Obama lashes McCain over rich claim

Herald Sun ^ | 19 August 2008

[Aussie Dasher]

DEMOCRAT Barack Obama has berated his White House rival John McCain as an out-of-touch economic illiterate who would make the rich richer at a time of financial pain for most US voters.

At a rally in a sweltering high school gymnasium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Senator Obama mocked Senator McCain for remarking at a weekend forum with religious leader Rick Warren that only those earning more than $US5 million ($5.7 million) a year were really rich.

"This explains why his tax plan gives hundreds of thousands in tax breaks for people earning 2.5 million, because they're only middle class," the Illinois senator told a jeering crowd of 1800 people.

"Everyone making 2.5 million or more, raise your hands," Senator Obama said to laughter. Nobody in the audience did.

Mr Warren had asked Senators McCain and Obama separately at the forum in California to "define rich".

Senator McCain, whose wife is a wealthy brewing heiress, said "I think if you're just talking about income, how about five million".

[RedStateRocker]

“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.”
James Madison

[Vision Thing]

Obama lashes McCain over rich claim

Man, doncha just hate black-on-white crime?!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“I hold it the duty of the executive to insist upon frugality in the expenditure, and a sparing economy is itself a great national source.” ~ Andrew Johnson

OK. I’ll stop now...because you’ll regret ever getting me started on this subject, LOL!

[PugetSoundSoldier]

“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.”

THANK YOU! Wonderful quote!

[Scotswife]

Barak is such a humorless moron.

McCain was goofing off and after he made the remark he said “but seriously....”

[PLMerite]

” “Everyone making 2.5 million or more, raise your hands,” Senator Obama said to laughter. Nobody in the audience did.”

Everybody who is married to a Professional Minority - Diversity Coordinator making $300,000 because her husband is a Senator, raise your hand. Nobody did.

[grey_whiskers]

According to Obama (from the audio clip I heard today), he said that those making $150,000 are in the middle class, (maybe lower in some parts of the country) and those making $250,000 are in the "top 3-4 percent".

According to Wikipedia, as of 2003, the 95th centile income is $154,120.

Seems to me he *is* an elitist, to call the national 95th centile "middle class".

Oh, and the $250,000 number? The top 2%.

[LibLieSlayer]

He made that point 100% crystal clear and less than two seconds after he made that joke about the absurd $5 million dollar a year earnings to be included in the "rich" level... and he was laughing when he said it... and barry is a POS muzzie/commie liar.

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

It was a joke about an asinine question to McCain about what level per year earnings did he consider to be “rich”. McCain clarified (100% clear and concise) that it as a joke and predicted barry would use it to attack him... two seconds after he quit laughing when he was saying it!

LLS

[Popman]

There won’t be any middle class in the new Obama Nation.

Of course, there will be a middle class, just 100 % of them will be poor, it's all in the semantics !!!

[Brilliant]

“There won’t be any middle class in the new Obama Nation.”

Exactly... Everyone will be poor.

[tobyhill]

Obama lost and this is the ONLY thing he can even try to cling to even though anyone that saw the answer knew McCain kind of threw that number out there in jest to make a point about there not really being a precise number.

[taraytarah]

Everybody who is married to a Professional Minority - Diversity Coordinator making $300,000 because her husband is a Senator, raise your hand. Nobody did.

How about everyone making $4 million a year and owning a vacation home in Hawaii, raise your hand...

[JustaCowgirl]

“McCain KNEW that comment, meant obviously as a joke, was going to be distorted, or actually LIED about by Obama.”

Yes he did. Immediately after he said it, he said that it would be. Didn’t take long for that prediction to come true, did it.

[HollyB]

Obama knows he appeared weak during the forum, so now he's trying to make up for it. Fortunately, he hasn't been very successful at making it go away.

Off subject, I'm always floored at how he is so relentless in the terrible way he speaks about Bush. He does it so much, he doesn't even realize how disrespectful he sounds. I understand that Bush is not high on the approval list, but good grief!. However, Obama can't handle the tiniest bit of criticism. What comes around goes around, Obama. He's sowing the seeds.

[Mentos]

Actually if you have to make a wild-ass estimate about what constitutes “rich”, $5 million is just about right. “Rich” is a subjective call but if you define it as never having to work again then being a millionare, i.e. having one million dollars net worth, would generally not cut it nowadays

[sefarkas]

More directly, if you can afford to go into your bosses office to announce that you quit, and to have so much in the bank that you need not sign on with boss #2, that's rich. No matter how you slice it, there aren't many in that little club. Individual situations would determine what amount of money in the bank would qualify. The word “rich” in the context of tax policy means that you accept the premise of Maxist-Leninist class warfare ideology. An egalitarian society would tax the wealth of its members equally to support the operation of the government. What the government is supposed to do is a subject of other posts.

[caseinpoint]

“Sounds like the typical politics of envy and division again...”

Jus doing what he was trained to do as an Alinsky “community organizer”, i.e., stoke group resentment to the point that you can guide their anger to accomplish your goals.

[Mariebl]

I wish someone would ask Senator Obama how much money he’d have to earn for his wife to not complain about the price of summer camp, piano lessons, and fresh fruit on the table.

[CaliforniaCon]

RE: “More directly, if you can afford to go into your bosses office to announce that you quit, and to have so much in the bank that you need not sign on with boss #2, that’s rich......”

“Individual situations would determine what amount of money in the bank would qualify.”

Yes, rich or wealthy varies by individual situation as well as lifestyle. A 60 year old with $2 million net worth, unemployed, but owning his home outright and no dependents is certainly “wealthier” than a 40 year old with a mortgage, spouse and four kids, who happens to have around the same net worth.