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Sunday, August 24, 2008
McCain: My convicted felon father-in-law is “role model”
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Photo courtesy of here.
This weekend, John McCain appeared on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and he said that his father-in-law is a role model for young Americans. So what do we know about McCain’s father-in-law? What sort of behavior does he model for our nation’s youth?
From this item yesterday in Politico:
(Katie) Couric, anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” sat down with McCain at his cabin in Sedona, Ariz., hours after Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) announced his choice (on Saturday)....
McCain: “Cindy’s father, who barely finished high school, went off and distinguished himself in World War II in a B-17 and came back with practically nothing and realized the American dream, and I am proud and grateful for that, and I think he is a role model to many young Americans who serve in the military and come back and succeed.”
McCain’s father-in-law, the late Jim Hensley, founded a hugely-profitable liquor distributorship in Phoenix. But the business has a long, well-documented history of connections to bootlegging and organized crime. In fact, Hensley himself was twice-indicted by federal prosecutors and landed a felony conviction.
From Haunted by Spirits, Pheonix New Times, February 17, 2000:
A federal jury in U.S. District Court of Arizona in March 1948 convicted James Hensley on seven counts of filing false liquor records in addition to the conspiracy charge. Eugene was convicted on 23 counts of filing false statements and the conspiracy count. Eugene was sentenced to one year in prison, and James to six months. Neither brother testified during the trial, relying instead on their lawyers, who included Louis B. Whitney, a prominent attorney who served as mayor of Phoenix from 1923 through 1925.
After a two-week stint in the Maricopa County jail, the men were released on bond on May 17, 1948, pending an appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit. The appeals court affirmed the conviction on February 8, 1949.
Two weeks later, a judge sentenced Eugene to one year in a federal prison camp near Tucson, but suspended James’ sentence, placing him on probation instead. Both men were fined $2,000. United Sales and United Distributors were also convicted and fined $2,000.
The criminal convictions had little immediate impact on the brothers’ fortunes.
James Hensley profited handsomely from his association with liquor magnate Kemper Marley, a man police suspect ordered the 1976 murder of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles, who had written about Marley’s business and political dealings. The man convicted of placing a bomb beneath Bolles’ car testified that Marley also wanted former Arizona governor and then-attorney general Bruce Babbitt murdered because Babbitt had filed an antitrust lawsuit against the liquor industry in 1975. (Marley, who died in 1990, was never charged in the Bolles case. Babbitt is now U.S. Secretary of the Interior.)
It’s a mystery why McCain would want to draw attention to Hensley, but the Senator’s concept of a role model is peculiar indeed!
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24 Aug 2008 at 08:09 pm | #
Well it sounds like McCain likes him because he dropped bombs on innocent men, women and children too. He was a real warmongers kind of guy. Of course McCain was part of the Keating 5 Saving and Loan scandals which ended up costing the taxpayer a whopping $1 billion back in the 80s and 90s.
Neil Bush was also a part of those Savings and Loan scandals. The Kennedy and Seagrams families made their fortunes through bootlegging and had their own connections to organized crime. These are the kinds of role models we get in our crony capitalist country.
24 Aug 2008 at 11:20 pm | #
“Well it sounds like McCain likes him because he dropped bombs on innocent men, women and children too. He was a real warmongers kind of guy.”
What a thoughtful, well reasoned measure of a guy who served in B-17s in WWII, no matter what else he may have gotten balled up in later. Got any clue of the attrition rate of these guys flying over Germany and in the pacific? The day you contribute a fraction of what those kids, yeah kids, gave every mission they flew you can pop off and sound like something other than an ungrateful, sanctimonious shit. I won’t hold my breath.
25 Aug 2008 at 12:44 am | #
You don’t really believe that carpet bombing Germany was righteous do you? What a terrible waste of life and human potential it was. I don’t think killing innocent people (and yes they were killing a lot of innocent people) is really a “contribution”.
Those kids-like the ones lost in Iraq-could’ve made a real contribution had they lived. If you’re going to pop off and call me names you should at least have the courage to put your name behind it. Or are you just a coward? I won’t hold my breath.
