In a interview with ESPN, Cindy McCain admits to a tiny little addiction. And no, she’s not referring to Percocet stolen from her medical charity. It turns out the billionaire heiress and wife of Republican presidential nominee John McCain loves getting a car sideways. Six or seven years ago McCain was watching TV with her eldest son Jack, when a drifting competition came on. Both McCains were intrigued, and for billionaires, that’s about all it takes. Months later, Cindy and Jack headed to Japan to take drifting lessons from a top Japanese instructors. The two went on to rebuild (probably with some help) a Nissan 240SX, converting it into a specialized drifting machine and competing in amateur contests. “I’m probably a little too cautious with it because it is abnormal from what you’re taught when you’re taught to drive,” says Cindy, who describes herself as a below-average drifter. “You’re taught to keep control of your car. Everything you were taught in driver’s ed, forget. That’s what drifting is about.” This may come as a surprise to those familiar only with Cindy McCain’s buttoned-down public persona, but she admits to being a lifelong gearhead. From regularly attending drag races, the Indy 500 and NASCAR events to attending high-performance driving schools and flying her own airplane, McCain’s penchant for speed is well-proven. Of course, all that is a bit easier for those who’s privilege allows them to believe a $4m annual income qualifies as “middle class.” Still, the prospect of a first lady relapsing into an opiate bender and drifting through the White House rose garden is, well, intriguing. Top that, Michelle Obama!
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Funny news indeed. I can picture the 240SX doing donuts on the White House lawn….
She’d also make a better vice-president.
I’m sure she was referring to drifting off to sleep while listening to her husband’s speech.
Gov. Charlie Crist did so on the campaign trail for McCain.
Cindy McCain is a dilletante. Janet Huckabee (wife for former pres candidate Michael H) races cars. (for more on pres candidates and their cars, see my article at the C/D website under “features” or email me for the full length version at motorlegends@aol.com)
I am surprised that AOPA hasn’t made hay about her flying her own airplane. It would be nice to have someone in the whitehouse that understands general aviation. Maybe then we could stop trying to save the dying hub and spoke system.
Don’tcha just love that trailer park trash?
I guess she needs to do something to appeal to the shit-for-brains crowd.
A first lady who likes to drive hard and a vice president who carries a gun. I like that better than the whining wimps on the other side.
Wow me and the McCains both share a love for 240s and drifting. Although not so much alcohol. Cool, but I need more than that to vote for them.
Oh please, some people just need to relax.
Can’t we let some of the candidate’s family members smoke some rubber and do a few donuts without making them sound evil?
I don’t see a problem with that. It’s not evil, nor is it hyprocritical to just be having some fun… unless they are among the elites beating the rest of us over the heads with global warming.
DearS : Same here
I guess she needs to do something to appeal to the shit-for-brains crowd.
McCain and Palin have that covered more than adequately.
Although her activities are not enough to sway me to vote for McCain, it’s nice to discover that even the wife of a Presidential candidate appreciates the joys that come from driving sideways at 100 mph.
Someone needs to remind her that it was a car crash that disfigured her husband’s first wife and caused him to start an affair with her in the first place. One wrong move and Cindy Lou could find herself watching Johnny leave her for Sarah Palin.
DearS: +1
Plus, they’re like, old in a crusty sort of way.
Do the shit for brains crowd vote?Or is that or is that reserved for a higher caste?
They got my vote plus she is hot for a older chx.
mikey: Do the shit for brains crowd vote?Or is that or is that reserved for a higher caste?
You need to understand…”shit for brains” really means “dares to disagree with Senator Obama on an issue.”
It really has nothing to do with intelligence, although one could argue that anyone who gets upset about someone who enjoys the drifting or fast cars in general is a few cells short in the gray-matter department.
Great, the next thing I know, Sarah Palin tells everybody that she has a preorder for Gears of War 2 at the Juneau Gamestop and also keeps a House of the Dead 4 arcade machine in her house. It’s like they want me to vote McCain/Palin…
Hmmm…I remember Obama, Clinton, and that paragon of morality, John Edwards, all acquiring Ford Escape Hybrids as their family cars. The reasons were obviously political: no other alternative if the goal was to placate the UAW, rust-belt votes, “made in America” crowd, etc. The Escape Hybrid is pretty much it.
