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Thurs: Math Test
posted at 2008-08-21 23:59 | Last modified 2008-08-22 09:21
House of Pain
In an interview with Politico yesterday, GOP presidential contender John McCain couldn’t remember how many houses he and his wife own: “I’ll have to check with my staff.”
This comes three days after McCain told Saddleback's Rick Warren his idea of rich is an annual income of “5 million dollars” - a threshold that disqualifies his “elitist” opponent Barack Obama, who eked out a paltry $4.2M last year.
From Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen’s Politico article:
Brian Rogers, a McCain spokesman, did not question Politico's analysis, but said his boss's bungling of the how-many-homes question is a nonissue.
Riiiiight. If it were two or three houses, maybe. If he could remember, maybe. But a candidate who can’t remember how many houses he owns – Newsweek says seven, Politico eight – when so many voters are worried about losing the one and only house they have?
It’s a gaffe on the scale of Kerry’s “I voted for it before I voted against it” moment in the last election. And, just like 2004, you can bet you’ll be hearing it everywhere as November draws closer.
Obama’s team already has a web ad out on this one. If they don’t get it on TV ASAP, they aren’t serious about winning in November. It’s that simple.
Strike two
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers tried out another damage-control tactic on the WaPo’s Michael Shear:
As the stepdaughter of one Army veteran and the partner of another, I mean it when I say I respect John McCain’s stellar service to his country. But I don’t understand how having been a POW thirty-odd years ago has anything to do with knowing how many houses you own today. Neither of my veterans gets it, either.
Homing instincts
It took local Dems no time at all to capitalize on McCain’s mistake. Congressman GK Butterfield and former House Speaker Dan Blue held a presser this afternoon to remind anyone who needed it that most folks know exactly how many houses they own, even if they’re not running for nationwide office. Ouch. Charlotte’s David Ingram has more over at the cross-pollinated Dome.
They’re back. (Probably.)
State House Majority leader Hugh Holliman said today he expects lawmakers will return to Raleigh next week to uphold the passage of the big boat bill. Governor Easley vetoed the measure Sunday, citing safety concerns. But math-challenged House Dems, led by Beaufort Rep. Arthur Williams, don’t see why anyone ought to be worried about encountering a 9 ½ foot wide boat in a 9-foot lane in the dark.
Holliman says the House took safety under consideration before overwhelmingly approving the bill last month -
“And, of course, we have a lot of boat manufacturers in this state that it certainly does have an impact on, as well as the fishing tournaments down at the coast, and we’re hearing from all these people. So you’re hearing a lot of pros and cons.
So, really, how many NC boat manufacturers are shipping their products after sundown or on a Sunday?
My favorite moment of the day was when a Senate staffer told me with a straight face that he’d had a caller who praised lawmakers for “standing up for the common man” by supporting the big boat bill. As it turns out, said caller was a retired corporate bigwig from Charlotte. How…common.
Seriously, you have to wonder what’s driving this. Think about it:
- The state health plan is expected to be insolvent by the end of the year.
- Our mental health system is making national headlines for rampant dysfunction and patient neglect.
- Some state employees are missing their mortgage payments because their new payroll system doesn’t work.
But legislators aren’t coming back to Raleigh to fix any of these problems. Instead, they’re ready to spend tax dollars on a veto session to ensure that rich people can tow big boats whenever they want. Now, that’s public service.
Comments? Drop me a line.
