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MONTHLY ARCHIVES
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DNC Sees Cindy McCain's Wealth as Fair Game
July 18, 2008 11:55 AM
CNN this week took a look at Cindy McCain's wealth this week, reporting that she "is not only a wife to Senator John McCain, she is also his meal ticket. Her reported 2006 income of more than $6 million exceeded her husband's earnings 16 times over. That money pays for a wealthy lifestyle of high end condos, an Arizona ranch, flying in a corporate jet, and more." The story quoted a writer from the Politico saying that her beer distributorship funded his first congressional campaign and has subsidized his presidential campaign.
CNN correspondent David Mattingly reported that "as president, McCain would run a mammoth bureaucracy with regulatory control over alcohol sales, distribution and consumption. The next administration would probably have to deal with issues of beer taxes, labeling, maybe even the politically sensitive international merger just announced involving the giant Anheuser-Busch. These are all issues that could create a conflict because they could have an impact on the McCain family bottom line."
The story noted this 2005 letter from McCain's son Andrew -- posted in a Los Angeles Times story about possible conflicts regarding McCain's political career and Cindy's business -- lobbying against a federal beer labeling proposal.
Asked by host Campbell Brown if he saw any "red flags" in this story, DNC adviser Jamal Simmons said yes.
"The real question is not so much about what Cindy McCain does for a living," Simmons said, "She can do whatever she wants to do for a living. This is America."
Simmons said the issue is that McCain had promised "to lead a transparent government, and he's so far, he's not leading a transparent campaign...He hasn't talked about how much he pays, or why he doesn't pay full fare for those airplane flights he flies around that (corporate) jet. He doesn't talk about what's going to happen to his Cindy McCain if he goes into the White House. And so the question is, of course he listens to somebody like Phil Gramm who thinks that the economy is all in our heads, or the economic problems are all mental, because with John McCain, he has eight houses. They spend $750,000 on credit cards in one month. And he's flying around the country in his corporate jet."
Simmons said that shows that McCain is "not in touch where most of Americans are. That month where he was spending $750,000 on credit card debts, it was from March 2007 until the beginning of 2008, middle of 2008. And that's when they were spending all the money of credit cards. They would not have been able to keep the John McCain campaign alive had he not had this personal wealth."
Republicans say this shows the Obama campaign is hypocritical when it gets mad when Michelle Obama is attacked, since Democrats are attacking Cindy. Democrats say you can't compare impugning Michelle's patriotism with questioning whether Sen. McCain is improperly using his wife's fortune, or asking about potential financial conflicts of interest.
This all comes the same week the Washington State GOP put up a web video attacking Michelle , prompting -- per Ben Smith at the Politico -- the Obama campaign's Bill Burton to say "With our economy in shambles, our nation at war and our challenges mounting by the day, it is beyond sad that the Republican Party of Washington would spend its time launching shameful attacks on the wife of a candidate--attacks our current First Lady Laura Bush has decried . Michelle Obama has lived the American Dream, and it’s love of country that leads Michelle and Barack to make this race. But how does it strengthen our country to pollute our politics with false and mean-spirited attacks? John McCain promised us better. It's up to him to curb these tactics, or take responsibility for them."
RNC spox Danny Diaz responded with: "Is Barack Obama going to speak to his operative's attacks against Cindy McCain?" (That's a reference to Simmons.) "The WA GOP's actions were completely independent of the McCain campaign and RNC, the same cannot be said for Obama's handpicked spokesperson at the DNC.
In an interview with Glamour magazine published Thursday, Sen. Obama said he didn't want anyone in his campaign or the DNC to attack Cindy McCain. "I've said this before: I would never have my campaign engage in a concerted effort to make Cindy McCain an issue, and I would not expect the Democratic National Committee or people who were allied with me to do it. Because essentially, spouses are civilians. They didn't sign up for this. They're supporting their spouse," Obama said
What say you?
- jpt
July 18, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (88)
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Those of you who think Cindy McCain is being "attacked" purely because of her wealth need to work on your reading comprehension skills. The article stated pretty clearly that there are concerns about transparency, and about the *source* of that money, and how it can affect/be affected by presidential decisions. That's not a personal attack, it's due diligence, and all candidates should be subject to it.
I'll probably vote for Obama, but if someone wanted to check up on where the Obamas' income comes from and how it might affect his political decisions, I'd consider that entirely fair.
Posted by: metamanda | Jul 18, 2008 3:17:49 PM
James McDouglas
I'm not a Republican and I'm only advancing the truth!
Posted by: Aston | Jul 18, 2008 3:17:30 PM
Cindy McCain said the only way to really get around Arizona is by private jet. Could we imagine Michelle Obama saying something like this? No, because she grew up on the south side of Chicago, raised in a working-class family. Michelle is much, much closer to the average American woman. She wears dresses we can actually afford to go out and buy. Much more down to earth.
Posted by: cincyr | Jul 18, 2008 3:12:41 PM
But I still believe that Michelle Obama should not be attacked unfairly nor should Cindy McCain. Both are good women. If I don't like Obama, it is based mainly based out of issues. He is far-left. Any candidate who supports abortion, limits gun rights, raises taxes will never be my candidate.
