It’s not paid for.
We have a mortgage like the rest of the world (minus the McCain family) and we currently couldn’t sell the damn thing without losing our shirts.
Our pants too.
Maybe both shoes as well.
My brother does not own a home. He lives here with us, in the ONE house we own. He couldn’t really afford to live on his own, even though he has a nice job and makes good money. He’ll be moving out when he and his girlfriend have two incomes and can afford a place together. It’s really the only way to go…roommates and what not.
My parents own one home as well. It currently has a sink hole. I wonder if any of John McCain’s houses have sink holes?
My brother-in-law does not own a home. His family is in an apartment in Germany while he’s in Iraq. So I’m pretty sure they know exactly how many houses they own.
We also own two cars, although we’re still paying for one of them.
But I’m very certain we only own one house.
I can tell you how many tv’s we own too. But I think we’re just counting the big, big stuff.
Those are pretty easy to keep track of. Like, say, when the mortgage bill comes at the begining of he month. Or the second mortgage bill comes at the middle of the month.
Property taxes are due in November.
Insurance bill comes every month.
Home owners association every three months.
Yeah, totally easy to keep track of exactly how many homes I own.
How about you?
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McCain strikes me as being a bit too forgetful to trust with the most powerful job in the U.S. How many bombs do we have ... where did I put those nuclear launch codes ... where is Air Force One located ...?
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lol TDavid
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It's like Reagan all over again, only not as charismatic.
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'Reagan all over again' just sent shivers down my spine
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It's all relative. I voted for Obama in the primary and almost certainly will in the General Election, but this is a silly argument. 1) I know it was a joke, but any President has a billion assistants and underlings to remember the gabillion things a President must remember. 2) Not being able to remember how many homes or properties he owns is not indicative of forgetfulness. Someone with that sort of net worth shouldn't be able to remember how many properties they own...
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Always happy to help, Erin.
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3) Just because he's rich doesn't mean he doesn't understand the struggles of "normal Americans". When was the last time either of the Clintons had to worry about paying their mortgages? What about John Edwards? Even Obama -- with the most modest finances of the bunch -- has been breathing rarified air as of late. How much does he embody the reality of normal America anymore? If that's what you want, then go revive Dennis Kucinich's campaign. (And even Kucinich has a trophy wife.)
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@Chester come on, really, how many people do you know -- the real world -- that don't know how many homes they have? Erin's post was spot on. Some of the wealthiest people I know are the biggest penny pinchers, anal-retentive types around. They know not only how many and how much, but a lot more detail than that. Stuff like this just makes McCain look some sterotypical senile old guy with too much money who is out of touch with his own finances. Great, that's what America needs right now!
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@TDavid: My parents need a spreadsheet to keep track of how many properties they own. And they *are* anal-retentive tightwads, trust me. They have *many* spreadsheets. If you have property transactions every year or two, it's not something that will automatically come to mind. And they are nowhere near the McCain's league, which would probably require one or two full time accountants on staff. So I don't find his not immediately knowing to be indicative of senility or forgetfulness.
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@Chester the point is that he didn't say that. He should have said: "I have our homes in a spreadsheet, let me get that information for you." instead of "I think — I'll have my staff get to you," Somebody who has their act together financially would answer the question in the former. McCain? Nope, he just stutters and lays it at the hands of his staffers.
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fine Chester but even you have to agree that your parents situation is not typical. Unless they are property mgrers, house flippers, landlords, etc.
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Heck, even: "that's a great question. My accountant can provide a full detail for you after lunch. Will that be soon enough?" I can think of a dozen better ways for McCain to have answered that softball question. We don't need another George Bush who trips all over his tongue for the next 4 years. We need somebody who can think on his feet. Obama is a much better thinker and speaker, even if he lacks the experience.
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Yes, their situation is atypical and the McCains far more so. I agree that he should have replied in a more polished manner, but I don't think the manner in which he replied indicates either 1) he does not have his financial act together (they're rich as fuck!) or 2) that he does not have the mental acumen to be President. The argument that his being rich puts him out of touch with normal Americans is *far* more potent than arguing that a poorly-phrased extemporaneous answer means he'd be a shitty President
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Part of being President involves quick thinking and being able to say the right thing at the right -- or even wrong -- time. Clinton was a thousand times better at public speaking than Bush. To me Bush comes across as gruff and unyielding and I think some of his messages to other nations have been grossly misinterpreted. We need somebody in office that will not be clumsy with their verbiage.
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And getting back to the original point of the linked post (by Erin Vest): none of the front-runners for President are in situations analogous to normal Americans. The McCains, Romneys, Edwards, and Clintons are all rich as fuck. And Obama is not worrying if he can afford his mortgage when it goes to a variable rate. He's my man for the White House but he may never fly commercial again, chills with rock stars, and will be commanding sick speaking fees when he, hopefully, is a private citizen in 9 years.
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in other news, how come only one of these comments shows up on the blog? silly FF
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@Erin the polling is once per hour if memory serves for the Wordpress FF plugin, if that's what you're using. So give it more time and they will start flowing in.