25 Aug 2008 at 02:11 am | #
Yeah you’re probably right and I should use my real name, but I think I’ll stick with the anon feature since it’s here. Far from all the bombing in Germany or VietNam, for that matter, was “carpet bombing” or targeted civilians purposely…war sucks. We have no idea what was hit by McCain as a pilot, or by his father-in-law, but to assume what you stated is the worst kind of propaganda - exactly what the troops returning from VietNam were subjected to. I lived through that era and still cringe that the individual soldiers were treated that way upon their return - I thought we’d gotten past that by now…most folks at least give it a lot of lip service these days, but maybe things haven’t changed all that much. That’s what got my hide up and I do apologize for the name-calling, but not for the sentiment. History will sort out the appropriateness of actions during conflict, including the present one. I truly hope you don’t really think the war against Germany and Japan were unnecessary…if so, what course of action should have been taken?
25 Aug 2008 at 02:48 am | #
Justin - you’re really a snot. You bring down the caliber of this blog with nearly every post. And yes, I’m a coward, I won’t use my real name either because ...IT’S A FUCKING BLOG, that’s the beauty of it. You can say what you really want, free of inhibitions, free of retaliation, and free to be free with your opinions. Stop calling people out to violate one of the tenets of a blog that make it successful.
Stop picking fights and just share your opinion
25 Aug 2008 at 06:08 am | #
Irony, meet another anon. But back to the topic:
For a guy who owns seven houses, thinks you’re not wealthy till you make five million a year, and for someone who holds up a guy like this as a role model—well, it certainly says something about his character and leadership ability.
25 Aug 2008 at 10:24 am | #
McCain actually doesn’t own 7 house as the houses are in his wife’s name and per their agreement before the marriage their money is kept separate.
Also right after McCain made the joke about 5 million dollars a year making you rich he predicted that the comment would be distorted. How does it feel to make McCain correct?
In case anyone is wondering only the union-busting, questionable stock trading, attacking a car as unsafe that really wasn’t do as i say not as i do Ralph Nader is a role model.
Cue the jeffre copy and paste defending nader and making excuses
25 Aug 2008 at 11:06 am | #
Lord,
Recently i read a story about how poorly the returning veterans from Vietnam were treated. It seems that the reporter was having a very difficult time coming up with anything that was verifiable. There were anecdotal stories but nothing in news papers or anything like that. And if you think that the newspapers wouldn’t have run a story about veterans getting spat on, you’re crazy.
Certainly the veterans weren’t welcomed home with ticker-tape parades, but it seems their treatment (except by the US Government) wasn’t as bad as advertised.
Now, with McCain’s father-in-law, i think this is a very interesting article. You can’t take the measure of a man without including the entire record of a person’s life. And now it looks like McCain’s seven houses are a direct result of illegal activities of his father-in-law.
It does amaze me that no one talks about the Keating 5.
25 Aug 2008 at 12:30 pm | #
Wow. Justin i consider you a friend, and I know you like to stir it up here on the blog, BUT your antiwar sentiment is maddening. Before getting to McCain, your views on carpet bombing might be acceptable in a policy arguement, but are morally wrong when extended to the troops. (Next time we share a beer I will be happy to discuss the pros and cons of WWII military policy under FDR and Truman. Least we all forget, every day post Pearl Harbor Nazi’s were killing millions of Jews, Cahtolics, mentally ill, & political opponents while developing the “Bomb”. Again, least we forget, war was declared by the US Government on GERMANY, NOT JUST IT’S MILITARY.)
As to McCain, most conservatives view him a RINO, and do not support his mostly Democratic policies. Yet, that has nothing to do with the articles “guilt by association” smear. Although I disagree with McCain on many things, I do not think his character is flawed. I believe that he has high personal standards (well other than the post POW womanising which caused his 1st marriage to fail). He did recognize this flaw and changed his life.
The Keating 5 Saving and Loan scandals - can you cite were McCain committed a crime or a censure for ethics by the Senate Ethics Committee? If my memory serves me the Congress changed Regulation Q which lead to the failure in the S & L Industry, similiar to the regulators failing in our current mortgage mess.
