Equivocation, John McCain

Poor in spirit

6 Comments

Sorry McCain fan or fans, it's hard not to make fun of this:

“I define rich in other ways besides income,” he said. “Some people are wealthy and rich in their lives and their children and their ability to educate them. Others are poor if they’re billionaires.”

That may be.  When the question is tax policy (as it most certainly was) however, there's only one kind of rich that counts–the kind with 7 or 10 or more houses, and 270,000 a year on household staff expenses.

6 thoughts on “Poor in spirit”

  1. McCain is just being an Aristotelian. Its that “you-die-money-uh” stuff.

  2. Not only is the position laughable, but it was probably also delivered very badly. McCain just isn’t smooth enough to sell a smarmy line like that.

  3. I heard David Brooks on NPR yesterday insisting that McCain was not, nor would anyone think of him as, a spoiled rich kid. That’s laughable.

  4. Well why shouldn’t McCain define “rich” that way?  David Brooks is poorly informed or making a hollow argument –

    McCain was raised by a Naval Officer and a mother (Roberta) who was born to money.  There is an account repeated several places on the internet that “Once she went out to buy a dress and came home with a Mercedes.”  (source:  http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/timberg-mccain.html)
    Military Brass don’t get paid well but especially Flag officers (Admiral in this case) live VERY well, often having servants and nannies.

    McCain went to a Boarding School that was “still drawing nearly all its students from the better families of the Old South. Like most prep schools of the time, Episcopal was lily white.”  (source:  http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/timberg-mccain.html)

    After a High School Career that was not particularly distinguished by high achievement, McCain was entered into the Naval Academy by his Father.  While entry to Annapolis is extremely competitive (12,000 applications result in 1,200 admissions), McCain had his place at Annapolis secured by birthright, not by achievement. 

    His career in the Military was not particularly distinguished with the exception of his stint as a POW.  It is difficult to do anything but respect and praise McCain for what he went through at the so-called “Hanoi Hilton.” 

    After getting out of prison and rehabilitating, McCain served as the CO at a training squadron and then had a role as what was essentially a Naval Lobbyist in Washington. 

    After leaving the Navy, he divorced his first wife and married an Heiress.  He then served in public life since then.

    McCain’s life has been distinguished by privilege and birthright and nowadays, money.  With the exception of the 5 1/2 years he spent as a POW, McCain has not really had much of a struggle with anything.

    So a man whose life has gone this way would be bound to have a different perspective than someone who had to earn everything. 

  5. I like how you just glance over the fact he spent the better half of a decade as a POW….

Comments are closed.