral college).

2004. George W. Bush's failure to show up for a physical in 1965 (or something) is a big deal for months. Dan Rather reduced to ignominy. Winner: Bush.

2008. John McCain once got a divorce and he owns a bunch of property. Winner: TBD.

Dirty laundry doesn't matter. That's the conclusion to draw here. Please, McCain: define the candidate as of now and pillory his policies and lack thereof now.

kimsch said...

Victoria,

LOL!

BTW - driving out of London on the way to Salisbury a decade ago, the Hubby and I (on our honeymoon) passed by Steptoe and Sons. I believe that was the inspiration for Sanford and Sons.

Fen said...

McCain lied about the details of that story at Saddleback.

Provide evidence he lied.

Anonymous said...

Jesus, Fen. Don't you get it? Everything that Republican candidates say is a "lie" because "lie" is defined by these zealots as "that which I disagree with or wish were not true." Hence, it's a mad lib:

(Candidate) lied when (candidate) said (statement).

Bob said...

After reading this thread and several others I remain surprised at those taking shots at McCain for divorcing his first wife. That was pretty common amongst returning POWs. Actually pretty common today amongst returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan. I would think anyone on left would want to stay away from that given Kerry. And of course the medical condition PTSD.

Anonymous said...

Bob:

1992, 1996, 2008: being in a war doesn't matter.

2000, 2004: being in a war is a critical factor in the election.

blake said...

Also, FWIW, I think Keating is a dead horse because McCain (and Glenn) were cleared, and the whole McCain-Feingold abomination is the result.

I'd say harp on that but I guess nobody cares much about it. For me (and I think Megan McArdle as well) it makes it nigh-impossible to vote for him.

Fen said...

How can folks not know the basic facts of the home purchase?

Maybe they should ask Nadhmi Auchi. Obama certainly did.

Don't want to discuss that? Then how about Obama's racist religion that craves the love of a God that participates in the destruction of the White race

Or maybe discuss Obama's political alliances with Marxist terrorists like William Ayers.

Or maybe get a list of what else Obama thinks is above his paygrade. Iranian nuclear proliferation? Russian imperialism?

Cedarford said...

Freder - So Ann gets bent all out of shape when Obama dodges a question on abortion, but when McCain doesn't even how many houses he owns, she just ridicules Obama.

I am not sure of the details of McCain's marriage or if his wife has a pre-nup saying war hero Johnny really doesn't "own" any of her properties in common due to marriage. He could own no houses as an equal marriage partner...but not the stuff a guy likes to broadcast.

Cindy McCain has oodles of money, and I understand why McCain might want staff to check because her investment advisors could well be shifting her in and out of real estate investments in her portfolio from month to month in a way that even Cindy, let alone McCain, doesn't know her exact home, property, condo situation.

My brother in law's Dad is a bigtime inventor & entrepreneur and worth more than I care to think...I remember about 10 years ago seeing him half-amused, half infuriated that he blew about 20K in Hawaii on vacation inc. a 4-Star hotel not knowing his investment advisor team had put him in ownership of 3 unoccupied luxury condos 3 miles away from hotel he stayed at.
==================
(fake) Titus - will turn straight if Althouse tells her audience she is going to vote for Obama.

She would lose her old fart single men that fantasize about actually hooking up with her.


Come on! The only woman you would go straight for a night with is one that wields a mean strap-on.

As for Ann A., I'm a bit younger than her, but would find her a fascinating date with her many interests and artistic skills. And she IS a good-looking lady.

Being queer, I understand how you would miss those basic facts about a lady.

Also, the real Titus is a fairly sweet soul who rarely, if ever gets into personal slams against the Blog host or other commentors.

I like to think of myself as sweet, too, as long as Freder or DTL aren't around - or the discussion doesn't go into why no ethnic group is pure and noble and morally immune from criticism.

====================
Athouse - (on the delicious Hillary-McCain "conspiracy" to show Obama is unelectable, and Hillary is "The (real) One"

Superdelegates! Save us!!!