As to Dean of Cincinnati comment- after Keating 5 mess, McCain put his finances in trust and his wife’s are kept separate. So no surpise he was not sure. Where was the democrats indignation about Kerry/Gore/Kennedy wealth. (Kerry’s forefathers made money in the China opium trade and Kennedy wealth also came from bootlegging).
25 Aug 2008 at 01:05 pm | #
Well Well Well. Now it is McCain’s father in-law.
Let’s try this. Obama’s father was a drunk. Fully documented. Died in a car accident while he was driving and had numerous DUI’s. McCain may not be able to give you the number of home’s he has. But Obama’s father forgot to tell Obama’s mother he was married to another woman when he married her. Then he took off to Harvard and hooked up with yet another woman and had children. Took that lady back to Kenya and continued to father children by his first wife. You may think I am telling you this to smear Obama but that is not the case. If you are going to bring up family members of one candidate you really need to acknowledge that the rewriting of Obama’s father’s history. The man was an arrogant womanizing drunk. He walked out on Obama and his mother and only saw Obama once when Obama was in his 20’s great father with great family values that. I doubt Obama has ever really come to terms with that himself thus the fairy tail about his father he has been feeding the press. And there can be not doubt that Obama has profited from his association with Rezko and several other shady friends of his past.
25 Aug 2008 at 01:38 pm | #
bed81, wake up and thank Ralph for seat belts, air bags, the Freedom of Information Act, the Clean Air and Water Act etc. Nader is the only candidate that is talking about repealing the anti-Labor Taft-Hartley Act and NAFTA. He supports a living wage and single payer health care, but by all means keep repeating lies and trying to take the thread off topic.
McCain the flip flopper seeks endorsement from bigots and “agents of intolerence” like John Hagee and looks at guys like this as “role models”.
Mark, I look forward to getting together and talking about carpet bombing etc., but we let’s just stick to the topic at hand right now (McCain). I contend that the Republicans and Democrats are the same on NAFTA, the wars, the Patriot Act, FISA, for profit health care etc.
You have to admit that you can’t go around calling the other guy an elitist and not know how many houses you have. It’s just silly. Just because we don’t like McCain doesn’t mean that we support Gore, Kerry or Kennedy. This thread isn’t about them. If they were running for president now we’d be discussing them, but we’re not.
25 Aug 2008 at 01:43 pm | #
Jace, I don’t think Obama has called his Dad a “role model”. This is about McCain, not anyone else.
25 Aug 2008 at 01:47 pm | #
Jace,
I haven’t read anywhere that Obama said his father was a role model.
25 Aug 2008 at 05:51 pm | #
Did Tony Redzko help John McCain buy any of those houses? His wife has money, so what? is she a murder because they sell Beer? People get drunk and kill people.
Was William Ayers right to plant bombs. Bombs are bombs even if they are dropped or planted. They will kill anyone who just happens near or under them.
was it right for the German’s to kill 6 million jewish people?
Were we right for ingnoring it too long?
would countries attack Cincinnati if we didn’t have a defense? Probably not, it does a good job of it itself, but maybe NYC.
My Grandfather was a Pilot in the South Paciffic. Is he a cold blooded murderer? No, he was one of the greatest men you would have ever met. I can say this, you may have been born speaking Japanese had he and many other brave men not been there.
Were we to sit back and let a crazy guy like Hitler take over half the earth?
War sucks. Bar fights suck. Fighting sucks. To say that WW2 we were of committing murder, thats a stretch.
Iraq war? a third grade social studies student could have figure out what would happen when you take a guy like Saddam out. Opens the door for every crazy to come it. They have lived that way for 1,000’s of years. so be it. What does it have to do with us? Oil? Democracy? Hell we dont even have that here now.
Just some thoughts
25 Aug 2008 at 06:34 pm | #
.
Justin: did you have to bring up the ‘Keating Five’ ?
That cost us, personnally, $40,000 from our IRA due to a real estate investment trust that loaned the crooks money.