But now Cindy McCain admits to drifting her souped-up NISSAN!? To the best of my recollection, the 204SX is about as unabashedly Riced-up as it gets, its the Pepsi to the old Integra’s Coke in the boy-racer wars. And very, very much made in Japan. I wonder when the buy American-blue collar-Ralph Nader crew is going to be all over that one? I bet Obama’s minions are focus-grouping it now.
Okay, the whole “shit for brains” discussion, if you could call it that, is over.
Go back to lightheartedly mocking politicians, please. Or talking about cars or baseball or beer.
As Scott Adams once opined, the world would be a lot better place if everyone didn’t automatically assume everyone else was an idiot.
Go back to lightheartedly mocking politicians, please. Or talking about cars or baseball or beer.
Adding some cheerleader pics would help.
Justin Berkowitz :
Okay, the whole “shit for brains” discussion, if you could call it that, is over.
Thank you, Justin. Insulting politicians is okay, but this was an insult on half of the US population, or at least on half of the voting population that’s not “undecided.”
Go back to lightheartedly mocking politicians, please. Or talking about cars or baseball or beer.
I loved baseball when I was a kid. Then I turned to cars, girls, and beer, and in no particular order… So does anybody know if that Mythbusters girl is dating anybody? More importantly, can she dance? I need a wedding reception date who can ballroom dance!
Here in NY you don’t get to be called a billionaire unless you are one. The high estimate of Cindy McCain’s executive worth is $100 Million. More than I’ll ever make, but a billionaire it does not equal, unless having $100,000 makes you a millionaire.
———–
Pickiness aside, I may have to vote McCain. I like a guy with the good sense to marry a woman who gets the car sideways on purpose. Good for her!
CarnotCycle: Hmmm…I remember Obama, Clinton, and that paragon of morality, John Edwards, all acquiring Ford Escape Hybrids as their family cars. The reasons were obviously political: no other alternative if the goal was to placate the UAW, rust-belt votes, “made in America” crowd, etc. The Escape Hybrid is pretty much it.
Senator Obama bought the Escape Hybrid after he criticized Detroit for building gas-guzzling, high-horsepower vehicles, and reporters discovered that he had bought one of those naughty vehicles himself – a Chrysler 300C.
I like the 300C, so I don’t blame the man for having good taste in cars, but he forgot that those who live in glass houses should not be the first to cast stones…
I think Obama’s retreat on his car purchase shows what kind of a backbone he has.
I’m sure he bought the car because it was big enough for the family, looked nice, had a powerful V8 engine, and it was a domestic. Once he ran for President as a Democrat, he had to bash Detroit. The second some weenie criticized him, he dumped the car.
That 300C purchase was probably the last time he was honest with himself.
It’s so nice to finally see someone as intertwined in politics as Cindy McCain is to actually be proud enough to speak about what she likes–and the even nicer thing is that she buys what she likes too! Around election time the Detroit News always has a little blurb about what the candidates drive, and it’s always full of blah models that are easily identifiable as NOT their cars of choice. I also heard that McCain’s daughter is looking to buy a Prius. That’s awesome! Instead of lavishing praises upon the Detroit 2 for their (low-bar) hybrid endeavors, someone who has a lot to lose in # of Midwest votes is sticking to what they like–the most desirable hybrid there is. Even though the Prius is not American, it does more for America’s air that we all breathe than any other hybrid on the road right now.
A first lady who likes to drive hard and a vice president who carries a gun. I like that better than the whining wimps on the other side.
I don’t know about you, but I’d be scared of messing with Michelle Obama.
it does more for America’s air that we all breathe than any other hybrid on the road right now
Okay, we can take this car off the pedestal now.
Coolest car related story of a presidential candidate’s spouse ever.
AKM,
I agree with you there!
Once he ran for President as a Democrat, he had to bash Detroit.
Huh?
