The Candidates Respond To "Elitist" Label

CBS Evening News: Obama, McCain Tell Katie Couric Why Criticisms Of Their Elitism Are Not Valid

(CBS)  In November, Americans decide whether Barack Obama or John McCain becomes the 44th President of the United States. In the series "Presidential Questions," CBS News anchor Katie Couric asks questions that move the candidates well beyond the usual sound bites. Some questions concern policy. Others are more personal. All will give you a better sense of who these men are - and what has shaped them. What follows is Couric's question - and the candidates' full answers.

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Katie Couric: You and your opponent have both been criticized as elitists. Given the way you live today, why isn't that a valid criticism?

Barack Obama: Well, look, look at how I came up. Raised by a single mom. Family had very little money when I was growing up. We were on food stamps at some points. I went to school on scholarships.

Michelle, coming from the south side of Chicago, to a working class shift worker who never graduated from, never even went to college, and a stay-at-home mom. That's our background. And, up until - I can provide you the date exactly - up until I spoke at the Democratic National Convention, where suddenly my book sold as a consequence of people knowing who I was, we were living in a two, three-bedroom condo that was already getting too small. Two kids. No college fund set up yet. Not much of a retirement fund to speak of. At the end of every month - sometimes having to figure out whether or not we could pay all of the bills. So the things that middle class families are going through right now, Michelle and I went through five years ago. So the point is that we are about as ordinary a pair, a couple, as probably as ever embarked on this journey to the White House.

Couric: I think it's the Ivy League education - that somehow going to Harvard Law School and being the head of the Law Review and for Michelle, going to Princeton and Harvard Law School, it puts you in this rarified air.

Obama: Well, you know, I think that's an interesting point. And Michelle talks about this quite a bit because - and sometimes this is something that in the African-American community has been a problem. As Michelle puts it, we have done everything that you said you wanted your kids to do. Right? We worked hard. We focused on school. We reached for, you know, what we were told was the best education possible. To then suggest that that makes us elitist, or that we're no longer part of the community, which again, has not only been part of the public dialogue but Michelle and I and a lot of other African Americans sometimes have had to struggle with. The notion is, if you're authentic in the community, you wouldn't go to a place like Harvard. I think that's a perverse incentive, a perverse message in terms of what we want to send to our kids.

John McCain: Well, let me just say to start with I grew up as the son of a Naval officer. I don't believe that most Americans would believe that's an elitist lifesyle. In fact, that entails a lot of sacrifice on the part of the family. Second of all, I lived for five and a half years without a kitchen table or a chair in a small cell sometimes by myself. But the point is that you get in touch with the American people by doing the town hall meetings where you hear the hopes and the dreams and the aspirations and the concerns of the American people and you come in direct contact with them. In all due respect to programs like these, you can look into people's eyes and hear what's on their minds. And that way, you can learn so much about what's going on in America, especially during these tough times. There are people that are coming to these meetings and losing their jobs, that are facing losing their homes. You--that's the way you stay in touch with the American people, in my view.

[emelder]

And just what is the problem with being elite??? Elite athletes win championships. Elite professors make an outstanding university. Elite scientists win the Nobel prize. Elite = the best there is. Sounds like Obama to me!!! Go Obama/Biden!

[pvperson]

"I grew up as the son of a Naval officer"

Your father and grandfather were Admirals John, that''s about as elite as you get in the Navy.

[lauraimagine]

McCain owns 7-10 homes, 14 cars his wife in worth an estimated 100 million. His father was a navy admiral which gave him a silver spoon upbringing. Virginia elite/private school were tuition today would be around $40,000 a year. Friends with, dines with, vacations with only the elite. His folksy town hall meetings are only because he has to not because he wants to.
All you have to do is basic research to see who is the elitist. John "Elitist" Sydney McCain

[mccainhero]

McCain is funny. He grew up the son of an admiral and the grandson of an admiral. Anyone who''s been in the military, if they''ve had exposure to that level of command and are being honest, will tell you that admirals and their families are treated like royalty in the Navy. It was even more true when McCain was growing up than it is now. Then, despite finishing in the bottom of his class, he becomes a fighter pilot, who are also treated like roytalty in the Navy. Then he marries an heiress, reputedly worth in excess of $100M, owns more homes than he can recall (8, maybe), has 13 or more cars, and loses more in a night compulsively gambling than most Americans make in a year. And yet, he thinks he keepss "in touch with the American people" by talking with them in campaign meetings. He may not be among the intellectual elite, but he''s certainly among the economic and cultural elite of this country.