.
26 Aug 2008 at 09:44 am | #
R,
I don’t think McCain bought any slivers of land from Tony Redzko, but who knows? he might have at one of his houses, maybe it’s a house he doesn’t know about?
I think you’re getting a little off subject, here. I don’t think Justin was suggesting that fighting WWII was wrong, just that some of the tactics that were used during the war were wrong. I could be mistaken, though.
26 Aug 2008 at 11:19 am | #
The day that a Presidential nominee is interviewed sitting on the porch of his house, located on a trash filled street, atop a rusted out washer, is the day I’ll worry about how many houses the other candidate has.
In this case, one has 7 (I guess) and the other (and his running mate) live in mansions.
Let’s move on to some real issues.
26 Aug 2008 at 01:38 pm | #
When discussing the 2008 presidential race, a dead man’s 1948 conviction should not make even the Top 1000 issues of importance. Even if this was important enough to make the Top 500, it doesn’t appear that McCain met him until at least 30 years after the dead man’s 1948 conviction. Give someone 30 years they can change a lot. Moving along…
26 Aug 2008 at 02:49 pm | #
I actually would really like to hear an answer to this from jason. Why do you report what was clearly a joke as the truth?
26 Aug 2008 at 06:37 pm | #
total52,
But the ads were put out by the DNC, right? Is there a Democrat who can explain this to me?
26 Aug 2008 at 07:02 pm | #
I am confused. Here is what you wrote in comment #6
There is no mention of the DNC or attribution to them. My question is why YOU are repeating what was clearly meant as a joke and trying to pass it off as something serious that he said.
Did you watch the forum or are you just going of of commercials put out by the DNC?
26 Aug 2008 at 11:42 pm | #
Crooks & Liars has a post on this same subject tonight.
Hensley was a sleazeball mobster and a terrorist, and his Daughter, Cindy, has never worked a day in her life as a result of his life of crime.And John McCain has that criminal fortune to thanks for his political career.
“Also right after McCain made the joke about 5 million dollars a year making you rich he predicted that the comment would be distorted.”
McCain didn’t make a “joke”. He did what the doddering old man does so often, opens his mouth and speaks before he thinks about what he’s saying. Only this time McCain didn’t have Joe Leiberman or Lindsey Graham standing next to him to “clarify” what McCain was saying. McCain does believe that $5 Million is the threshold of being wealthy, and he said so on national TV.
Who are you gonna believe, McCain and his sycophantic apologists, or your lying eyes?
27 Aug 2008 at 06:25 am | #
I know NT, was just things that popped in my head. I think we would be hard pressed to find anyone in Politics who has not inhaled, been in what we all would call a shady deal ( I really like the 95,000 in the freezer dude) or some of this or that.
I don’t like war, and I dont know how one actually plans a war, and things happen that shouldn’t, but I can only read, or watch history channel and such and think, I probably would have joined up to for that one.I am sure we did alot of things morally wrong. I wasn’t busting on Justin.
On John Stewart like a year ago, McCain made a joke about ” going home and beating his wife”. You could feel the whole crowd cringe. I no doubt think all and all, he at least says what he means, but also, I am sure he sufferes some “nightsweats” from his years in captivity, and probably has some issues from that. wouldn’t we all?
I dont pretend to have answers. Sometimes I read things about Politico’s enriching themselves in the name of service, and I get angry. I read about the guy who was mentally ill, and the system failed him, and he died in his apartment, alone, with no food and such.
I watch the convention, and think, does this really mean anything or is it an off broadway show. I see guys like Ralph Nader, who HAS given his life trying and making things better, safer, etc etc, and probably should be president, but he doesn’t stand a chance against the system. I see the games, from boy genius of the square , all the way up to the VP and President of the United States and think ” what about the people? where does it end? or where does it start to end? It seems like one big Truman show, and I wonder if they really think people are that dumb? Reading this board proves something.We are not as dumb as they think we are . No matter what opinion one has on one postion, everyone is intelligent and has something to contribute and that is where the answers will come from.