I think a growing pit of fear is gnawing in the bellies of Democrats that Republicans are with holding the Worst Dirt on Obama until after he is locked in as the nominee.

Now it is true that dumping Obama would drive the nutroots and blacks crazy for weeks after the Convention, but they have no where else to go.

Hillary offers - in the general election sense, a viable alternative to McCain for beaten up Reagan Democrats, hispanics leery of Obama, and women disaffected by the Messiah.

Blake - Well, yeah. Kerry married a homely rich woman five years his elder. That's called a "gigolo".
McCain married a hot babe 17-18 years younger, who happened to own a beer distributorship. That's called a "lottery winner".
(Actually Teresa Heinz is not bad looking, but that kind of ruins the joke.)


Great, funny observation. I'd substitute "plump and loopy" in place of homely.

I'd add that Cindy McCain was rumored to be "a sexually adventurous" gal, and was a smoking hot ex-USC cheerleader when she 1st hooked up with Johnny and helped "work out" all those POW kinks. So the lottery win is even bigger when you think of John's 30-year long marital feast.
(And even more on her plus side, she is a do-gooder since her teens, with a big list of accomplishments helping others.)

I would say that the question of "elitism" is answered by reality - in my experience - elitism is acquired in youth and early adulthood. When attitudes and behavior are largely set. You see it in the insouciance and arrogance displayed in a certain set at ones top-tier university, and in the open at not a few club and workplace situations.

My belief is that both Obamas aspired to the elites and drank deeply since their youths in the intoxication of being so special and having so many powerful mentors and sugar daddies/mommas looking out for them.

McCains formative years were as a rebel then as someone who tried to survive and excel in the ruthless meritocracy of Navy aviation. It is true that the military branches do give some benefit to "multigeneration warriors" - there is influence - but not enough to keep a bad pilot flying - too many other lives are at stake.

And his life was unlike most American elites - tough, dangerous, and dealing with mainly men from the lower and middle classes, living in a shared room smaller than Michelle Obama's walk-in closet.

We also understand, from the basic truth of people we know unchanged by later-life success & wealth, even a windfall inheritance, lottery hit - that such people tend to remain unchanged from their formative years. My uncle never bought into the "McCain is elite" bit from marrying into wealth. He's a smart guy, and did mention Kerry being a snooty preppie long before "Ther-aza" entered his life...but he mainly mentioned "The Beverley Hillbillies" - an old show about a dirt poor codger who caused an oil gusher with a gun blast, got filthy rich, then moved his backwoods clan to Beverley Hills and yet, with a mansion and other trappings of wealth, still remained true hillbillies.

veni vidi vici said...

"Harry Truman was very much in queer street after he left the White House, but you didn't see him whoring himself out either."

So now you're saying Truman was gay and probably would've been all for same-sex marriage, then?

Peter V. Bella said...

Ann Althouse said...
Palladian, this one just isn't him. I can feel it. The real Titus...


Always is one name like TitusdoesCaligula. He never separates his names into two or three words.

The real Titus is witty, charming, disgusting, funny, and campy. He also rarely rail against Republicans. I like the real Titus and I hope he comes back and beotch slaps the posseur.

garage mahal said...

Team McCain is friggin hilarious. The first little punch landed and they publicly announce they're launching the Rezko mortars already because Obama attacked his wife. They thought the wives would be left out of all this - and Obama is making them do it.

I suppose you couldn't expect anything less from a collection of Rove flunkies.

Eli Blake said...

Keep in mind too that Cindy McCain's money came via her dad, who got where he did by being Kemper Marley's right hand man.

But hey, a buck is a buck, right? Doesn't matter whether it has blood on it?

Unknown said...

And yes, Rezko took a look at Obama's house before he bought it. Rezko also bought the lot next door, then sold a strip of it to to Obama. Because nobody could afford a house so grand, certainly not the MD couple who sold it to the Obamas.


Pssst. (Don't tell anyone, but Rezko is a RICH crook. A slum lord, shown to have bought the Democratic Governor of Illinois.)

I guess being RICH is ok if you funnel lots and lots of graft to the right (democrat) politicians.