Palin…the woman that belonged to a group that advocated states breaking away from the Union. The same woman that wanted books at the local library destroyed once she became mayor and threatened the librarian’s job if the books were not removed and destroyed. The woman that says she was against the land bridge in Alaska but was for it a few years earlier and took millions from the fed for it and her state (the claim is she is against pork barrel spending and bills but actively partook in them). Not to mention the ongoing scandal of getting her former brother-in-law canned from his state trooper position.
And McCain – the man that left his wife after she was disfigured in a car accident for Cindy – who is nearly 20 years younger. And has publicly called Cindy a c**t in the past. And he can’t remember how many homes he and Cindy own…some of which are multi-million dollar homes. Not exactly leadership quality for he or Palin if you ask me.
Then we have all the lies spread about the Democrats through email (and they are easy to debunk) because the Republicans know they can’t win on merit or job history – they have to slander and spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about every candidate and it frightens me to no end how many people believe it (or drink the Kool aid if you will).
I do think it is cool that Cindy likes drifting, but it won’t sway my vote.
Orian, I’m a Democrat and a liberal and can’t stand Palin, but let’s be careful about spreading our own lies. Palin was never a member of the separatist group, her husband was. She once gave a speech before it, that’s all. Nor did she want the books “destroyed,” which of course smacks of Nazi book-burning, she wanted them removed from the shelves.
I hope Obama wins 70-30, but I hate to see anybody smeared wrongly. Rightly is okay, though.
Wow, the vile hate from the left here is just as funny as ever. All from the party of tolerance.
Good for Mrs. McCain. I’m glad she likes us shit for brain guys that drive around with gun-racks in their pick-up trucks and are married ladies just like Mrs. Palin! :D
Could we have the titles of the books that the mayor wanted removed from the school library?
From what I heard, the source in this story said there was never an actual request for any single book to be removed.
I can think of lots of books that do not belong in an any school library. I can also think of lots of people who would be happy to lie to get their guy/gal into office.
Orian: Not to mention the ongoing scandal of getting her former brother-in-law canned from his state trooper position.
Because he misused a weapon while off duty, among other things. Maybe that’s part of the reason that he is her “former” brother-in-law.
Here is a quote from an Anchorage Daily News article on the story:
More of the story came out on July 17, when the Public Safety Employees Association, with Wooten’s (note – Michael Wooten is the former brother-in-law) permission, released the investigative file concerning the complaints brought against the trooper by the Palin family and others.
The personnel investigation began in April 2005, long before Palin became governor and months before her October 2005 announcement that she was running. The investigation into Wooten wrapped up in March 2006, before she was elected.
Troopers found four instances in which Wooten violated policy, broke the law, or both. (emphasis added)
Hardly sounds as though he was Trooper of the Year, or even a harmless, bumbling Barney Fife. If Governor Palin did get him fired, she apparently did the good citizens of Alaska a favor.
Orian: And McCain – the man that left his wife after she was disfigured in a car accident for Cindy – who is nearly 20 years younger.
Whom he had married before going off to war, and then spent most of their marriage as a prisoner of war. That might be why both of them realized that they BOTH had changed and agreed to an amicable divorce. The last time I checked, she supported his candidacy. She appears not to be bitter over it…perhaps Obama supporters need to “move on” and stop spreading their own half-truths.
Orian: Then we have all the lies spread about the Democrats through email (and they are easy to debunk) because the Republicans know they can’t win on merit or job history – they have to slander and spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about every candidate and it frightens me to no end how many people believe it (or drink the Kool aid if you will).
I think I just debunked two half-truths myself, so it isn’t only Republicans that do this.
And I doubt that Democrats want to get into a battle based on merit or history, because it draws attention to their own candidate’s rather thin resume.
Or we could, you know, debate on issues rather than swiftboating the people we don’t like. Soundbite warfare always looks petty.
I was listening to Jack Layton’s interview on CBC this morning. I don’t particularly like the man, but it the ratio of “This is our plan, and here’s why we think it’s a good idea” to “This is why the other parties are horsemen of the apocalypse” was actually pretty good. It got me thinking about what the leaders say, versus the pathetic war of press clippings that their underlings indulge in. I’m starting to think that either we need to curtail what these people do, or somehow reduce the cult of personality in politics.
