How much is rich? $5-M?
September 9, 2008
WASHINGTON - Filipino American voters who have watched the recent Q-As at a California forum hosted by Rev. Rick Warren are still laughing over the answer of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain to the question of how much is considered rich.When asked, McCain, whose family assets are in the range of $100 million, jokingly said: “Five million!” When the same question was asked of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama whose family’s annual income is about $4 million, he said $250,000.
Some Filipino American leaders who are Democrats but who begged to remain anonymous said this perception of riches by McCain, although made jokingly, shows the stark difference between the two candidates for president. “This is probably why McCain’s attack ads are raising the fear of more taxes by Obama. Under Obama’s tax plan, the middle class will be exempted while those who are rich will be taxed.
These Filipino Americans are also making fun of the recent answer of McCain as to how many houses he and his wife have in the US. The Arizona senator did not know and had to ask his staff to provide the anwer.
These Filipino Americans, however, have expressed doubts over whether America is ready to elect a Black candidate for president of the United States. They said that while the young and educated voters are for Obama, the conservative voters in the so-called Red States could spell victory or defeat for him in the coming polls.
Filipino Democrats have expressed dismay that Obama picked Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, not Sen. Hillary Clinton. “With recent polls showing him in a dead heat with McCain, Obama should have selected Hillary to boost his sagging image,” said a Hillary fan. “Biden will probably help boost his image on foreign policy, but he will not boost his electability,” said another. “In the primary campaign, Biden had not gotten even 10 percent of the votes. His selection will further anger the Hillary supporters.”
Many Filipino American voters have expressed fear that McCain, a very impulsive, warlike leader, could lead the country into another “wrong” war abroad. “His response to Russia’s recent attack on Georgia that ‘today we are all Georgians,’ is a sample of such knee-jerk reaction on a foreign policy issue,” they said.
They point out that Obama’s reaction was to call for restraint on both sides while attempts to resolve the dispute were being made. “Our Number One enemy today are the terrorist Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden who had actually attacked the United States and killed more than 3,000 innocent civilians,” said another Filam observer, adding “efforts must be redoubled to wipe them out”.
McCain knew his crack about richest might give the Democratic-inclined mainstream media more fodder for to attack him.
In a recent question by Politico, McCain was asked how many houses he and his wealthy wife actually own. McCain said he wasn’t so sure and would ask his staff to provide the information.
Later, the McCain campaign told Politico that McCain and his wife, Cindy, have at least four in three states, Arizona, California and Virginia. Newsweek recently estimated the two owned at least seven
properties.
On the campaign trail, McCain doesn’t refer to his wife’s wealth, estimated by some at $100 million and based on her late father’s Arizona beer distributorship. McCain’s campaign didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.
Obama’s campaign has been trying to make their wealth more widely known to blunt criticism that Obama is an elitist out of touch with ordinary Americans. Obama owns one house, the family home in Chicago, his campaign said.
In the 2004 campaign, Republicans tried to use wealth as a dig against Democratic candidate John Kerry even though President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were multimillionaires themselves. In 2005, Kerry reported a net worth between $165 million and $235 million, most of it controlled by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.
According to her 2006 tax returns, Cindy McCain had a total income of $6 million. She has not released her 2007 returns, which she files separately from her husband. McCain’s tax returns showed a total income of $405,409 in 2007.
In a forum last week with Rev. Warren, McCain was asked to define the word “rich” and to give a figure. After promoting his tax policies, McCain said: “I think if you are just talking about income,
how about $5 million?” The audience laughed, and he added: “But seriously, I don’t think you can - I don’t think seriously that - the point is that I’m trying to make here, seriously - and I’m sure that
comment will be distorted - but the point is that we want to keep people’s taxes low and increase revenues.”
Obama, asked the same question at the forum, said those making $250,000 and higher are in the top 3 to 4 percent and “doing well.” Obama and his wife, Michelle, reported making $4.2 million in 2007.
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One Response to “How much is rich? $5-M?”
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I have not decided who to vote for. I am waiting for the debates. This obssession though on McCain’s number of houses and his wife’s enormous wealth is not only of no consequence, it is silly. The only time these should matter is if those houses and wealth are proceeds of corruption or illegal means. If they are fruits of honest and hard work, the McCain’s should not be faulted for such. Neither should the Obama’s seemingly meager livelihood be a plus to his aspirations to be President.
We, the voters, should stick with the issues and stay away from sensationalism and tabloid journalism.
With regards to Russia’s attack on Georgia, both candidates had the same response. Obama’s came a few days after McCain’s. Both warmonger then?