[yvonnes4]

As African Americans, the Obama''s have risen to the top by hard work, a sense of pride in themselves and knowing that if they wanted to succeed in White America, they had to be the best of the best. One thing I''d like to point out however,is that Michelle had already risen to the top before meeting Barack Obama. Her values were instilled in her as a child, the same as Barack''s. I think it is amazing that these two people met. They are both inspirations to young people of any race. There are both White and African Americans that have succeeded educationally the same as the Obama''s and are not considered elite, just very dedicated and committed to their goals.

[cbr68]

Being an elitist has nothing to do with being raised with money or material posessions. It''s a state of mind.....

elitist
One entry found.

Main Entry: elit7ism
Pronunciation: %u0101-%u02C8l%u0113-%u02CCti-z%u0259m, i-, %u0113-
Function: noun
Date: 1947
1: leadership or rule by an elite
2: the selectivity of the elite ; especially : snobbery elitism in choosing new members
3: consciousness of being or belonging to an elite
%u2014 elit7ist -%u02C8l%u0113-tist noun or adjective

[skeezix06]

Before we get all misty-eyed about Obama''s supposedly penniless marriage till his speech, a reminder.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/09/hospital_offici.html

"She''s terrific," added Michael Riordan, who was president of the hospital in March 2005, when Michelle Obama was promoted to vice president for external affairs and had her annual salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962.

I don''t know about you all, but I wouldn''t mind suffering the "deprived" lifestyle that would be result from a salary of $121,910 a year. And I could be downright delirious over a salary of $316,952 a year.

[mccainhero]

Skeez says, "I don''''t know about you all, but I wouldn''''t mind suffering the "deprived" lifestyle that would be result from a salary of $121,910 a year. And I could be downright delirious over a salary of $316,952 a year."

First, in the interview, Obama says he is referring to the period up until 5 years ago, which would be 2003. Michelle got her raise in 2005. Second, for someone living in a major metro area in the US, $121K is not alot of money. One can live comfortably on $316K, but it likewise is not exactly rolling in the dough.

[nativewoman]

money.cnn.com 2007 Net Worth article.

McCain''s Net Worth: $40.4 million
Miscellaneous Trusts: $24.6 million
Family Companies: $7.4 million
Cindy McCain''s retirement plan: $2.3 million
Cash: $2.1 million
Real Estate: $1.0 million
Houses: $3.9 million
Liabilities $857,000

Obama''s Net Worth: $1.3 million
Cash: $250,500
Pension: $75,000
Mutual Funds: $390,500
House: $1.9 million
Liabilities: $1.3 million
2006 Income: $991,000

And on top of all that, poor John doesn''t even know how many homes he owns. Maybe he should ask money.cnn.com. And if you subtract Cindy McCain''s retirement plan, poor John''s net worth drops to only $38.1 million.

Yeah, nothing elite about THAT life style!

And Couric seems to imply that hard work, education gained through scholarships and achieved success somehow reflects poorly on Obama.

What a strange strange world this has become.

[mccainhero]

That''s interesting -- Money values McCain''s homes (all 8, I assume) at a paltry $3.9M, but he just put one of them in AZ on the market for $4.5M. I guess he must be upside down on the mortgages for the other 7!!

[skeezix06]

McCainHero, it says she was earning $121,910 before her raise in 2005. That''s not including Obama''s salary, paltry though it appears to have been and btw, if money was so-o-o tight, why didn''t he go out a get a better job so that they could live more comfortably? It might not be up to your standards but yeah, I could live quite well on that.

singinrich, answers like yours always play well where I live. ...Not.

Keep it up guys. With all that sneering you could lose the election for Obama.

[jesuit12]

John Murtha has expressed his concerns about DEMOCRATS not voting for Obama. This is true. When you down to character people know he can''t be trusted when he talks about one behind their back. His elitist tone will come back to roost. The polls are skewed by the liberal media conducting them. I was in PA this weekend and virtually saw no Obama signs in the country and very little in Pittsburgh. The trust factor is real and peoplew believe this inexperienced Senator does not have soluitions. A lot of people think his first name is Obama. They will decide on election day that this is a man they don''t even know so how can they trust him.