I dont think it matters who’s father was a drunk, or whose father sold him the booze. I do have issues with the guy wanting to be President hanging with people that bomb police stations and our Capital building, and wishes he did more.
the question is really, how do we stop all this? How many houses, and who paid for them doesnt really do anything for those in need . Am I a left wing democrat because I think we should help people? Am I a Republican because I think it is ok if you make 5 million dollars because you worked hard, and made something?
I just wish they would all cut the crap and understand that by each and every one of us taking care of the little plot we live on, the world would be a different place.
All I know is that you can start with the school playground, work your way up, student body president, maybe a councilman, Commissioner, congress whatever, how did we get to the point that we the people, really have no say in what is decided for us? And its not for us, it is us getting it for them. We are beeing used to get them what they want. money, power, ego. I cringe everytime I read a story here about another ______ who pays himself with the peoples money under the guise of helping people. I cringe everytime I dont see something in the CE that should be page one. Everybody here may not agree ( trolley is a stupid idea btw ) but at least we are talking about it. It’s got to start somehow, somewhere.
We the People.. that’s us. How did it get to be that they are not listening to us? To answer that question , and to change the M.O, would be a great start.
It ‘s what I like about the Beacon. It is enitrely possible, in Cincinnati, someone doesn’t like what I or anyone here says, or writes, we could easily get 20 to life, courtesy of someone we pissed off. Think about it. So, just reading all these people posts, and the stories covered that no one else would, because the people who should, are in the game. The Presidential “arena” is he same, just a bigger stadium, paid for by we the people. Maybe its just me, but there is something rally wrong with that picture. How do people that could care less with what we think, need or want, always end up in charge of our lives? In my humble opinion, is because we dont have a say. when a red truck is seen taking our ballots to god knows where, that means we are dead smack in the middle of something other than a democracy, but our leaders dont hesitate to send our family, friends, to somewhere to fight for the democracy we dont even have here.
Just a bigger arena. Go figure. I’d be the first guy in line to vote for the person who stood up and said, I used to drink too much, I had sex in every office, movie theater, and honestly banged everything that moved. I inhaled alot, I gambled, I got arrested for something stupid one time etc etc, but I have learned and grown from those mistakes, and because of them, I have learned some leasons. Just like every other “normal” person in the world. That guy, or woman, would win in a landslide if it were just up to the people. No press, no spin, just looking someone in the eye and saying, this is how I am better and different from what I learned from my mistakes.
Sorry, but I watched the covention and got a little testy by hearing so much BS.
The answer? People like us keep talking. Beacon keep printing things nobody else will, and hopefully, some former sex addict stoner with alot of worldly experience will somehow, bring this all back to the people. Are we not what it is about? One day, hopefully, they will quit looking at us like we are a dollar bill, or some energy for their ego’s, and we can get to whats important. being safe, in peace, living with those we care about and our families, and helping people that need it.
Things are really messed up. That we do know. It’s a start.
27 Aug 2008 at 06:50 am | #
“James Hensley profited handsomely from his association with liquor magnate Kemper Marley, a man police suspect ordered the 1976 murder of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles, who had written about Marley’s business and political dealings.”
Greg Matusak (post #22) let’s not try to twist words now. Referring to Hensley as a terrorist is another one of your typical misrepresentations. According to the posted article it was Marley who was alleged (though apparently never convicted) to have ordered the reporter’s murder.
Guilt by association (Person A knew Person B, therefore…...) is usually a weak argument itself. In this case - McCain had a father-in-law, who once knew a sleazy guy - is downright laughable. Using this weak Matusak-style argument every single one of us could be slurred.
