McCain Homes Flap Is No Joke

(CBS)

From CBS News' Dean Reynolds:

(CHESAPEAKE, VA.) - Barack Obama was handed a gift-wrapped package from John McCain on Thursday.

Just as the Illinois senator has begun focusing on economic concerns with greater intensity, McCain made a comment that opened wide a gulf between him and the electorate he is wooing.

McCain was asked a simple question during an interview with Politico.com. Nothing tricky about it. No curevball this: How many houses do you and Mrs. McCain have?

"I think," said McCain, "uh, I'll have my staff get to you. I'll try to tell you about that."

Huh? Most Americans would certainly be able to answer that question, especially the ones facing foreclosure or mortgages that are ratcheting up.

McCain's staff did get back as promised, saying the number was "at least four." Again, few Americans are in the four-house category.

Even more embarrassing was the finding of an independent watchdog project, Politifact.com, that McCain and his wife, Cindy, own at least seven. Seven homes. Worth in the neighborhood of $13 million. Scattered across the country.

Now this was too good for Obama to pass up.

"If you don't know how many houses you have then it's not surprising you might think the economy is fundamentally strong," he said.

Within hours his campaign had surrogates fanning out bringing news of McCain's residential bounty to voters in every corner of the nation. A new ad was produced in record time to strike while the iron is hot.

Over a shot of the White House, the ad concluded thusly, "Here's one house Americans can't afford to have John McCain move into."

Slowly, inexorably, cellphones of political reporters began to ring. McCain campaign spokesmen were calling and sounding aggrieved that Obama would be pointing out McCain's miscue. One even said we should expect to here attack ads dealing with Obama's past associations, including his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and a former urban terrorist-turned-university professor William Ayers. "The gloves," said this operative, "are off."

Thursday evening, in an attempt to drum up an alternative story for reporters, a new McCain ad was churned out alleging that Obama's own million-dollar home in Chicago was purchased with the aide of a shady influence peddler.

But the question must be asked, what did Obama's campaign do that would require a doffing off of the gloves? Did he not simply recycle McCain's own words. And, of course, that is the dilemma for McCain's camp. Just as their man was feeling the wind at his back and basking in some good polls comes word of his seven homes.

At least seven. The McCain campaign cried foul, pointing out that Obama earned $4 million last year, which doesn't exactly make him a man of the people. But by McCain's own definition, it doesn't make Obama rich either.

Remember this from last weekend's conference with Rev. Rick Warren at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.?

"Define rich," Warren said to McCain.

"How about $5 million?" McCain responded. The audience laughed. But nobody at the McCain campaign is laughing now.

[forevertru-2009]

I''v waited all day to hear Obama announce his VP. If this is the way he plans on running this country...forget it.

He just lost my vote!!!

[josey2006]

A few months ago there was a flap about McCain owing back property taxes on his beach front condos in San Diego. He apparently forget he owned them and owed something like $8,000 for 4 years in back taxes - $2,000 per year.

Wow - $2,000 a year property taxes on homes he purchased for $4.9 million! I wish I could get that kind of tax break.

[mattcat25]

GET REAL-WHO CARES ABOUT THEIR HOUSES-I WANT TO KNOW WHO CAN GET ME OIL TO HEAT MY HOME. IF OBAMA IS SO FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS AND POOR AND IS AGAINST DRILLING, HE SHOULD QUIT TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD AND QUIT USING SO MUCH OIL. I CAN''''T MAKE HIDE NOR HAIR OF HIS POLICIES. NOW THAT RUSSIA HAS WITHDRAWN, THE DOLLAR IS UP A LITTLE, HE WILL TRY AND TAKE CREDIT FOR LOWER PRICES. YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE AN IDIOT NOT TO SEE HE USES MORE OIL THAN MOST AMERICANS-AMERICAN WISE UP-
Posted by coffeeusa


For real, your Republican Conservative Party are the one%u2019s protecting the private multinational oil companies from being coaxed by congress to commence drilling in already approved oil production sites. There are 68 million acres of leased oil and mineral rights approved to drill and retrieve oil from domestic land and, THE OIL COMPANIES AREN%u2019T USING IT!