The trial of Tony Rezko has promised an explosive look at Illinois politics, and yesterday it delivered a large detonation regarding Governor Rod Blagojevich. After an attempted shakedown of a Hollywood producer failed to generate the million-dollar payoff for Blagojevich’s campaign, fixer Stuart Levine testified that Blagojevich agreed to cut state business ....

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/rezko/873770,rezko040208.article

Peter V. Bella said...

Revenant said...
It isn't like it took much common sense to realize that taking out an adjustable-rate loan when home prices were at record highs and interest rates at record lows was a fucking retarded idea.


Taking out an adjustable rate mortgage is an effen retarded idea period. No one in their right mind would do so. If they had taken out a 40 or 50 year conventional mortgage we THEY would not be in this mess.


Why should the government bail out stupidity. I forgot, the Dems are in charge of the legislature.

Anonymous said...

A fixed-rate 50-year mortgage for a home? So, what is that? About $200 a month for a million-dollar home?

Sign me up.

former law student said...

Too rich? Compare what McCain and Obama do with their own money. McCain adopts a child from a 3rd world country and raises it as his own. Obama won't even lend a hand to his own half-brother who's stuck in a 3rd world country.

Compare what Cindy McCain does with her own half-sisters. First, she denied the existence of Kathleen Hensley Portalski, who Cindy hasn't seen since their dad's funeral. Then, Cindy kept her dad's entire multi-million dollar inheritance -- Kathleen received only $10,000. Shouldn't Cindy share their father's massive wealth with her deserving sister? Not to mention that currently, Cindy does not speak of her other half-sister, Dixie Burd, at all.

MD couple who sold it to the Obamas for substantially less than market value.

I'm always impressed by the omniscience of Althouse commenters. Tell me, Joan: What was the market value of the Obama house? What did it appraise at, and what comps did the appraiser use? How long was the house on the market? Ten days, 30 days, or six months? Recall that the sellers were motivated, because they both had new jobs on the East Coast. Recall also that they were selling two city lots, one developed and one undeveloped.

Anonymous said...

It's a fool's errand to trash another opponent's private life, or the opponent's spouse's. That said, lefties, if you are going to dish it out, you have to take it.

I really hate to break this to you, but neither of these guys is anywhere near a saint. I know that's blasphemy for you Obamaphiles.

Sloanasaurus said...

Being rich could cast you as an elitest in the eyes of those Reagan Democrats that Obama so badly needs to win. However, getting rich from selling beer... now that's cool!

Sloanasaurus said...

Shouldn't Cindy share their father's massive wealth with her deserving sister? Not to mention that currently, Cindy does not speak of her other half-sister, Dixie Burd, at all.

Where do you find this stuff?

Unknown said...

If Obama's house costs less than $5 million, then it's a middle class house according to John McCain.

I bet Bill Gates knows how many homes he owns.

John McCain knew too (unless he's senile). He just lied and said he didn't remember. He's been lying a lot lately, hasn't he?

Joe said...

I dislike Obama, but the complaint about him not helping his brother is silly. We don't know their relationship or what kind of person the brother is or whether he's even asked for help. I don't even understand this notion that one is obligated to simply give money to family members.

Anonymous said...

Note Downtown's odd usage of the word "lie."

Joe said...

DTL, apparently you aren't married. My wife knows we own stocks, for example, but can't tell you which ones. Neither can I tell you how many craft supplies she owns other than a shit load.

Unknown said...

It's a fool's errand to trash another opponent's private life, or the opponent's spouse's.

Yes, but it's perfectly ok to attack Michelle Obama. Because she's not a wife, she's a ho. Not to mention attacking the Church that Obama goes to - that's ok.
And last but not least, the fact that Obama once ordered an orange juice at a diner. Let's write fifty gazillion blog posts about that.

Sloanasaurus said...

Taking out an adjustable rate mortgage is an effen retarded idea period. No one in their right mind would do so. If they had taken out a 40 or 50 year conventional mortgage we THEY would not be in this mess.

