This reveals a fundamental difference between Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain:
Senators John McCain and Barack Obama released their Senate financial disclosure statements on Friday, revealing that Mr. McCain and his wife had at least $225,000 in credit card debt and that Mr. Obama and his wife had put more than $200,000 into college funds for their daughters.
Yeah…the circumstances differ. When you leave your wife to marry a fabulously rich heiress, a quarter million of debt comes off as chump change—even “at a stiff 25.99 percent interest rate.” And squirreling away a couple hundred thousand for your kids future isn’t really necessary. But the fiscal report betrays a rather caviler fiscal attitude in the McCain residence.
This strikes me as a metaphor showing a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans—the self-anointed party of “fiscally responsibility”—have intentionally outspent their means. They’ve piled unprecidented debt onto the backs of Americans for generations to come.
George W. Bush came into office with a $5.7 trillion federal debt. Today that figure has ballooned to $9.5 trillion, which means that every American has their own $31,100 credit card charge.
Contrast this to Bill Clinton, who took office with $4.4 trillion in federal debt and left office with $5.7 trillion. And with a budget surplus in his second term, Clinton pushed hard to invest in the future, a vision captured in his farewell address:
First, America must maintain our record of fiscal responsibility. Through our last four budgets we’ve turned record deficits to record surpluses, and we’ve been able to pay down $600 billion of our national debt–on track to be debt-free by the end of the decade for the first time since 1835. Staying on that course will bring lower interest rates, greater prosperity, and the opportunity to meet our big challenges. If we choose wisely, we can pay down the debt, deal with the retirement of the baby boomers, invest more in our future, and provide tax relief.
Instead…we got George W. Bush and the Big Credit Card.
This fall we will have a choice between Candidate A, whose household finances show a credit card debt of $225,000 and Candidate B whose household has saved $200,000 to invest in their children’s future.
Pretty easy choice, huh?
In all seriousness, you have to wonder how the righties justify ANYTHING they say they believe in when their actions are almost always counter their own stated beliefs. No wonder most educated, sane, rational people vote Dem.
BBG @ 1
The Dems are nothing but NIMBYs and “do-as-I-say” types.
Obama wants to skyrocket taxes on corporations and investments only because much of his money is in tax-free munis — and because he hasn’t held a real job (actually producing something) in his life. Nickels doesn’t take Metro transit ANYWHERE. (BTW, Goldy, you wanna post a scan of your SoundTransit pass?) Kennedy refuses to support wind farms in HIS back yard because they’ll spoil the view.
HEY BBG@1 GET THE PIMPLES ON YOUR FACE TAKEN CARE OF AND THEN HAVE YOUR MOTHER CHANGE YOUR DIAPER.ITS AS FULL OF SHIT AS YOU ARE
HEY DARRYL IS THAT THE BEST YOU HAVE.WHAT A JOKE.
@3,4
At least Mark tried to refute the post…
@2
Nothing to say about your man McCain’s financial bonafides?
A large, financially well-off middle class has little inclination to toil away for peanuts in some corporate cubicle.
That is one of the main reasons that Conservatives seek to destroy the middle class. The only flaw in their plan is that they simultaneously kill off their customers.
And, as RR has cogently pointed out, customers create jobs, not businesses. Republicans are the party of slaveowners. And don’t point to Lincoln. He would have been a Democrat in these times. Thinking of Lincoln as representative of Republicans is like thinking of Albert Schweitzer as a typical Nazi.
That’s one smart rabbit.
Marky let’s see – President Clinton surplus – Bush – deficit.
NEXT?
This thread is about McCain by the way – but hey, if I was you and stuck with what you’re working with, I’d deflect too.
PU; in addition to obviously being brain dead, your name matches your wife’s ugly snatch. When I fucked her last night I had to hold my nose.
@10 Dang!
Simple.
McSameOld – livin’ high on the hog on the credit card. Fully admits being ignorant about economics.