It is the Republicans leaving YOU out in the cold.

[coffeeusa]

GET REAL-WHO CARES ABOUT THEIR HOUSES-I WANT TO KNOW WHO CAN GET ME OIL TO HEAT MY HOME. IF OBAMA IS SO FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS AND POOR AND IS AGAINST DRILLING, HE SHOULD QUIT TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD AND QUIT USING SO MUCH OIL. I CAN''T MAKE HIDE NOR HAIR OF HIS POLICIES. NOW THAT RUSSIA HAS WITHDRAWN, THE DOLLAR IS UP A LITTLE, HE WILL TRY AND TAKE CREDIT FOR LOWER PRICES. YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE AN IDIOT NOT TO SEE HE USES MORE OIL THAN MOST AMERICANS-AMERICAN WISE UP-

[isinginmaine]

A musical op-ed. cp2008 by Mike Nobel, Gorham, Maine. Would love to record this with a celebrity country/bluegrass band .... all proceeds to Habitat For Humanity. With thanks, M.N.

HOW MANY HOUSES DO YOU HAVE, SEN. JOHN MCCAIN!?

How many houses do you have, Senator John McCain
"Well, I ain''t sure I kin count that high, could ya give me a couple er days!?
My wife is worth a hunderd million dollars, so they say
She mighta-done-bought a house (or 8), whilst I was lookin" the other way!"

Well, how many houses do you have, Senator John McCain
"My friends, I"m sennty two years old, jimminy, gimme a break!
I-left-my old wife in the hospital, she was a-lyin" there in pain
Then I married Cindy, she''s rich as sin, whoo-weee, and-a yippy-yi-yay!"

How many houses do you have, Senator John McCain
"Jessa minute, Cindy''s on the phone, shes a-gonna help me ''splain
Allright, there''s 2 or 3 in Phoenix, $5 million we had to pay
And a couple more BIG ones on the beach in Cali-for-ni-yay"

Well, how many MORE houses do you have, Senator McCain
"Okay, I got me a juicy ranch, a six-house hide-a-way!
Up in Sedona, where my billionaire buddies a-come to play
And a few more condos, here and there, Cindy, make "em go aWAY!"

Gigolo-go-go, gigolo-go-go .... go, gigolo, go, go

Yes, how many houses do you have .... "TEN!!, DAMMIT!!, TEN!!!!"

Sen-a-tor John McCaaaaain .... Yeeeeh - Hahhhh!!!!

cp 2008, music and lyrics, by Mike Nobel, Gorham, Maine
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=170140

[mattcat25]

It%u2019s not that John %u201Cstuckinwarmonger%u201D McCain has a multitude of real estate and lives an elitist wealthy lifestyle. The issue is that HE CAN%u2019T REMEMBER IT!

Vote for sanity America.

[tubesntele]

Anyone who suggests that because McCain owns more than one home he is "out of touch" is clearly "out of touch"....

[tubesntele]

All this really shows is that McCain doesn''t pay attention to his wife''s holdings. Why would he care? They probably trade homes like liberals change life partners. Frankly, this reveals the deep hypocritical nature of politics. Obama shouldn''t be throwing stones about people being out of touch and rich.

[chrisnbama]

McCain''s overreaction to Obama''s newly tooled economic stump speech portraying McCain as out of touch is telling.

Clearly, the McCain campaign recognizes how powerful this new narrative is. Also, when is the media going to call McCain on his response du jour: Well, McCain was a POW for this POW for that. It''s getting rather tiresome. Frankly, what does McCain being a POW have to do with the economy, health care, stagnant wages and unfair tax policy?

[chrisnbama]

Scottie wrote: What does how many homes McCain have to do with the economy or any other issue this nation is facing right now.
==============================
You ask why it matters. It matters politically because it symbolically suggests that McCain is vastly out of touch with the average American family. There''s nothing wrong with being rich. FDR and JFK were wealthy. The difference was that FDR and JFK offered policies to help those in need. McCain''s plan is a continuation of the Bush policies of rewarding the rich in unnecessary tax cuts that do not trickle down to the bottom.

In short, this is a potentially game changing moment in this race.

That isn''t to suggest that