Actually things like adjustable rate mortgages are used by smart people to get rich. No one gets rich from having a 30 year mortgage.

Unknown said...

Craft supplies, houses - yes it's the same thing. It's just oh so common to forget how many houses you own.

Anonymous said...

Downtown -- Reading comprehension issues got you down?

Unknown said...

Even I knew how many houses John McCain owns. It's been bubbling in the blogosphere for the past month.

Bruce Hayden said...

"Nobody ever refers to him as John S. McCain III, even though he himself used it as a byline in his own newspaper column describing his life as a POW."

Drill Sgt. called it. My father was a Jr. until awhile after his father's death. John McCain III would use the III until after both his father and father were gone. And his son Jack is likely using IV (instead of Jr. as suggested above). John McCain Sr. died in 1945 and his son in the early 1980s (if I remember right). So, the later would have still be alive when his son came back from being a POW.

Synova said...

So who is getting bailed out if the government keeps people from losing their homes? The people who made piss-poor decisions to take out the loans, or the people who made piss-poor decisions to offer the loans to people who couldn't afford them?

I understand the feeling that people should meet their obligations even when their obligations were foolishly entered in to, but my mom made a good argument that the banks making the loans equally deserved to get left holding the bag, ie., the properties used to secure the loans.

All in all, though, it's not at all self-evident that supporting a bail-out of the home mortgage fiasco is the "common person" stance to take. A whole heck of a lot of struggling working-class home-owners have little sympathy for seeing their tax money going for other people's mortages when the better part of their income already goes to their own.

Bruce Hayden said...

Even I knew how many houses John McCain owns. It's been bubbling in the blogosphere for the past month.

Yeh, he has a lot easier time than either his wife or John Kerry's wife do in this regard. McCain doesn't own a house. That is an easy number to remember. Zero.

Unknown said...

When is Cindy McCain going to release her tax returns?

Unknown said...

When can we start making fun of McCain for marrying an heiress (as we did with John Kerry).

Beth said...

McCain doesn't own a house. That is an easy number to remember. Zero.

The Pope doesn't "own" anything, either. But he's wearing some pretty nice shoes, and a nifty hat.

Synova said...

Not everyone drops the Jr. or III or whatever when someone dies. My husband uses IV even though Jr. died without ever seeing the infant III.

He doesn't, however, use it all the time for everything because it's only actually useful in avoiding confusion with his father.

Which is likely McCain's concern when he used it.

Trying to make some issue of McCain using III and then stopping using it? That is really desperate.

Unknown said...

This is the campaign Republicans want.

He eats arugula!

He orders Orange Juice!

His preacher is a scary black guy!

Michelle hates America!

What kind of countertops do they have!

Now they're horrified when this kind of juvenile debate is thrown back at them

God forbid we actually talk about the issues (double digit inflation, rising unemployment, a sinking dollar, $4 a gallon gasoline, a stupid war in Iraq, Afghanistan getting worse by the day, an administration that wants to start Cold War III and a war with Iran, etc, etc, etc.)

Unknown said...

Oh - I forget to mention Osama bin Laden still running free! Oops - I meant Obama bin Laden. Or is that Barack Osama. Hard to keep the wingnut talking points straight.

Anonymous said...

When is Obama going to release:

1. his state legislative office records

2. a specific list of law clients

3. his application to the state bar

4. any medical records?

See how futile this is, dude. But go ahead. Play on.

Unknown said...

This is the same Seven Machos who went ballistic when Kerry wouldn't release his war records, and then made the false insinuation that he was dishonorably discharged.

Of course Kerry released them and there was nothing new in those records.

Anonymous said...

This is the same Seven Machos who went ballistic when Kerry wouldn't release his war records, and then made the false insinuation that he was dishonorably discharged.

I would be interested in seeing said ballistic comment for verification. Incidentally, I am glad to hear that you collect such information about me, Downtown. I don't feel stalked. I feel honored. After all, I am an important voice on the Internets.

Lisa said...