Having more parties would be a good start. It’d take the focus off the one guy in charge and force people to think about the platform their supporting, instead of the pretty face.
Left-wingers HATE cars and all they stand for
I would like to point to myself as an exception to that statement.
There is no way Americans, after fighting communism for over 50 years, are going to elect one to lead us.
Dude, calm down. Obama isn’t a communist any more than McCain wears Mussolini underpants. He’s barely–barely!–left of centre by American standards and would be a right-winger if you went by the yardstick–sorry, meter-stick–of any other developed nation.
Talk radio is missing an obvious talent.
Palin was never a member of the separatist group, her husband was. She once gave a speech before it, that’s all.
The Alaska Independence Party is not a secessionist movement at all. The party believes that lawmakers thousands of miles away in Washington D.C. do not understand Alaskan wildlife and land use issues. They want the federal government to cede federally owned lands to the State of Alaska so their natural resources can be managed by the people that actually live there.
psar: DUDE yourself.
There are exceptions to every rule.
obama was IV’d by O’reilly where o tried to defend his desire to take from the rich and give to the poor. Each according to his needs. The man is SCHOOLED not only in communist thought but in RADICAL methods to get those ideals into play (Saul Alinsky ring a bell?)
You, I submit, are like most obama voters – no clue who the guy REALLY is because your friends in the media REFUSE or are afraid to dig into his past. Fox tried and found, for one thing, that obama wont say, or cant remember where he lived during some of his years at that communist institution known as Columbia University. Now if I were a left wing blogger and obama my target, I might start a rumor that he had lived in a crack house all that time and Orian would pass it on. Or perhaps in Pakistan. I say that because most of his friends in college, Fox found, were muslims and he visited pakistan with at least one of them. Probably just taking pictures, eh?
The very fact that the guy says he’s not and never been a muslim is such an obvious LIE yet no one outside of Rush or Sean will call him on it. He even spoke of “my muslim faith” last Sunday and GS had to correct him. You ever misstate your faith in conversation??????
Get to know this guy before u vote for him for God’s sake. And if you help elect him and u have any money to speak of, kiss it goodby.
You, I submit, are like most obama voters
I am actually from the Soviet Socialist Republic of Canada.
psar,
I will give you Obama is not a communist.
However, his tax plan is to tax folks over 150 individual/ 250 family (the most insane marriage penalty ever btw) and simply transfer that wealth to people making less money.
His middle income tax cut is actually a welfare scheme which will give a tax credit (check) to lower income individuals. It isn’t technically a cut, but a payment.
At the same time, he wants to raise income taxes and create a payroll tax on hard working payers. All of this will be redistributed via the tax credit above, or through social security to lower income folks. The only good thing about this idea is that it will likely lead to a backlash against the current social security system that may bring privatization eventually.
I don’t care what the rest of the world, whose economies mostly catch a cold when ours sneezes, think about left and right. That is socialism, and it is bad for us and the world.
psar: “I am actually from the Soviet Socialist Republic of Canada.”
No big surprise there. We are told that the rest of the world wants obama, Canada no exception. At least you cant vote for him. Legally anyway.
(You and the world can HAVE him. And his ungrateful Affirmative-Action educated wife too.)
Landcrusher: Good points. THough the diff between obama-style socialism and communism is tiny.
obama also wants to reinstate capital gains taxes on home sales (that’ll help the home value meltdown, eh?) at 28%. This is part of his plan to redistribute wealth as well. See, all the homes currently owned by evil white and asian folks will be devalued hugely, and can then be bought by the poor folks who are locked out of the current market. See how that works?
He also wants to institute a new tax on homes OVER 2400 sq ft. That’s just too big for anyone but rich folks doncha know?
In the highly unlikely case that bama-bots WANT to learn who he really is, try this:
http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/
Or, just go to the US congress site and look up the bills the man sponsors.
Forget the pig analogy, today the freaking usually Godless democrats are saying this:
“Jesus was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor.” (I presume next will be ‘and the Romans were all Republicans.’
Good grief, is there no end to their stupidity? How can anyone with even a few remaining functioning neurons even CONSIDER voting for these people?