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@TDavid: I wholeheartedly agree and I look forward to speeches by Obama as POTUS. This remark by McCain was less verbal snafu and more stylistically inadvisable. He's done much worse -- i.e. the "Gooks" thing and missing key facts regarding the Iraq War. But everyone makes missteps. Obama has said things that I thought were ill-advised, and his wife was raked over the coals for saying something that seemed to imply she was not proud to be American. McCain's "misstep" doesn't phase me.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Let’s see, I own seven less that McMetamucil.
I find it hard to believe not knowing how many homes you own. How can one get so out of touch with the real world?
I know I own zero homes. I’m renting and trying to buy the home I am currently renting.
Great point mentioning mortgage bills, insurance, and property taxes.
How about Senator Obama? Million dollar mansion in the loop anyone? I just moved here and your presidential choice lives a lot higher up than I do – and he isn’t using his million dollar loop mansion as a business, which is what I believe Senator McCain does with some of his homes.
And, my sister has two homes. My mom has two homes. My freaking ex husband who was enlisted in the USAF for 20 years and worked at Walmart on retirement currently owns THREE homes.
Your point?
I know exactly how many houses I own… and I bought it when the Dems were in – and while every other house in the freaking country went up in value exponentially over the past 7 years, including the ones 2 miles away from me… Mine has stayed within $8k up and down from where I bought it. So I’m trapped – and personally, I don’t think either Obama or McCain is going to change that.
This was not one of your best.. sorry.
Hold on while I count.
One. Yep, one. I think. Let me rifle through this junk drawer one more time… no, that’s it.
Just the one.
I owned 1 house a year ago; I now own 0. I’m very lucky to now own 0 without taking a loss, being in foreclosure, or being homeless.
John McCain cannot be my leader. If he is elected I must move to a country where a leader can relate to The People.
And if this isn’t one of your better posts then you must be absolutely incredible, because I clicked here from a friend’s good feed reader share of this post so that I could compliment you on a great post.
GREAT post!
Denise you just kinda proved the point- even you know how many houses your ex’s and relatives have. How do you NOT KNOW how many houses you own?
and then came this
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/mccains_bought_second_beach_ho.php
some how, the guy that owns once mcmansion and worked his way up for it, as opposed to mcsame, seems to ring more true to me. but hey, what do I know
I own zero homes. I live in Arizona and I do not commute in a plane. In fact, I drive a fifteen (no wait, is it sixteen?) year old car. Fancy that.
It irks me to no end that Obama is portrayed as the elitist. Yes, he is wealthy, but the issue isn’t wealth, it’s about how in touch with the little people you are. For me, Obama reigns supreme in that area.
How does that saying go? Something about disliking the qualities in other people that you dislike in yourself. I think the republicans know they have a bonified elitist on their hands and they just can’t stand it as the truth. Or maybe he’s just out of touch. Either way, no thanks.
(clicked over from a shared item in my reader)
Let’s see just what BHO has learned from all of his vast experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4gFdKuMYL8&eurl=http://election.newsmax.com/obama_jeopardy.html?s=al&promo_code=671B-1
We own one townhouse. Well, technically, the bank owns it but we live here.
Property taxes at the beginning of July every year. Strata fees monthly.
I sincerely hope that my neighbours to the south vote for Obama by a good, strong margin.
What concerns me is not so much that he doesn’t know how many homes he owns, but that he doesn’t know NOT TO SAY SUCH A THING. That is really what indicates how out of touch he is with the American public.
I own one home. Sort of. The bank owns part of it too. My husband is now living 13 1/2 hours away, in basically a dorm room. He’s active duty military, officer to boot! We can’t sell our house. We can’t afford two houses. So, I stay in our current house, with the kids and no family around, while he is at his new duty station, away from everyone he loves.
I’m sorry, I’ll have to check with my staff and get back to you on that.
This will also be my standard reply to any question of importance beyond “when does life begin?” That one I know! Ask me that one!
*puke*
Just the one.
I feel pretty confident that I would be aware of any other homes I may or may not own.
Um, well, let me see. 0
Wow, that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Aside from the number of houses own, and the failure to remember, there’s also the part about getting those houses. Obama worked his way up, McCain married his rich mistress. Which one seems more elitist?
I thought we were doing OK until he raised the bar to $5 mill.
Honey, all this hard work we’ve been doing – we’re still pooor.
I own one home. It’s paid for except for a small equity loan. But we can’t afford to sell and buy something else and much as I detest where I’m living. Downpayment requirements are now more than our first house cost.
We own 2 cars. They’re paid for too. Mine’s 6 years old and I’ll probably keep it another 5 years. sorry auto industry, it’s just too expensive to replace cars willy-nilly.
Property taxes are due in November. They have gone up 500% since we’ve moved here. I thought Cali had some sort law about this not being able to happen. I was wrong. Joy.
Insurance is due in January.
Utilities cost more each month than the first year of my college tuition. And we won’t mention gasoline at all.