(CNN) – Barack Obama’s campaign continued to hit John McCain on his failure to answer a question on the number of homes he owns with a new ad Thursday, as the presumptive Democratic nominee hammered the same point on the campaign trail in Virginia and the McCain camp battled back.
“Somebody asked John McCain, 'how many houses do you have?' and he said, 'I'm not sure, I’ll have to check with my staff,'” said Obama at a Thursday morning campaign stop. “True quote! 'I'm not sure, I'll have to check with my staff.' So they asked his staff and he said, 'at least four.' 'At least four.'
“Now think about that — I guess if you think that being rich means you gotta make five million dollars, and if you don't know how many houses you have, then it's not surprising that you might think the economy is fundamentally strong,” he continued. “But if you're like me and you've got one house — or you were like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so that they don't lose their home — you might have a different perspective. …
He also said that there was a “fundamental gap of understanding” between McCain’s world and “what people are going thru every single day here in America.”
The Republican’s campaign continued to press their long-time charge that Obama himself is an elitist. “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?” said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers. “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.”
The Obama campaign’s new ad, released hours after McCain’s comment was published, also paints the portrait of John McCain as privileged and insulated from current economic woes. “Maybe you’re struggling just to pay the mortgage on your home. But recently, John McCain said ‘The fundamentals of our economy are strong,’” says the announcer in the 30-second spot, “Seven.”
“Hm,” he continues skeptically, as the ad flashes a picture of a house with a foreclosure sign in the front yard.
“Then again, that same day, when asked how many houses he owns, McCain lost track. He couldn’t remember. Well, it’s seven. Seven houses,” he continues. On-screen, the legend flashes: “it’s seven. worth 13 million dollars.”
The White House appears on-screen, as he concludes: “And here’s one house America can’t afford to let John McCain move into.”
The ad is Obama’s fifth negative spot in the past two days.
But he has a staff to help him remember how many houses he owns! Honest, he can't be that bad as a President!
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
This is a spectacularly bad fuck up by McCain, and fantastic ammunition for the Democrats to use against them right as they introduce their new VP candidate. It definitely helps to put the republicans on the defensive while the democrats pick up momentum as they head into Denver next week.
"A country without a Czar is like a village without an idiot."
- Old Russian Saying
How could you possibly, possibly not know how many houses you posses? This just boggles my mind - even if I were filthy rich and had a dozen houses, I imagine I'd remember that number...
SiegeTank wrote:How could you possibly, possibly not know how many houses you posses? This just boggles my mind - even if I were filthy rich and had a dozen houses, I imagine I'd remember that number...
[sarcasm]You have to pause and make sure you know how these responses play out on TV first. You can't just fire that kind of information off willy nilly without knowing precisely how it will impact your target democraphics. DUH.[/sarcasm]
"A country without a Czar is like a village without an idiot."
- Old Russian Saying
Hey, McVain probably needs some one to tell him how many times to wipe his ass.
I wonder if this latest Mcshenigans has made it to the international media feed yet? The Likudniks are soon going to have buyer's remorse about him, I bet.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
His name at least is good fodder for various derogatory nicknames:
McVain
McPain
McSame
McTame (too tame an approach to many serious problems)
McLame
I'm sure someone else can come up with more...
Warwolf Urban Combat Specialist
Why is it so goddamned hard to get little assholes like you to admit it when you fuck up? Is it pride? What gives you the right to have any pride?
–Darth Wong to vivftp
GOP message? Why don't they just come out of the closet: FASCISTS R' US –Patrick Degan
The GOP has a problem with anyone coming out of the closet. –18-till-I-die
Washington Post wrote:McCain Spokesman's Retort: Obama Lives in "a Frickin' Mansion"
By Michael D. Shear
SEDONA, Ariz. -- A spokesman for Sen. John McCain vowed to retaliate against today's story about how many houses the GOP candidate owns with a renewed focus on Sen. Barack Obama's ties to a Chicago developer and charges that Obama is an elitist.
