Maybe someday I'll have too many houses to count

What has been said:

703.1. Kevin Pettitt (08/21/2008 09:58 AM)

Me thinks knowing which key to use where is moot for folks in this category, since they probably don't even open the door for themselves when they arrive, let alone unlock it. They have people for that.

703.2. Jerry Carter (08/21/2008 10:05 AM)

Obama is no elitist - he's an elitist wannabe. Less than 6 actual weeks of total time spent working in his capacity as a senator and he wants to be president. poser! ;-)

703.3. Ben Langhinrichs (08/21/2008 10:32 AM)

@Kevin - Oh, goody. I don't just get houses, I get people to open them for me.

Yo, Jeeves, be a good chap and open up the old bungalow, will you?

703.4. Ben Langhinrichs (08/21/2008 10:39 AM)

@Chris and @Jerry - Be careful, guys, you're stumbling all over your conservative talking points.

703.5. Craig Wiseman (08/21/2008 05:59 PM)

If you think (even for a split second) that either Obama AND McCain are not part of the upperclass, then you're insane.

At least McCain did the old fashioned way - he married in. That was OK for Kerry, wasn't it?

703.6. Ben Langhinrichs (08/21/2008 08:42 PM)

@Craig - Why would I think otherwise? I am part of the upperclass myself. Doesn't bother me a bit. I might have a bit of a problem with a president who is out of touch though...

703.7. John Head (08/21/2008 09:11 PM)

As one of the few who has had Obama as an IL and US senator representing me, I would just like to have someone who does his job instead of runs for the next one. Dick Durbin and I might disagree all over the board, but at least he has focused on representing his state and country instead of just making himself look good for the next contest.

personally, the skeletons in the closet for Obama will come out after the conventions.

As for this comment Ben, we know who wears the pants in the family. Cindy must also keep track of the real estate :P

703.8. Craig Wiseman (08/22/2008 05:49 AM)

@Ben -

Why? Because at their level, houses and properties are live DVRs, TVs, and computers for middleclass folk - hard sometimes to know the exact number. And he has a wife who is pretty independent as well.

Your wife has never bought anything .you. were not aware of?

703.9. Ben Langhinrichs (08/22/2008 06:34 AM)

@Craig - It is not "their" level at which houses are "DVRs, TVs, and computers". It may be for John McCain, but I was making more than the Obamas for at least a couple of the years since their income has been reported, and I never got close to thinking of houses that way, nor even computers, TVs or DVRs. There is a huge, huge difference between the wealth in the McCain household and that in the Obama household. and simply acting like they are both "rich" misses that completely.

Come to think about it harder, I cannot think of anything my wife has ever bought over the cost of about $100 that I was not aware of. The closest might be that she has donated to various charities and I may not know whether it was $500 or $1000 that she gave, but I certainy know that she gave it.

The Obamas have long been middle class, and have recently, within the decade, moved into the upper class, mostly due to book sales and that sort of thing. Does that put them out of touch? Probably a bit, as I am sure I am more out of touch than when my wife and I were getting by in early marriage with two kids on $40K a year. Is it the same sort of out of touch that would mean not noticing a house or two, or even a computer or TV or two? Get real!

703.10. Chris Whisonant (08/25/2008 06:30 AM)

So Cindy McCain has a family trust? What's the big deal? This whole story is actually a little disingenuous. First of all, there are actually 8 homes. From what I remember, several of them are just in the family trust. So this isn't necessarily something that John McCain actually bought. They have a daughter who lives in one of the condos and Cindy has an aunt (I believe) who resides in one of the homes.

Obama wants to be like his electorate and have his next house be paid for by taxpayers' money... ;)

703.11. Ben Langhinrichs (08/25/2008 06:49 AM)

@Chris - First of all, I was not making some big political statement. I was reflecting on the oddity of the situation, not arguing that it made John McCain unfit to be President or something like that. I do not think he is unfit to be President. He is not my first choice, but he is a capable man with a long history of service to our county. I think he deserves respect. Amazingly, I think Barack Obama also deserves respect. I cannot understand how people on both sides of the political divide seem o find it reasonable to deride an pu down the other candidates. Both are Senators, elected by constituents, and you dishonor those constituents by deriding their Senator.

Aside from all this, the story makes a perfectly valid point about John McCain, which is that his situation is far removed from that of either ordinary working Americans or either Barack Obama and Joe Biden. What makes this ironic is that in the last election, it was John Kerry who had a wealthy wife, and many Republicans never tired of making fun of him for it and insinuating his elitism because of it. No the shoe is on the other foot, and it looks fairly hypocritical (not of you in particular, but those who do it).