Obama – saving for future.
The choice is very clear. Obama 2008.
Notice how AGAIN all the righties can do is deflect. They just don’t want to acknowledge the truth. They SAY they believe in one thing and yet act in an entirely different way and I guess all the inbreeding has left them unable to recognize their situation. They can’t defend it so all they can do is attack the other side and deflect.
Isn’t it TEMPERAMENT, and not temperment?
Richard,
It is…thanks.
Leaving aside this sort of ad hominem effort to paint the candidates in characature, one thing is important here.
The Obama family is very close to the same world ,most Americans walk on. Michelle said she doubted BHO could ever run again because, “By then he will not remember what it as to be not rich.”
The analogy to the Clintons is telling. Bill spends his days today raising moneys for his foundation. Doubtless the Foundation will do a lot of good, but one wonder about the effects of accepting huge gifts to ones’ foundation on his ability to understand the needs of those who could never imagine the world Bill lives in now?
Of course. Bill is not unusual. Jeremiah Wright has done a lot of good in his life but is now very wealthy. The Obamas are rapidly entering thise ranks too. Ike, a US empoloyee all his life, somehow left the Presidency a multimillionaire. Jesse jackson is a very wealthy man with no source other than his charities. And then there are those of us who looked askance on John Edwards.
The analogy to Yasser Arafat’s inability to accept peace when it was offeredf to him is fightening.
Are the Naders, the Chavez, the MLKs, the Gandhis ..all exceptions?
What the bleep is a measly increase of >63% in the bleeping national debt?
The MITM** is doing okay paying it off so far, right?
** man in the moon
I don’t think conservatives were very happy either with bush acting like a democrat increasing the size of the government.
That’s not fair Darryl. Invading countries that are not threatening us costs money. Where do you think we are gonna get the dough to pay for needless war? Taxing the rich? I think not.
Borrow from Red China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Marvin, Bush acted like a Republiconvict. Reagan ran up the debt big time. Bush 1 not so much.
Democrats balance budgets.
Republiconvicts run up debt.
Don’t you love being on the wrong side of history over, and over, and over?
Just remember. The military industrial complex is part of the size of government. You gonna cut the military budget? Yeah, I thought so.
We need to spend more than the rest of the world combined on our military. Them bottomless pits need filled with taxpayer $$$$ don’t they now. To heck with giving sick children health insurance. Just sue their parents. Yeah, that’s right, sue their parents. Take their house.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics, and the rest of the slime need $$$$$$ so we can be the earth’s bully.
And don’t forget that the Bushies acted like there was no tomorrow because they believed that there really was no tomorrow – because Jeezus was coming soon…….
bbg@19 you better see a doctor she has the clap hope you had a good time.better see the doctor before you dick falls off.
Hey PU did you get an injection of brain cells you little traitor? You FINALLY learned how to type without the caps key! Congrats.
And your wife – yeah I figured she had the clap so I gloved up. Did the same when I fucked your ugly sister in the ass too!
The national debt isn’t really a partisan issue, it’s a human nature issue. Politicians face overwhelming temptation to max out public debt. What’s really needed is to put rabbits in charge of the money. Humans can’t be trusted with money.
@2 So you think Roger Rabbit should continue paying 1/3rd the tax rate on wages as a reward for doing no work, producing nothing, and pushing money in meaningless circles?
Let me tell you soething about Republican taxes. They’re immoral as hell, and eventually will destroy all incentive to work in this country, but if you’re stupid enough to give me a deal like that, I’d be crazy to turn it down.
@8 Of course I’m smart. That’s why the rabbits are gonna elect me their king after humans disappear.
@15 As long as we’re correcting Darryl’s spelling, “caviler” is “cavalier” and “unprecidented” is “unprecedented.”
@18 No free-spending Democrat even comes close to your organ-grinder monkey. No Democrat ever blew $2 trillion on a recreational war.