27 Aug 2008 at 11:18 am | #
oh bullshit
SOME OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE I’VE EVER KNOWN IN MY LIFE ARE THE MOST UNHAPPY. I THINK THAT RICH IS—SHOULD BE DEFINED BY A HOME, A GOOD JOB AND EDUCATION AND THE ABILITY TO HAND TO OUR CHILDREN A MORE PROSPEROUS AND SAFER WORLD THAN THE ONE THAT WE INHERITED. I DON’T WANT TO TAKE ANY MONEY FROM THE RICH. I WANT EVERYBODY TO GET RICH. I DON’T BELIEVE IN CLASS WARFARE OR REDISTRIBUTION OF THE WEALTH. BUT I CAN TELL YOU FOR EXAMPLE THERE ARE
SMALL BUSINESSMEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE WORKING 16 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK THAT SOME PEOPLE WOULD CLASSIFY AS, QUOTE, RICH, MY FRIENDS, WHO WANT TO RAISE THEIR TAXES AND RAISE THEIR PAYROLL TAXES. LET’S HAVE—KEEP TAXES LOW. LET’S GIVE EVERY FAMILY IN AMERICA A 7 THOUSAND DOLLAR TAX CREDIT FOR EVERY CHILD THEY HAVE. LET’S GIVE THEM A 5 THOUSAND DOLLAR REFUNDABLE TAX CREDIT TO GO OUT AND GET THE HEALTH INSURANCE OF THEIR CHOICE. LET’S NOT HAVE THE GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN AMERICA. SO—SO I THINK IF YOU’RE JUST TALKING ABOUT INCOME, HOW ABOUT FIVE MILLION. NO—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—THE POINT IS—THE POINT IS THAT WE WANT TO KEEP PEOPLE’S TAXES LOW AND INCREASE REVENUES. AND MY FRIEND, IT WAS NOT TAXES THAT MATTERED IN AMERICA IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. IT WAS SPENDING. SPENDING GOT COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. WE SPENT MONEY IN A WAY THAT MORTGAGED OUR KIDS FUTURES. MY FRIENDS, WE SPENT $3 MILLION OF YOUR MONEY TO
STUDY THE DNA OF BEARS IN MONTANA. NOW I DON’T KNOW IF THAT WAS A PATERNITY ISSUE OR A CRIMINAL ISSUE, BUT THE POINT IS—BUT THE POINT IS IT WAS 3 MILLION OF YOUR
MONEY. IT WAS YOUR MONEY. AND YOU KNOW, WE LAUGH ABOUT IT, BUT WE CRY AND WE SHOULD CRY BECAUSE THE CONGRESS IS
SUPPOSED TO BE CAREFUL STEWARDS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS. SO WHAT DID THEY JUST DO IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ENERGY CRISIS WHEN IN CALIFORNIA WE ARE PAYING $4 A GALLON FOR GAS, WENT ON VACATION FOR FIVE WEEKS. I GUARANTEE YOU, TWO THINGS THEY NEVER MISS, A PAY RAISE AND A VACATION. AND WE SHOULD STOP THAT AND CALL THEM BACK AND NOT RAISE YOUR TAXES. WE SHOULD NOT AND CANNOT RAISE TAXES IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES. SO IT DOESN’T MATTER REALLY WHAT MY DEFINITION OF RICH IS BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO RAISE ANYBODY’S TAXES. I REALLY DON’T. IN FACT, I WANT TO GIVE
WORKING AMERICANS A BETTER SHOT AT HAVING A BETTER LIFE AND WE ALL KNOW THE CHALLENGES, MY FRIENDS, IF I COULD BE SERIOUS. AMERICANS TONIGHT IN CALIFORNIA AND ALL OVER AMERICA ARE SITTING AT THE KITCHEN TABLE, RECENTLY AND SUDDENLY LOST A JOB, CAN’T AFFORD TO STAY IN THEIR HOME, EDUCATION FOR THEIR KIDS, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE, THESE ARE TOUGH PROBLEMS. THESE ARE TOUGH PROBLEMS. YOU TALK TO THEM EVERY DAY. http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-05.txt
It is the next freaking sentence where he makes it clear even on the transcript that it was a joke. You can youtube it to see it even better.
Thanks for making him a prophet though with your distortion. It looks like he was dead on
27 Aug 2008 at 05:36 pm | #
Army, AKA “Stan” ( I thought that you were in the Caribbean “Stan”?) can’t make an argument on his own, so he quotes discredited and thoroughly debunked right wing wackos in a sad attempt to make an argument for him. And he fails yet again.