“Godless democrats”? man that is funny. it’s amazing how far people get away from reality. Jesus’ teachings sound pretty communist to me anyway. Give to the poor, don’t hoard your wealth, welcome traveling strangers, etc…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_communism
Christian communists trace the origins of their practice to the New Testament book Acts of the Apostles at chapter 2 and verses 42, 44, and 45:
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and in fellowship […] 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things in common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (King James Version)
The theme is reiterated in Acts 4:32-37:
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (King James Version)
Yeah sounds like Jesus was a commie. It’s in your bible, deal with that.
It’s not that Obama simply wants to transfer money to those making less… he wants to transfer money to those who already do not pay any Federal income taxes. Free money. To those who don’t pay into the system.
I hope this issue is brought out in the debates. People need to understand what his intention is.
I wonder what his plan is for providing health insurance to illegal aliens?
To Tony Tiger:
Both Obama and McCain have skeletons. I know that McCain has more that are visible and I know that his direct friends in the legislature have done some pretty out of hand crap.
I don’t agree with all of Obama’s tax plans, but I think that the f’ed up stuffed shirts in the board rooms making millions while they lay off hundreds should pay the maximum f’ing tax rate!
Anybody with me????
Landcrusher: It’d be a six pager to explain why, I don’t want to start it here, but lets just say that I don’t agree with your point that socialism is a bad thing, especially when it’s tempered by democratic or republican (no, not the parties but the actual political systems) government.
mykeliam:
McCain has more visible skeletons than obama? WTF does that mean?
Please NAME and CITE REFERENCES to “his direct friends in the legislature (which one?) have done some pretty out of hand crap.” Please also cite the crap. Have any of these friends say, bombed the Pentagon and attempted to murder police officers? And lament that they didnt do more of that? I can point u simply to ‘Tony’ Rezco as a rebuttal. Felon. Convicted. Helped obama buy his mansion. Oh, and ‘Tony’ is just an Americanized nickname. The guy is an ARAB from Syria. Gee, who’d a thunk that? Another of obama’s biggest behind-the-scenes supporters is a British muslim millionaire. I wonder what’s in it for him?
“I don’t agree with all of Obama’s tax plans, but I think that the f’ed up stuffed shirts in the board rooms making millions while they lay off hundreds should pay the maximum f’ing tax rate!”
Duh. And what tax rate do u think they pay now? And I suppose u think ALL those f’ed up stuffed shirts in the board rooms are Republicans? HAHAHAHA. Not hardly. I know obama has convinced you that he’s going to take their millions and give some of it to you, huh? And after you get your 67 cents (ever been a member of a large class-action suit? That’s what this will be like.) and all the rich bastards are living in tenements, who’s going to be the entrepreneurs? Who are you going to work for? Get a clue for God’s sake. The USSR tried to run that way for about 70 years and failed. China tried to run that way for about 60 years and failed. Cuba of course is doing just fine. Ask Michael Moore.
So for me – NO I’m not with you. And I’ve been laid off almost as often as Joe Biden, agent of change, has run for president.
dolo54:
Christian Communists? HAHAHA Jumbo shrimp anyone?
But can u do us a favor and check your bible and cite where Jesus comes out for partial birth abortion? How about tossing born-alive children of botched abortions in the trash can? Two of obama’s favorite things. Oh, and also cite where Jesus says that women are “punished” by getting pregnant.
I went back up and read the article again…I must have missed something.
For my two cents, I will probably vote for McCain. I have to admit, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t vote for McCain if he put Lieberman, the Huckster, or Mitt The Flip on his veep ticket. But the Palin pick, for all the controversy it has generated, has so far been a pretty brilliant pick for McCain in a political context. She gives the Dems absolute fits, makes them act in the ways that turn voters off…which the Republicans have otherwise not been able to do. Picking her also was a good window in McCain’s thinking in so much as he is willing to look outside the beltway box and throw a long one down the field. Takes balls to do that, frankly.
