Erin Kotecki Vest

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 ...? - TDavid

lol TDavid - Erin Kotecki Vest

It's like Reagan all over again, only not as charismatic. - Cyndy

'Reagan all over again' just sent shivers down my spine - Erin Kotecki Vest

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... - Chester

Always happy to help, Erin. - Cyndy

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.) - Chester

@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! - TDavid

@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. - Chester

@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. - TDavid

fine Chester but even you have to agree that your parents situation is not typical. Unless they are property mgrers, house flippers, landlords, etc. - Ruth Ferguson

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. - TDavid

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 - Chester

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. - TDavid

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. - Chester

in other news, how come only one of these comments shows up on the blog? silly FF - Erin Kotecki Vest

@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. - TDavid

@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. - Chester