McCain tried to play off his $5 Million comment as a joke because he knew that he had f’ed up as soon as he said it. Once again McCain spoke his true mind without thinking first, as he did when he confused Middle East geography, Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and referring to Russia’s relationship with Czechoslovakia—a country that hasn’t existed for 15 years. And who can forget “Bomb bomb bomb Iran”. The old man usually has one of his caretaker/surrogates present to correct him (Lindsey Graham, Joe LIEberman or Cindy McCain), bit on this occasion he was on his own, and he made a major mistake.
As to taxes, they have been very low, FOR THE RICH. The wealthiest have had a virtual tax holiday for the past 8 years, paying as little as .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Let’s take a look at the Obama & McCain tax plans. This article and graph from the Washington Post provide an accurate breakdown of the tax plans of the two candidates. We see that McCain would not only continue the bush tax breaks for the wealthy, but in fact he would give them an even larger tax cut. Meanwhile Middle Class taxpayers would receive little relief from the 30% in taxes that we currently pay. In stark contrast to the McCain plan, Obama would cut Middle Class taxes while those making over $603,443 per year would see an increase back to the levels that they were paying in the 1990’s, when the budget was actually balanced.
Under our system of Progressive Taxation the richest amongst us are supposed to bear the largest tax burden, both in the overall amount of taxes that they pay as well as the percentage of their income that they pay in taxes. For the past 8 years the ultra wealthy have had a free ride, paid for courtesy of the Middle Class. Right Wingers such as “Stan” support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and want to expand those wars to Iran and elsewhere, however they don’t want to pay the bill for their misadventures. Well, it’s time to pay up “Stan”, so your rich friends will have to pony up. Tough shit.
Don’t worry about “Stan” folks, here’s just a water carrier for the wealthy. He’s not actually one of them. Perhaps he works for the Linders or the Farmers. Perhaps he’s just a delusional wingnut. Who knows. But he certainly ain’t a rich successful person, that’s for certain. Rich people don’t go to Caribbean off-season in the middle of a hurricane, which “Stan” claims that he did.
27 Aug 2008 at 05:51 pm | #
Cindy McCain = Meadow Soprano
28 Aug 2008 at 12:22 am | #
No he didnt. did you watch the forum. It was clear it was a joke just like the bomb bomb bomb iran thing was. he was laughing when he started to say it. Why do you feel it is ok to lie to try to win a presidential campaign? win it on the facts- if you have any.
28 Aug 2008 at 11:51 am | #
North, do you think it’s appropriate for the President to make jokes like that? Do our relations with Iran get better because he makes jokes about bombing them?
R,
I think that you have some interesting sentiments. I’ve had them myself, i think they are a symptom of pure exhaustion with the political process and being overwhelmed by a sense that none of it is really helping. I would suggest starting in the places that have the most direct impact on your life, and also where you make up a larger percentage of the audience. Start local, local government has the most direct impact on your day-to-day life. City councils, township supervisors, county commissioners, local dog catcher…all of these are more important than the President.
Army41,
I don’t think that quote (especially in bold print like that. wouldn’t quotation marks be as effective?) makes McCain out to be any better. Frankly, i think it makes him look a little off kilter. maybe a little like a rambling old man.
28 Aug 2008 at 12:28 pm | #
I find it interesting that a story in the CE says Mayor Mallory is on the Obama ” Truth Squad “. Isn’t weird that someone on Obama ‘s truth squad, actually has a truth squad when it comes to his actions as the mayor?
The future is bright indeed.
28 Aug 2008 at 12:30 pm | #
Excuse me, his title is “Truth Squad Warrior ”
28 Aug 2008 at 06:39 pm | #
I think that it is pretty obvious that John McCain meant what he said when he made the five million dollar remark. It is also obvious that he realised that he shouldn’t have said it as soon as the words came out of his mouth, and tried to play it off as a joke. The sad truth is that John McCain, a fellow US Navy veteran, is so out of touch with average Americans that he really does not know where cut off line is between wealthy and middle class income levels.