But the main reason I am picking McCain isn’t so much what he will do for the country. The Democrats will control Congress no matter who wins the Presidency and a historical pattern is apparent when one party has all the levers: And that is utter disaster. Last time the Dems had all the eggs in the basket and a popular mandate was Lyndon Johnson. We got the slowly-evolving fiscal disasters called Medicare and Medicaid, (which were to “solve” all our health-care problems decades ago)and Vietnam. With the Republicans we get the biggest expansion of Medicare in history (another metastasizing fiscal disaster), the tragically comical Patriot Act, Department of Homeland Insecurity and apparent nationalization of the biggest mortgage makers in the world, oh, and Iraq. Robert McNamara vs. Donald Rumsfeld? ‘Nuff said.
I’m picking McCain because it will hopefully insure gridlock in the Beltway, buying some insurance the government doesn’t have a mandate to f-bomb up something else in society, or another whole country for that matter. And that’s what invariably seems to happen when one party controls all and has a popular mandate to do as it pleases. Scary sh*t.
dolo54: Yeah sounds like Jesus was a commie. It’s in your bible, deal with that.
What you have accurately quoted is a VOLUNTARY arrangement among early believers, which is quite different from a government set up to take private property by force, claim “ownership” of it in the name of the people, and dole it out to others as it sees fit.
I don’t see where your passage sanctions the second scenario – i.e., a government set up to enact by force what was a voluntary arrangement. It merely describes (approvingly, for sure) how the early believers lived.
Please note that Mosaic Law – which Christ did NOT seek to overthrow, but rather to fulfill – in the Old Testament specifically sets out rules for how the Israelites were to handle private property and inheritance.
mykeliam: I don’t agree with all of Obama’s tax plans, but I think that the f’ed up stuffed shirts in the board rooms making millions while they lay off hundreds should pay the maximum f’ing tax rate!
They already pay the maximum rate. Raising taxes on executives isn’t going to prevent layoffs or outsourcing for competitive reasons.
If GM needs to access small cars from South Korea to stay competitive, or move production of a key product to Mexico, it will do so whether Rick Wagoner and Bob Lutz pay 30 percent, or 50 percent, or 90 percent of their income in federal taxes.
+1 for CarnotCycle.
At the national level, we’ve seen the damage the republicans have done. At the state level, look no further than California to see what damage the democrats have done and continue to do.
$16B in the red, and nary a democratic voice that says let’s cut some of our overextended and nonsensical social programs. But sanity is returning! Today, the LA city council votes on whether they should require calories listed on restaurant menus! Problem solved – next? How about adding a few more blends of gasoline to bump that per gallon charge over $5/gallon.
jkross:
I agree with you big time on California. I live here.
As for national, can’t totally agree. Bush et al have screwed some stuff up for sure. (He sure was handed a huge blivet 7 years ago today though.) But the dems are at least equally resposible for the current mess. They all (almost) voted for the war, though they’ll deny it now. They are the obstructionists keeping us from utlizing our natural resources. They are, as in the Viet Nam days, traitorously trying to give up in Iraq. A Repub supposedly tapped a shoe under a mens room stall and his resignation is demanded. A Dem ADMITS to tax evasion but says no way he’ll resign. It was just a ‘mistake’. – Charlie Rangel, the guy who writes the freaking tax code.
CarnotCycle: Robert McNamara vs. Donald Rumsfeld? ‘Nuff said.
At least Rumsfeld wasn’t responsible for the death of the two-seat Thunderbird…
I have no desire to tax any group too much but from my point of view a CEO making $40K a day on average (some making more than that, some making less) while paying their entry level folks $80 a day (or even less) is ridiculous.
This is just a continuation of what has happened all my life – one group gets into power and they tax us to pieces. The other group gets into power and they go out of control paying themselves first and at the maximum rate while the guy at the bottom struggles by.
What’s wrong with paying the guy at the bottom 35% more and the guy at the top making a little less? Some of the top guys are already making more than they can spend in a lifetime anyhow.
And FWIW YES the guy at the bottom owes it to himself, to his family and to the tax payers who fund his gov’t relief programs to get himself educated and be something more than the $10 an hour employee.