I don't understand comparing McCain to Kerry. Few of us voting for Obama actually LIKED John Kerry. He was the best alternative to the hideous mess of W in the White House.

Now we have a real alternative in Obama, one who is smart and committed and who doesn't have the type of character (or lack thereof) that would permit him to repeatedly cheat on his newly-handicapped wife, then dump her for an heiress, as John McCain did (this being but one of the many indicators of his flawed character).

And is it really so hard for anyone to see that Ms. Althouse is jealous of this academic whose accomplishments so vastly exceed her own?

Unknown said...

I don't have to collect anything Seven. It was a well-known Republican talking point.

And you're a shill for the Republican party. You've never had one independent opinion of you're own. That's why you're a bore.

chickelit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Welcome, Lisa. Althouse: do you agree? Does a part-time lecturer with no serious academic publication dwarf you?

All in all, though, am incredibly shrill post. So you love Obama. Big deal. William F. Buckley loved Barry Goldwater. I love Glenn Reynolds. None of those people ever will be president. Especially Goldwater. Because he's dead.

Unknown said...

I'm almost positive that was the real Titus.

Ann just gets upset when gay people criticize our Dear Leader.

chickelit said...

titusis going home:

Your identity has been called into question in this thread. Here's a chance to claim your true identity, but you must answer the following three questions using the name "titusis going home" exactly as it appeared in your earlier posts.
1) where is "home"?
2) locals know your hometown is unique in at least one aspect- what is it?
3) name at least one popular high school prom restaurant destination from your town.

Anonymous said...

So you admit that you are totally full of shit, then, Downtown? Great. Now we are getting somewhere.

Now, let's address your anger issues. Let's talk about your visceral hatred of the overwhelming majority of Americans who oppose gay marriage.

All us Republicans. Me. W. Revenant. All of us on in goose-stepping unison.

Unknown said...

Glenn Reynolds - the anti-gay prick with his gay-conversion-therapy implanted wife.

Unknown said...

When is McCain going to release his military records? What is he hiding????

Ralph L said...

I looked up McCain's geneaology a while ago. There were one or two John Sidney McCains earlier in the 19th century when they lived in the next county (Rockingham) from me in NC, before moving to SC, then Mississippi.

McCain's mother is an oil heiress.

chickelit said...

"What is he hiding"

Probably evidence of his Manchurian brainwash. It's all coming to head next summer. Hillary will prevail and save Western Civilization

Anonymous said...

McCain is hiding the fact that he bought a timeshare in Hue during his so-called period of "imprisonment" by the "North" Vietnamese "communists."

Methadras said...

downtownlad said...

Glenn Reynolds - the anti-gay prick with his gay-conversion-therapy implanted wife.


Is this jealousy I'm reading?

Ralph L said...

A discipline-challenged boy in my 6th grade class was a POW's son. His parents split within a year.

TitusGirlMeetsBoy said...

OK, I just read this posting and someone used my first name. I am outraged. Generally, after my name I use a phrase that is artistic, ballet, music, etc.

Also, I did use one once about actually going home but I was going back to Wisconsin.

I feel like someone here is trying to damage my reputation...quit laughing people.

Also, I am not that mean.

Now as far as the houses. Mccain should of probably known the answer but I happen to think it is fabulous to have all those houses. I love money and think Cindy Mccain is very hot. Although, I do think her hair is sometimes a little to plastered to her head. I like it more flowing. Also, she has a killer body and nice rack. I would do her.

John Burgess said...

I'm wondering why people have the idea that John McCain was born poor? He certainly was not.

His mother, the daughter of a successful Texas oil wild-catter, has been living in the same co-op apartment (now appraised in the range of $4 million) for decades.

She lives on Conn. Ave. in DC, up in the Kalorama area. My mother-in-law was in the same building until her death earlier this year.

Former Law Student: Thanks for making the etiquette point, saving me from having to do so.

TitusGirlMeetsBoy said...

sorry the last posting should of said "too" instead of "to".

I also try to correct my typos before anyone else gets to it.

My typos can be funny also.

Whatever understanded means...not funny.

Anonymous said...