[mccainhero]

Skeez -- that''s what I said. She was only making $121K while they were living in Chicago, a very expensive place to live. He was a state senator at the time, probably making less than $100K -- he easily could have gotten a higher paying job (like back at Sidley & Austin, his old firm), but higher material comfort is not everyone''s ultimate goal, which may come as a surprise to you conservatives who are first and foremost concerned about your pocketbooks. Bottom line, even assuming they were making $200K as a married couple, they were not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination while living in Chicago. $200K is a whole lotta money where I grew up (in the sticks of Pennsylvania) but it doesn''t get you much where I live now (suburbs of NYC)!

[interobserv]

jesuit12 - I don''t where in Pittsburg you visited. But I was there last week and there were more than a few Obama-Biden signs all over the city and the surrounding towns.
It all boils down to fear and bigotry. 75 years ago, it was directed at anybody whose last name ended in a vowel. If Jesuit 12 and like thinkers are correct, it hasn''t changed much either.

[jesuit12]

U.S. Rep. John Murtha says his home base of western Pennsylvania is racist and that could reduce Barack Obama''s victory margin in the state by 4 percentage points.
The 17-term Democratic congressman tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story posted Wednesday on its Web site that, as he put it: "There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area."

He says it''s taken time for many Pennsylvania voters to come around to liking Obama, but he should still win the state, though not in a runaway.

In a separate interview posted Wednesday on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review''s Web site, Murtha says Obama has a problem with the race issue in western Pennsylvania that could shave 4 points off his lead in the state.

[justsane-2009]

you notice that obama''s answer was thoughtful and to the point--up until four or five years ago, he shared the same struggle as the rest of us. mccain reminds us that he was a pow. somehow, that doesn''t quite seem to be relevant.

[kansas1946]

I don''t know why anyone even gives any credibility to the word "elitist" It is just a made up term used for the last few years by brain-dead talk radio guys to bash anyone they don''t like. To call Obama an elitist is about as funny as anything I have ever heard.

[tincup356]

Wake up America , every single member of Congress is a self visioned elitist who wouldn''t even bother to acknowledge the middle and lower classes if they didn''t depend on our votes to put them in office.If any one of them had to live off what we the peasant citizens had to , they wouldn''t have a prayer of a chance.I hope the people wont forget who has lied to us ,lead us to war, broke us, and never will represent us. It''s time to vote out every single incumbent in office and send a very clear message to them,If you don''t represent the people then you will represent no one, period.

[rbi149]

elite is just fine with me

I want my president to be the smartest guy in the room for a change. Guess who I''m voting for.

[Meg003]

Will Obama call Couric "Sweetie" in that patronizing tone he used on a reporter? And if he does, will the press ignore it again?

[Meg003]

you notice that obama''''s answer was thoughtful and to the point--up until four or five years ago, he shared the same struggle as the rest of us. mccain reminds us that he was a pow. somehow, that doesn''''t quite seem to be relevant.

Posted by justsane

You and your father both went to Harvard on scholarship?

[yoy91913]

The Carter-Reagan example demonstrates that it%u2019s not over until it%u2019s over. The first two Obama-McCain debates demonstrated that the third is unlikely to be a game-changer, but as the events of the last two weeks have demonstrated, there may be unexpected events that may influence the elections. Thus, it%u2019s important that Obama supporters not become complacent, and vote - it will ensure that current polls do indeed predict the outcome of the election. The greater the margin of victory, in both the popular and electoral college vote, the greater the mandate Obama will have - and the greater the likelihood that the Democratic Party will have a working majority in the Senate and House to create real change.

[kazoodan]

Will Obama call Couric "Sweetie" in that patronizing tone he used on a reporter? And if he does, will the press ignore it again?

Posted by Meg001 at 09:23 PM : Oct 15, 2008

Really? Obama did that? OH MY GOD, I''m not gonna vote for HIM now! Hahahahahaha.

Sheesh.

[rymkline]

We keep talking about Exxon Mobil, yet the federal government gets 30 some cents per a gallon of fuel sold!!! The presidental candiates keep talking about saving money, look how much money they are spending for their campaigns.

[Meg003]

Really? Obama did that? OH MY GOD, I''''m not gonna vote for HIM now! Hahahahahaha.

Sheesh.

Posted by kazoodan

Had McCain called a woman "Sweetie" it would have played over and over on the news media. The reporter would have been offended and stories of discrimination would have been trotted out.

But it was a Democrat who said it, so it didn''t mean anything.

[skeezix06]

I never thought I would see the day when republicans paid women more than democrats and republicans were more opposed to giving money to Wall Street than the democrats.