"We're delighted to have a real estate debate with Barack Obama," said spokesman Brian Rogers, adding that the press should focus on Obama's house. "It's a frickin' mansion. He doesn't tell people that. You have a mansion you bought in a shady deal with a convicted felon."
The felon reference was to Tony Rezko, a former Obama friend and financial backer who was convicted on fraud and bribery charges this year. Rogers vowed to intensify efforts to link Obama to Rezko in the coming days.
"That's fair game now," he said. "You are going to see more of that now that this issue has been joined. You'll see more of the Rezko matter from us."
The McCain campaign was in full damage-control mode as the housing story took off today. Rogers tried to play down the story, saying that reports of the many McCain houses were overstated.
"The reality is they have some investment properties and stuff. It's not as if he lives in ten houses. That's just not the case," Rogers said. "The reality is they have four that actually could be considered houses they could use."
Those four include an apartment in Arlington, a ranch in Sedona, and two condos, in California and Phoenix, he said. The others include "some investment properties and things like that."
He also added: "This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War.
Rogers called the house story "by far the most personal attack" of the campaign, and said "it comes from a candidate who said he was against this kind of thing."
He predicted that the story would not "stick" with the American people.
"In terms of who's an elitist, I think people have made a judgment that John McCain is not an arugula-eating, pointy headed professor-type based on his life story."
I imagine his original response was probably based on the fact that old Straight Talk Express didn't want to admit how many houses he owns. Didn't want to appear out of touch.
But, we can also keep in mind that according to McCain, Obama isn't rich.
I'm sure that they aren't thinking of rental income.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Washington Post wrote:He also added: "This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War.
I have to admit, I'm kind of impressed at the level of discipline it must take to get "WAR HERO! But... but, but WAR HERO!" into every press release, no matter how unrelated.
Washington Post wrote:He also added: "This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War.
I have to admit, I'm kind of impressed at the level of discipline it must take to get "WAR HERO! But... but, but WAR HERO!" into every press release, no matter how unrelated.
Especially considering how much McCain supposedly doesn't like to talk about it. That's got to be gutwrenching.
"A country without a Czar is like a village without an idiot."
- Old Russian Saying
Washington Post wrote:He also added: "This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War.
I have to admit, I'm kind of impressed at the level of discipline it must take to get "WAR HERO! But... but, but WAR HERO!" into every press release, no matter how unrelated.
POW! POW! POW! POW! SHUT UP AND STOP HATING THE TROOPS! POW!
Manic Progressive: A liberal who violently swings from anger at politicos to despondency over them.
Out Of Context theatre: Ron Paul has repeatedly said he's not a racist. - Destructinator XIII on why Ron Paul isn't racist.
Washington Post wrote:He also added: "This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War.
I have to admit, I'm kind of impressed at the level of discipline it must take to get "WAR HERO! But... but, but WAR HERO!" into every press release, no matter how unrelated.
It might just be that McCain only has problems about speaking about it in person. Press releases are a different animal.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
McCain just seems to be one strange PR disaster after another.
Interestingly, he seems smarter than Bush, but senility is lowering him to Bush's level. After eight years of Bush and his verbal gaffes, how can the GOP possibly want this guy to be in charge of anything? Do they think they can just slander Obama into submission?
"Oh no, oh yeah, tell me how can it be so fair
That we dying younger hiding from the police man over there
Just for breathing in the air they wanna leave me in the chair
Electric shocking body rocking beat streeting me to death"
- A.B. Original, Report to the Mist
"I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
- George Carlin
What the hell? What's wrong with the arugula? The comment Obama made was asinine because he said "Anyone see what they charge for arugula in Whole Foods?" when there were no Whole Foods in the state he was in. But arugula is in a lot of salad mixes people eat... so... what the hell? Might as well rail him for eating soy products. There's some farmer out ther with a tear in his eye going, "B-but I grow arugula." It is his secret shame.
