Las Vegas Sun

November 23, 2008

McCain’s ‘rich’ definition new fodder for Obama attacks

Sun Expanded Coverage

(The Sun has gone on the road to listen to voters and talk to political leaders around the West. Reporters will examine the economic, cultural and demographic forces re-shaping the region as they drive to Denver for the first of the two major party conventions the Sun will cover.)

ALBUQUERQUE— Waiting for a second Obama event, and I notice Sun partner Politico's blogger Ben Smith has posted a new line of Obama attack I just witnessed but didn't include in my report.

At a forum at a megachurch this past weekend, Sen. John McCain was asked what constitutes "rich." He said $5 million, in what was widely seen as a gaffe. Obama said at the earlier forum today, and I'm paraphrasing: "I guess $3 million a year is middle class." I didn't include it because it just seemed like unsurprising mockery about a gaffe totally unrelated to governance.

But just as "Al Gore invented the Internet" seemed to doom him in 2000, I'm amazed every election cycle how these seemingly innocuous issues and statements somehow become determinative.

So, you read it here first, or second anyway: Obama opened up a new line of tough attack blah blah blah and the campaign entered a new phase blah blah blah.

Discussion: 32 comments so far...

  1. $5 million is not even enough for 2 yachts, a Bugatti, a Vail ski lodge and a beachfront villa in the Caymans in today's economy.

  2. What do you expect from someone worth $100 million?

    McCain's wildly out-of-touch with mainstream America, and he's proven it time and time again.

    His tax breaks are geared toward those making over $250k a year. Obama's target the actual middle class. Survey after survey have shown that the middle class will pay less in taxes under Obama.

    $5 million is middle-class? Now who's elitist?

  3. Obama just called, Granny, and asked how many combat brigades should they expect to move from Iraq to Afghanistan.

    Granny was busy making cookies and will give him a call back.

  4. As opposed to Coolican's continuing series of blah, blah, blah. You pay this guy for this drivel?

    Think about it for a second...... 5 million is rich? What does that make a single parent making $30,000? Third world? McCain's thoughtless answer is indicative of his disconnection with America.

    This piece adds nothing to the discussion or our awareness of the 'Road-to-Denver.' At the rate Coolican is going, with this minimal effort on his part, Rand-McNally would offer a much more insightful discussion of that road in a 5 year-old atlas.

  5. Notice the expertise with which nance relates those day-to-day conversations with maternal authority figures. His mom will make him get off the computer any minute now.

  6. Nance is running scared from ksand99, who is totally calling him out for lying in another comment thread.

    It's a funny read, though, because Nance just keeps repeating himself in a failed attempt to change the subject.

  7. McCain has been trying to consult his grandmother also. But everytime he dials Marie Antoinette, he just gets the message: "We're sorry, but the head you are calling has been disconnected."

  8. News Flash: "Obama's Granny has selected the VP. She will announce this afternoon at 5:00 PM Eastern time."

  9. theBS and ksand99 have agreed with me that current solar systems combined with current storage energy systems are very expensive.

    It was very big of them to do so.

    ksand99 even cited an article to support the above statement. In that article it said that a brand new solar system that had its own energy storage system generated energy that is 240% more expensive over current energy prices.

  10. Okay nance, we get it. It's pretty boring to hear you continue to misconstrue Obama's remarks, but at least you seem to be getting akick out of it. The maniacal tittering coming from your room can be heard in Texas. Careful, I think your mom is on the way up the stairs.

    McCain, on the other hand, has decided to consult with some of the eldars in his family. He's scheduled a trip to the Field Museum in Chicago to visit them.

  11. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/aug...

    Just read through this and watch Nance scramble to change the subject. It's hilarious.

  12. Hey nance! You just urinated in the wrong stream! Although I can imagine it's noteworthy that anyone agrees with you, I fear thebs and ks are in a self-loathing funk right now because of it. Be a nice guy and say something stupid again to cheer them up.

  13. LOL's .......you must think that the Sun editorial board have PHd's in energy.

    theBS you are so funny!!!!!!

    It was all hype in that article.

    It is an opinion piece and not a news story.

    What should I expect next....you citing some Obama webpage?

    LOL

  14. LOL? LOL!?

    This is like the fight at the end of Blazing Saddles. Beat up on him over there. I'm too busy enjoying my Marie Antionette joke!

    Honestly, matching wits with nance and neiman is cruel. It's like shooting an un-armed man. Man-child. Girly-man.