What? John McCain wasn't born poor? Well, that settles it. I'm against him.

I always try to go with the current meme. This year, it's who is poorer? In 2004, it was who served more honorably in the military. In 2000, who invented the Internet?

Ann Althouse said...

Titus, it was obvious the other "titus" wasn't you. Don't know why he bothered.

Unknown said...

Yes - we should have known Titus doesn't put spaces in his tags. I liked Titus's Titusherecomesbrenda tag on the other thread.

I'm assuming that's from the B'52's song.

McCain's response was lame. Obama should have used comedy in his original ad too. He definitely needs a new ad company.

Is it really that hard to make a commercial that say:

Worst economic performance over an 8-year period since the depression.

Stock Market that has done 90% worse than the historical average

Went to war with the wrong country

Allowed country to be attacked by terrorists

Allowed an American city to get washed away by a Hurricane

Torture

Let the Chinese kick our ass in the Olympics.

It's really not that difficult.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that it rained on some people's wedding day.

Ralph L said...

dtl doesn't remember the 70's.

Cedarford said...

1jpb - "...who tried to survive and excel..."
I've read classmate recollections that indicate McCain was not trying to excel. He was portrayed as someone who went out of their way to cause trouble. It was also suggested that his family allowed him to survive rather than his effort.


No, McCain earned his proud spot as a "near-Anchorman" all on his own. (The Navy and Army have a tradition of acknowledging the fighters, rebels, and dummies who by 150% effort get by and still graduate - since they have a pattern of exceeding all other 10ths in a class in promotions.)

After the Academy, though, McCain did it on his own. Becoming a carrier pilot is one of the hardest jobs in the military to get selected, get through quals in, and then maintain over many years. It is as prestigious a military position as becoming a Navy SEAL and being one for a long time.
Add that McCain made Captain (O-6) - something that less than 3% of Academy grads manage, and achieved awards for the highest achievement and military valor.

Not a bad career, at all. And you don't get to be a top fighter jock, highly decorated, a Captain, and the guy the Navy picked to schmooze up the Congress by being a dummy.

Is McCain as smart as Obama? Perhaps not. He certainly is nowhere near as bright as Romney or Bill Clinton or Nixon.

But none of them were ever banging a smoking hot, super-rich ex-USC cheerleader for 30 years - so give the dude some credit for his other appeals to people. (Though Romney was smart enough to find and keep a hot babe he met in his teens all his life).

Among other remarks on FDR, it was said that while every person in his Cabinet was smarter than he - certainly the man he first beat - the true engineering & logistics genius Herbert Hoover....none was a better leader or judge of other people.

==============

Cedarford said...

I said - since they have a pattern of exceeding all other 10ths in a class in promotions

Which was incomplete. It should have ended with - "except the top 10%".

UWS guy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
UWS guy said...

That new ad is interesting. Remember the ads Romney put out against McCain? McCain accused Romney of lying or some such in the ads. This gave McCain carte blanche to be rude and angry, live and on stage, with Romney during the Reagan library debates.

No pretense of, "my honorable opponent", or "My friend (mccain's favorite phrase). I wonder if McCain will take Obama's opening shots as excuse now to cease with the smiling and handshaking.

Obama = Romney.

Zachary Sire said...

Today's the day things really went negative.

Today is the day? McCain and his surrogates have been attacking Obama on everything from his wife to his diet to his starstruck fans for months.

And McCain saying that Obama would've rather won an election than a war...oh, that's not negative!

Palladian said...

"And McCain saying that Obama would've rather won an election than a war...oh, that's not negative!"

Aww, poor sensitive Zachary, bothered by all the negativity. Lefties are never negative! They just strew flowers and ribbons and good feelings... as long as everyone agrees with them. Otherwise, all bets are off.

Palladian said...

"Let the Chinese kick our ass in the Olympics."

Yes, but they cheat. And are probably tortured to death if they don't perform well.

Revenant said...

Recall also that they were selling two city lots, one developed and one undeveloped.

Incorrect. The property had been a single lot. They split it in two to sell.

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