The parties are clearly trading places and I think the time has come to trade parties.

[rymkline]

Another thing we need to stay focused on our countries issues and try to work out our own problems rather than jump into issues of other countries. Plus we have starving people here yet we try to feed people of other countries. Why?

[jesuit12]

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78035

[cirera]

Mc Cain came on stronger due to the facts he knew that he must deliver what the people wanted to hear. This was his last debate and last chance. He still did not prove himself worthy. McCain has little to no respect for Obama. Obama stuck to issues and McCain did nothing but try to fight.

[hypnotoad72]

Another thing we need to stay focused on our countries issues and try to work out our own problems rather than jump into issues of other countries. Plus we have starving people here yet we try to feed people of other countries. Why?

Posted by rymkline
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Why not? Though I''ll agree there is some apparent hypocrisy, there are sometimes other perspectives...

But, yeah, at one point we could help others. We still are helping others. But we need to be helping our own country again too. And that also requires us to have faith -- and not let blind fear rule. Hate to say it, but it''s true.

[mccainhero]

CouricObama said: Poor people don''''t create jobs. Tax those who do and guess what? You have less jobs to get people employed. Just Economics 101 which Obama doesn''''t understand....among other things. Though, he IS a good speaker.

Okay, I''ll try to go slow for ya, in language you will understand, you betcha! By giving the middle-class and working class the tax breaks, instead of the wealthy, you create increased consumption. Increased consumption means increased demand means increased production means increased investment means increased jobs. Got it, my friend?

[user168-2009]

Did McCain mention about his, Cindy''s, and their children''s stocks on their beer business, their millions $ income, and their private jet, 14 cars, and 8 houses?

[urnot]

Amazing. Look at McCain''s PATHETIC reponse. He is the son and grandson of FOUR STAR ADMIRALS- Equivalent to Vice Presidents of large multi-natonal corporations. LOTS OF MONEY AND PRIVILEGE from the DAY HE WAS BORN .

Mccain''s wife is the priveliged daughter of a 100 MILLION dollar empire.

Give me a f''ing BREAK.

Don''t FORGET- McCain left his first wife AFTER he CHEATED with Cindy. I guess Cindy fit his lifestyle better than his "lower class" first wife.

McCain is LYING SLIME.

[cablegirl59]

The truth of the matter is by electing BO we will just put the " gang of three" in complete power, (Obama, Pelosi and Reid) The latter two will be calling all the shots because of BO severe lack of experience, and according to the "POLLS" they have have favorability rating worse than Pre. Bush.

[abbe91]

"Will Obama call Couric "Sweetie" in that patronizing tone he used on a reporter? And if he does, will the press ignore it again?
Posted by Meg001 at 09:23 PM : Oct 15, 2008"

Yes, McCain is much better: he calls his wife a c*nt in public. But "sweetie" ... OMG.

[fzy1hc]

I''m getting tried of CBS news and Katie always support Obama. I notice last night CBS focus the canmera on Obama when he talked. When it came to McCain they showed both of them. I switch to CNN channel. Early show today I saw a interview with Obama''s wife, what''s wrong with McCain''s wife? Also they are forgetting about the preacher and Obama''s wife stating I''m glad to be America NOW becuase my husband is running for the President. Gee tell that to the soldiers fighting for you freedom!! Also I tried of the late show picking on McCain. Stop watching that to.

[fzy1hc]

Also get Katie off the CBS news.

[albertw40]

It has always stuck me as odd that McCain, who was the son and grandson of wealthy and prominent people, who was given special dispensation to attend a military academy, who, with his wife, has hundreds of millions of dollars and several multi-million dollar homes, accused Obama of being elitist. How is it elitist to be born in a poor home, raised by a single mother and grandparents, and to work your way to Harvard and a quality education? That''s the American story. Let''s tell the truth. The "elitist" charge is another kind of smear altogether.

[sharednotion]

Ordinarily, I EXPECT candidates for president to be somewhat elitist; that''s part of how they got to that point. As long as they seem to be GENUINELY in touch with the rest of us, have good policies, are honest and competent, that''s good enough for me.

[demsdebreaks]

Robert WURZELBACHER of Cinncinati, OH = Charles KEATINGS son-in-law and major Republican Party contributor. Joe WURZELBACHER of Cinncinati, OH = Average Joe Six-Pack who just happened to be out tossing a football when the Democratic candidate for president was on his street, who just happens to be looking at a business that NETS $250,000 per year after expenses? (Gee, I''''m not feeling sorry for him.)