  15. But thanks for coming thru with the stupid-on-demand. You're a guy.

    Okay. You're not really a guy. But saying you're a bug, a girly-bug, sounds so..... unappreciative.

  16. esquared....you really need to work on your name calling skills.

    They are very poor.

    Keep working on it.

    You do a lot.

    Like they say, “Practice makes perfect!!!!!!”

  17. Huh? No, the Sun ed. board doesn't have doctorates in energy, nor did I ever claim they did. Where does that come from?

  18. I hope I've offended you nance. Rather than providing lies and misconstruing remarks and utter irrelevancies, all of which would offend the sensible, and all of which you continue to do with a regularity achieved only thru excessive use of Metamucil, I choose to call a dog a dog when I read one.

    You cheapen every discussion you join, nance. And you over-punctuate.

    And your mother dresses you funny.

  19. But the Marie Antionette joke was funny. Come on, admit it.

  20. I give you some points for being original.

  21. Keep'm, bugs.

  22. McCain's answers were quick and decisive? It's easy to be quick when you're simple. Which Justices would he get rid of? The liberal ones... Duh!

    I love it when the self-deity arrives.

  23. Obama should have asked Granny advice before the interview.

    He learned his lesson.

    I think she is busy writing his acceptance speech.

  24. Obama got SMOKED at Saddleback. McCain was much more confident and certain with his answers. If the liberal media didn't throw so many softball questions at Obama, he might have been prepared to answer real questions that matter. I love the way Obama tapped danced around the abortion question and his 3 best people for advice was ridiculous.

    It's obvious why Obama didn't accept McCain’s challenge to town hall meeting debates. That type of setting doesn't fit him well. He needs a teleprompter to deliver those extraordinary speeches you liberals love so much. Too bad he can't come off the noggin' with any substance.

  25. As time goes on, Barry is - imo - cracking under the expectations of the position he chose to pursue.

    Without a TelePrompter, Barry is a stumbling, mumbling, struggling and shallow politician. He is perhaps the most staged, primped and puppet-like political presence in the last 20 years.

    I really felt McCain won, decisively, the Saddleback event.

    That his own people are now making up excuses (he heard the questions from his anteroom, etc, etc, etc) are covering feverishly for a empty-suited puppy who is leaking support as time goes by.

    Barry will be a wounded unit coming out of the liberal's Convention in Denver. Hillary and Bill are not done with Obama yet.

  26. Thank God most intelligent people don't wade through what are mostly empty-headed, shoot from the mouth type comments on newspaper blogs. Obama represents change. John McCain represents 1954.

  27. Why does anyone bother to defend EITHER candidate? We really have NO ONE of any substance to vote for...........we are truly in a world of hurt and the Countries that hate us so must be in their ever-luvin glory :(

  28. azsk8fan is sooooo right...we really have no choice in this election. We are definitely in a world of hurt.
    Everyone KNOWS what is wrong with this country but no one has a solution that COULD work our way out of this sad state of affairs. Too many liberals and bureaucrats running this (once great) country. Everyone is on the 'gimme and freebie' train as long as I don't have to work for it!!!!!!

  29. Just curious, but what "liberals" are "running this ... country"? I could have sworn GWB had an "R" after his name, the Supreme Court leaned heavily to the right (thanks to the aforementioned GWB) and that the majority party in the Congress was Democrats.

    So where are the "liberals"?

    Now if you had said "special interest groups", I might buy it. But "liberals"?

  30. BOTH parties have done their best to run this country into the ground. It's ALWAYS been about big business, special interest groups etc etc etc. How can these people who spend MILLIONS to get a job that pays less than 1/2 of what it cost to get it have a CLUE what the average American Citizen is facing on a daily basis. These people who run this country can afford to take a trip to the Olympics while Americans can't afford the gas it takes to get to work. I seriously doubt these people could care less about the cost of a gallon of gas when they're worth MILLIONS themselves. The rich get richer, the poor get poor and the middle class (what middle class) are disappearing at an alarming rate. And we have no one to blame but BOTH parties - so stop pointing the finger at only the Democrats or only the Republicans - and get me a middle class president - someone who WILL worry when the cost to exist in this country continues to go up while our pay is stagnant because illegals are being hired at half the price - and the list goes on and on. Wake Up America and take your country back!

Post a comment

Commenting requires registration.

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Full comments policy.

Username:
Password: (Forgotten your password?)

OR Create an account (It's free)

Winning The West

The Sun continues its Winning the West coverage this week at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Reporters first went on the road to listen to voters and political leaders around the West, then covered the Democratic National Convention last week in Denver.

Calendar