The reality is though that he is content complaining about his low pay and won’t change it, the guy at the top is content making $40K a day while complaining about the cost of labor and the only way we see anything change is if the gov’t taxes him to pieces.
It’s a shame that personal responsibility (doing the reasonably right thing) has disappeared from America. And we wonder why there are unions demanding higher pay…
Surely wish we had corporate leadership that rewarded themselves in lockstep to the guy at the bottom. Instead of multi-million dollar bonuses for him with a cost of living raise for the guy at the bottom, why not a flat bonus handed out to all the employees?
In all of my jobs there have always been precetnage raises. 3% increase this year and that means a whole different thing to the guy at the bottom vs the guy at the top ($500 vs $2400) yet the guy at the bottom is much more sensitive to an increase in the cost of milk or gasoline than the guy at the top.
At what point does income become greed?
I’m not completely decided about who I’ll vote for but right now I’m leaning towards the half-black man (why isn’t he described as half-white?) just to send a message to the Republicans that after repeatedly voting for them over the years – I’m not happy with them. If Obama is THAT bad I’ll help vote him out in four years. Then the replacement candidate can undo whatever Obama does wrong.
Yes I do worry about having the Dems control both the Congress and the White House but didn’t that happen though while Bill Clinton was in office? We survived that didn’t we?
I am glad to say that after 200+ years that America is sophisticated enough to elect either a woman VP or a “black” man for President. I do worry some redneck will try to take him out though. Still waiting for a viable third party to “arrive” on the scene. Am very, very tired of the establishment.
@tonytiger:
Relying on Fox news for objectivity may not be the best of ideas, no more than, say, the Huffington Post:
http://www.avclub.com/content/blog/jon_stewart_still_a_genius
joeaverage: Yes I do worry about having the Dems control both the Congress and the White House but didn’t that happen though while Bill Clinton was in office? We survived that didn’t we?
The Democrats controlled Congress only during the first two years of his presidency. The Republicans won control of Congress in the fall 1994 elections, and kept it throughout the rest of his presidency.
AKM:
Ummm, to compare Fox news with the Huffington Post is like comparing ABC to pre-1991 Pravda (and here I choose ABC as a feeble attempt to find an American news outlet that shows little bias without having Fox news in the mix. And I assume you remember who Pravda was pre-1991.) It also indicates to me that you dont watch Fox News. It is practically the only place you can get both sides of the issue.
Double-ummm – I followed your link and looked around that site. All I can say is … no, can’t say that.
Lemme try this – that site is full of bleep. I found more mis-information on there in about 2 minutes than one can see on MSNBC in … oh about 3 or 4 minutes.
Even some democrats are admitting that Fox IS the fair and balanced network.
Fair and balanced… hmm.
The way O’Reilly machine-gunned Obama was outrageous; he never gave him a chance to state his positions fully.
The last time I saw an “interview” like that was Eliot Ness grilling a mobster in a small room under a hot light.
Fair and balanced…
When they interview Republicans, they smile and nod; when they interivew Democrats they smirk and wink.
Fox News is nothing more than a conservative puppet network created (admittedly) to offset the “left” bias of the mainstream networks; but that’s not the definition of “Fair and Balanced”, is it?
shaker:
Thanks first for admitting there is left wing bias in the mainstream networks. There is and it’s despicable.
Not sure who the “they” is. You mentioned O’Reilly so let’s talk about him. O’R often mentions he’s an independent. I believe that. (I am one as well.) He definitely is to the left of Hannity and to the right of Colmes. If I had to say which way he leans, based on his commentary I’ve heard over the last 10 or so years, I’d say he leans to the right. Smewhat but not much. During this election cycle, he has gone out of his way to give obama the benefit of the doubt. Eg, the other day he stated flatly that no one could say ob was calling SP a pig.