It would be nice to know what street Obama encountered Mr. WURZELBACHER on and how far it actually is from Mr. WURZELBACHER''''s address on record. It would also be great to know just how closely Joe WURZELBACHER is related to Robert WURZELBACHER and Charles KEATING.

I smell maverick manure.

[steeepe]

It has always stuck me as odd that McCain, who was the son and grandson of wealthy and prominent people, who was given special dispensation to attend a military academy, who, with his wife, has hundreds of millions of dollars and several multi-million dollar homes, accused Obama of being elitist. How is it elitist to be born in a poor home, raised by a single mother and grandparents, and to work your way to Harvard and a quality education? That''''s the American story. Let''''s tell the truth. The "elitist" charge is another kind of smear altogether.
Posted by albertw40 at 11:38 AM : Oct 16, 2008

Amen!! That "elitist" moniker applied by the GOP to Obama is laughable. The GOP doesn''t like intellectuals or critical thinking, they just like blind obedience to their failed policies. They''ve called Democrats elitist because they think that will fool the "low information" voters, and they might be right because a lot of people are pretty dumb and cannot realize that the GOP offers nothing for them.

[snoop99991]

As typical McNuts had a memory failure. His Naval officer dad was a 4 star Admiral,same as his grand father. John, save some money drop out now!

On the final debate....

Wow, what an angry, bitter old man he is........
He reminds me of an older spoiled brat that is off his meds..
A man of privilege who cries and stamps his feet when mommy doesn''t give him his way!.
He looks at Obama with disdain and would probably love to say if you were my boy I''d
bring you out back and give you a good whuppin!

BTW - Wouldn''t you love to see Johns psychiatric reports, this man is seriously imparied!

[whatiknow2]

go to youtube ans search for "John McHanoi"

[staycalm]

Come on Katie...who really cares about elitism or when Sarah got her passport? Tell us about ACORN! The story of the century is staring you in the face and you''re not doing it. Does your loyalty to the Democratic party trump your professionalism as a reporter? Don''t you think the American people deserve to know that tens, if not hundreds of thousands of voter registration cards have been fraudulently submitted for this election? Isn''t this why you became a journalist? We are waiting...

[normaldude-2009]

I think it is interesting that Senator Obama said "up until I spoke at the Democratic National Convention, where suddenly my book sold as a consequence of people knowing who I was, we were living in a two, three-bedroom condo that was already getting too small. Two kids. No college fund set up yet. Not much of a retirement fund to speak of. At the end of every month - sometimes having to figure out whether or not we could pay all of the bills" yet according to his tax return, in 2003 (the year before he spoke) his AGI was $238,327. I make a lot less than that now and don''t have problems paying my bills and I have kids in college.

[lelliott22]

A lot of you are missing the whole point of the reason the right call the left elitist especially during elections. It''s mainly done to turn the poor and middle class voters against the rich democratic guy. Think about it: Most of the democratic candidates (past or present) are every bit as rich as their republican rivals, but yet the democrats are out there trying to help the poor people -so the republican elitists make sure to point that out by saying things like ... he''s not like you... he''s a rich guy who lives in a ritzy neighborhood ... he''s this elitist that looks down on you. And yes sometimes this little ploy is effective in turning the voters off.

You see it''s not really about the rich people having the audacity to call other rich people "elitist". These rich people certainly know who they are. They simply want to clarify who this other rich guy is or is not(i.e. Kerry, Edwards, Obama) that''s out there purportedly trying to help the poor people -and seek to turn voters of those particular demographic groups against them.

[lelliott22]

Staycalm_ This Acorn thing is hogwash. If you will read about this thing (and there''s lots of stuff out there) you will know it. Senator Obama was not working with Acorn during this election cycle but did some work for them in the past on behalf of the Justice Dept. You right wingers keep looking for some impropriety or gotcha moment during this election. The reason why Katie Couric has not written about it -because there''s nothing there to write about... at least not tying it to Obama. If there were something ... trust me Katie Couric would have no problem writing about it (She''s one who truly care about her profession over partisan politics). But republicans keep using deception and trickery to try and make voters think that Obama was knee deep into this Acorn thing. It really doesn''t appear that anyone else even cares about this anyway. This thing with voters turning in these type of fraudulent voter registrations turn up every year. The thing of it is they can not vote without voter ID anyway -so why even worry about fraudulent voter registration cards.