Pelranius wrote:
It might just be that McCain only has problems about speaking about it in person. Press releases are a different animal.
Just like Bush?
Yeah. Though Bush tends to say the inane things in person, while press releases earlier in his maladministration where somewhat grounded in reality.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
SiegeTank wrote:How could you possibly, possibly not know how many houses you posses? This just boggles my mind - even if I were filthy rich and had a dozen houses, I imagine I'd remember that number...
[sarcasm]You have to pause and make sure you know how these responses play out on TV first. You can't just fire that kind of information off willy nilly without knowing precisely how it will impact your target democraphics. DUH.[/sarcasm]
You joke, but McSame has pulled this cheap trick plenty of times before. He's not fast enough on his feet to whip up some bullshit when he gets a question like this, where the truth is damaging and any lie would be obvious, so he stammers "I...um...um...I...I don't know; I'll ask my staff".
Any city gets what it admires, will pay for, and, ultimately, deserves…We want and deserve tin-can architecture in a tinhorn culture. And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed.--Ada Louise Huxtable, "Farewell to Penn Station", New York Times editorial, 30 October 1963 X-Ray Blues
Covenant wrote:What the hell? What's wrong with the arugula? The comment Obama made was asinine because he said "Anyone see what they charge for arugula in Whole Foods?" when there were no Whole Foods in the state he was in. But arugula is in a lot of salad mixes people eat... so... what the hell? Might as well rail him for eating soy products. There's some farmer out ther with a tear in his eye going, "B-but I grow arugula." It is his secret shame.
The hilarious thing is they're railing him for being concerned about the price of Arugula as though it's supposed to mean he's out of touch with the common person. . .but what's one of the biggest thing the common person would be concerned with except skyrocketing food costs?
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
Good luck with the Rezko and Ayers bits, because a lot of people have been trying that for a year or more now, with little success.
And given that the Keating Five scandal is lurking in the wings, I don't think McCain really wants to start lobbing corruption innuendo.
IMHO, the ad is really a shot across McCain's bow telling them that Obama has limits and McCain's just about crossed them.
If the McSame campaign keeps going dirty, look for an ad on McCain chief foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann and his money ties to the Georgian government.
"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."- General Sir Charles Napier
Obama's attacks have mostly been very targetted strikes in states, like where in Ohio he launched first one ad with McCain's words as he ensured a merger that cost thousands of jobs there, then used voter's words on the subject. But this shows that if a gaffe is national, well, out come the troops..
Barack Obama's campaign, moving rapidly to exploit what they see as a major opportunity, is deploying high-profile surrogates in 16 states across the country today to highlight John McCain's uncertainty yesterday about how many houses he owns, the Democrat's campaign tells Politico.
Governors, members of Congress and state legislators will hold conference calls and press conferences in front of homes to draw attention to the issue. Party leaders such as Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, on the stump in Ohio and Iowa respectively, wil move to incorporate the matter into their remarks on the campaign trail today in an effort to draw local media attention to the story.
Further, some state parties will hold contests in which Democrats seek out real voters who don't know how many houses they own.
And in other states, ordinary citizens who have been victim of the mortgage crunch will hold press availabilities to contrast their plight with McCain's wealth.
The aggressive move on Obama's part is in keeping with a shift in campaign tactics since his vacation. Obama and his campaign aides have both ramped up their rhetoric in recent days. This latest effort reflects a willingness to hit McCain much harder and to veer from conventional issue-based attacks to the sort of character assaults that have marked the GOP's campaign against Obama as well as their effort against John Kerry in 2004
Quick! How many houses do you own?
Asking for real voters who've lost track is easily the nastiest way to twist this knife.
Manic Progressive: A liberal who violently swings from anger at politicos to despondency over them.
Out Of Context theatre: Ron Paul has repeatedly said he's not a racist. - Destructinator XIII on why Ron Paul isn't racist.