Posted by: yesiamaconservative | Jul 18, 2008 3:09:33 PM
yesiamaconservative
One might say he's nothing more than Pelosi's puppet!
Posted by: Aston | Jul 18, 2008 3:09:21 PM
Nobody's Fool.
You crack me up. You can list alot of way's McCain has changed over 40 years in government. I can't create a list like this for Obama because he spent about 3 months in congress before forming a committee to run for president. This is worse than Clinton becoming a senator for 1 term (6 years) before declaring her candidacy.
Posted by: Mark
=====================================
This guy has the thinnest resume and still wants to believe that he can C-in-C. Whatever record he has on in the legislature is he is a far-left out of touch with the mainstream America.
Posted by: yesiamaconservative | Jul 18, 2008 3:06:07 PM
Why didn't the people attacking McCain's wife's fortune have a problem with Kerry's wife's fortune. Such narrow shallow people!\
Posted by: Aston | Jul 18, 2008 3:05:17 PM
the Salon.com article on Cindy McCain stealing drugs from a charity. this is not libelous, it's public record.
Posted by: alison | Jul 18, 2008 2:53:53 PM
"Will this lower gas prices, improve education, and create a health care system?"
No Bette. It is the bread and circuses of political parties and media where wealth has concentrated the message in the hands of a few and intelligence in the heads of fewer.
We need a competent executive. Instead, they give us a war hero and a rock star with no hits past or present.
Posted by: len | Jul 18, 2008 2:51:45 PM
LOL, I had to read that twice to see where the attack against Cindy McCain was.
hmm, mentioning her vast wealth is an attack? who has thin skin now?
I thought the American dream was to be weathy? Who knew it was somehow shameful to the McCain campaign
Posted by: tinat | Jul 18, 2008 2:50:27 PM
OMG... the DNC has a problem with Cindy McCain because she is wealthy???????? I have a problem with the DNC because they get my tax money for their salary and they do nothing to earn it...the DNC is lowering their reputation every day they say stupid things like this....and CNN...just another "rag" channel!
Posted by: mfmros | Jul 18, 2008 2:44:50 PM
Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. I find it unfortunate and completely irrelevant but if The Right Wing Nut Case smear campaign against Michelle Obama continues, Cindy McCain will become fair game. We will have a continuing discussion about her drug addiction, drug theft, how their marriage license managed to come before his divorce, her non-payment of property taxes on one of her seven homes, her one month $750,000 American Express charges, etc., etc.
What some people fail to realize is that this is not the old Democratic Party. After eight years of lies, distortions, innuendo, divisiveness and character assassination, we've had enough. When punched, we will punch back...harder.
Posted by: Brooklyn Democrat | Jul 18, 2008 2:43:44 PM
Nobody's Fool.
You crack me up. You can list alot of way's McCain has changed over 40 years in government. I can't create a list like this for Obama because he spent about 3 months in congress before forming a committee to run for president. This is worse than Clinton becoming a senator for 1 term (6 years) before declaring her candidacy.
Posted by: Mark | Jul 18, 2008 2:39:06 PM
Cindy McCain was zoned out on drugs for 3 years and had stolen those drugs from a charity set up to give those drugs to 3rd world nations. can you imagine if Michelle Obama had that little tidbit in her past? we'd never hear the end of it.
Posted by: alison | Jul 18, 2008 2:38:59 PM
geevill, anyone can read Michelle Obama's thesis for themselves now. There's nothing in there that matches up with any of the hype about it. It's about how a young black girl felt about race relations at her prestigious university. The problem with all the rumor-mongering is that people in this country are fed up with being told lies. Watch out for the backlash.
Posted by: obamamama | Jul 18, 2008 2:38:04 PM
Poor Baby Obama does not want his wife to be critized, yet she critized everyone and everything that is wrong with America.
If he does not want his wife critized then he should lock her up.
Tell her to keep her opinions to herself.
Besides, baby Obama, do not stress to much you will not be the president of America, and that is something you can believe in.
PumaPac totally and only for H.R. Clinton. Future President 2008-2012
Posted by: TerryDo | Jul 18, 2008 2:29:11 PM
I say campaign finance is a real issue, judgement calls over whether someone is patriotic is not. See: numbers, facts. BTW - the level of pathetic, angry discourse on this blog is consistently high compared to others. Do you all live on here or what?
Posted by: squintz | Jul 18, 2008 2:29:01 PM
Jane: I watch diverse news sources. That this bothers you says a lot about you.
No pity. No excuses. No fear.
Posted by: len | Jul 18, 2008 2:24:27 PM
Will this lower gas prices, improve education, and create a health care system?
Posted by: Bette | Jul 18, 2008 2:23:31 PM
Cindy is not the only super wealthy wife in recent history who has helped her husbands presidential campaign.
Teresa Heinz wife of John Kerry her personal wealth is estimated at 1+ billion also inherited her wealth. also declined to disclose her personal tax returns. also like the mccains own 5 homes. meal tickets a plenty!
Posted by: sonia trevino | Jul 18, 2008 2:18:43 PM
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