I just LOVE McCain's defense of his multiple houses!

[Bucky]

I saw this interview this morning, Fox rebroadcasting someone else's actual recording, and they were showing this full long clip like it would explain the seven houses kerfluffle to his advantage.

He said, sure we have seven houses, but we mostly just live in the condo in DC. And then there's this ranch way out here in Arizona, which we stay at the rest of the time. Oh, and then we have the Phoenix place which we use, but we actually use it some times. Other than that, there's just the San Diego condo for when we vacation there. Those other three houses, they're mostly just investments. And then he switched to talking about how proud he is of his late father in law because he worked hard and lived the American dream. Very nice, Senator.

See, so it's just this big smeary exaggeration to say they own seven homes. They own seven houses, but only four of them are truly home. Just like any other relatively successful family in America. He's a guy you can really relate to.

[dkf]

1. That was funny.

Not a very good defense for the McMansion kerfuffle.

If he picks Romney, they will have 8 primary residences to choose from.

[polichick]

2. But, but, but, it's the American DREAM to own lots of stuff!!!

[dkf]

3. And even more of a dream to own so many you don't have a clue what you've

got!

Tell that to people losing the only one they have.

"I'm blessed...you're not. So sorry".

[polichick]

4. What's amazing is a lot of hurting Americans won't care about his houses...

...because they want to be in the same club ~ they'll vote against themselves because of this thinking. CRAZY!!!

[Bucky]

5. It is actually. I don't have a problem with people being wildly successful

What's galling is for him to say he's "grateful" for the blessings his father in law left for him & his wife just two days after being unable to count the houses he actually lives in. It's good to have a country where people can strike it rich. The problem only comes when you start offering the very well off humongous tax cuts as an "antidote" to the problems that are squeezing the middle class and crushing the working class.

[polichick]

7. It's sad that people will vote against their own interests to "be in the club."

[dkf]

8. But it is one thing to enjoy the fruits of our labor...it is another thing

to enjoy the fruits of your wife's father's labor.

The founding father's didn't believe in privilege in perpetuity. That would make us England.

[Bucky]

11. I'm not sure I agree completely with you.

The Founders were big believers in protecting private property. I don't think they automatically associated wealth with privilege as you do here. But there was a since in the 1780s that the people who run a country should be the leading property owners, if only because they were the leading members of their respective communities. Many of the leading founders (Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton) owed some of their position in their home communities to the fact that they married a bit above their station (and in the case of Hamilton and Washington also managed that wealth with strong business skills).

The difference between them and the McCain's approach is that the Founders expected the leading property owners of a community to be leaders of the full range of society--a civic role model who took some responsibility for the public sphere and the community life that gave everyone an equal chance at being successful in America. McCain's policies would just help his own wealthy class and would tend to close off opportunities for those not born or wed into wealth.

[Pirate Smile]

6. Where was the POW defense thrown in during that long rambling discussion of his various homes

and vacation homes and DC homes and Phoenix homes and Sedona homes, oh yeah, and the California homes....

[Bucky]

9. Actually, he did allude to it when he mentioned he'd live "without a chair" for some time

He didn't say "Hanoi" or "POW", but the allusion was clear enough as a code word to the base. The fundies, apparently, need to be constantly reminded that McCain is on their side of the fence, even if he doesn't quite froth at the mouth properly for their tastes.

[Wetzelbill]

10. I like how he tossed in a POW reference right off

Classic!

[ladjf]

12. Ownership of the seven houses is not the issue Senator. It's the

fact that you tried to obfuscate the truth with the lame comment about having your staff research. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds. "I'll have my staff research how many houses I own".

Now, had you been into real estate investments and owned say 75 investment houses, it might have been understandable that you didn't know the exact count.

Or, perhaps you are ashamed of owning so many houses while thousands of Americans are losing theirs.