Did he ‘machine-gun’ obama? Well, there were several times where his questions were rapid-fire, as well as his demands that obama answer the question and/or admit that he was lying (though bill never used that word). EG: when he got obama to admit the Iraq surge was a huge success, he followed up by praising obama saying he might have been right about going into Iraq NOT being the correct move, but he asked obama to then say, simply, that he was wrong on the surge. obama absolutely refused to say he was wrong. (On that or anything else as I watched the rest of the IV) O’R pushed HARD to get obama to admit he made an error in judgement and BO just would NOT do it, instead coming up with some lame excuse that we hadn’t splurged on the surge into other areas or some such. Also O’R hounded obama to admit that obama wanted to “take 50% of O’Rs success” (IOW, raising to top tax rate to 50%). Obama would NOT admit that either, even though it is generally thought to be true. (I just went to obama’s website to “read the plan” but it turns out there is no information on there about taxes and tax rates, except his promise to give tax cuts to 95% of Americans. – Course he never mentions that that is based on the tax rates AFTER he rescinds Bush’ tax cuts which itself will cause EVERYONE to experience a tax INCREASE. But I digress). Lastly, obama’s attempt to again convince that he never heard Wright say anything other than ‘Praise the Lord’ was pathetic and O’R tried again to force the issue, saying “You were there for OVER 20 years! Never heard it? Wright was selling the tapes right there in the lobby!! obama, like a teenager caught lying, finally gives up and says “What can I tell ya?” (Me – how about the TRUTH for starters?)
In any case, on these 3 things, o’reilly pushed him hard and obama dodged the questions. Most of the rest of the interview, honestly, I thought was quite civil, with o’reilly trying to ingratiate himself on obama being my biggest complaint (wanna play basketball? I’ll go to pakistan with you …)
He (O’R) asked Hillary mostly similar questions though he was more deferential, her being female and all. And O’R asked and pushed McCain the same way as obama on drilling in ANWR, something both mC and ob oppose. (Hopefully Palin will talk sense into Mc on this issue.)
I guess I’ll end by saying that perhaps since no one has asked any hard questions of obama before that bill looked too tough. I say that’s tough.
And yes, I still hold to my opinion that Fox does try to be fair to all. Except perhaps the Daily Kos and that type.
Now, I look forward to Sarah Palin on ABC tomorrow.
Oh, and PS – anyone who wants to decide for temselves can watch the whole thing I think on Sunday at 8 on FOx.
tony tiger: did you watch the Comedy central part?
So much for “fair and Balanced”. You should really chill a little. It’d be sad to have a B&B have an undue political discussion-caused heart attack.
There’s really no need to take ourselves too seriously, as both Democrats and Republicans have their drawbacks, and both are far better at accusing the other side than actually working on solving issues.
Have fun!
AKM:
On the AV site? I didn’t watch anything. I dont watch Comedy Central except for South Park because they attack everyone.
Are u referring to Jon Stewart playing o’reilly saying one thing about Britney Spears 15 yr old sister getting preg and seemingly another about Palin’s 17 yr old daughter doing likewise? If so, I saw that – on O’Reilly who played Stewart’s whole deal on it on his own show.
Like Stewart, u see no diff between the Palin and the Spears families?
I don’t watch Stewart. He’s unfair, unbalanced and unfunny.
Finally, I agree with your sentiments. Though the appearance of Sarah Palin on the scene gives me hope that maybe, just maybe things could change. But I can’t chill when there’s a possibility that the USA may disappear into a cesspool of rappers and anarchists. I’m thinkin New Zealand if obama gets elected.
psar,
Haven’t you ever thought about the fact that if it takes six pages to defend something, it may not be such a good thing?
I can tell you that it was my impression living in Canada that your socialism is self reinforcing. I have never experienced such a business environment. All I can say is that if you all keep treating all the businesses as if their crookedness is a given, then you won’t ever see them not be. It’s a nasty environment for sure. It’s like that study where they put a bunch of college kids in a prison and told them that some were guards and other prisoners. Before long, the guards started abusing the prisoners the way they thought guards did. It was the only mental map they had to go by.
“At what point does income become greed?”
Only after it is spent. Or maybe if you keep the cash out of the banking system where it can’t be used as capital but who does that?).
If there were much higher unemployment, then one could make the argument that the workers must take their low pay out of lack of choice, but right now, most people could go out and get another job. They may not believe it, and they certainly will vehemently deny it, but it’s true.
So, if your CEO is taking too much out of the company coffers – quit. Go work for a company that you think is better run.