Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Why is Mr. Straight Talk hiding nearly all his finances?


Well, not in his mattress...

Turns out John McCain keeps all his assets (save for one small checking account) in Cindy’s name.

Slate:

"The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," John McCain famously said in December. The senator's lack of focus doesn't seem to be limited to macroeconomics; it also extends to his personal finances. It's fair to say that the Republican nominee has as little hands-on experience with household finance as anyone ever elected president. McCain's financial inexperience may explain why his attempts to discuss economics—such as his rapid flip-flop on the need for bailing out homeowners, his pandering suggestion to suspend the gasoline tax, or his happy talk on balancing the budget—sound so tin-eared.

As with Sens. Clinton and Obama, McCain's personal wealth is dwarfed by that of his spouse. Cindy McCain has assets worth an estimated $40 million, based on information McCain has provided annually in Senate financial-disclosure reports. Compared with his wife, McCain is decidedly middle-class. Based on his tax return, he collects his Senate salary ($161,708), a Navy pension ($58,358), and some Social Security income ($23,157). The money he's earned over the years writing books ($176,508 in 2007 and about $1.8 million since 1998), he gives to charity.

And that's pretty much it. Aside from a Wachovia checking account, in which he keeps between $15,000 and $50,000 (wouldn't some of that money earn more interest in a certificate of deposit?), all of the couple's assets are in Cindy's name. John McCain's tax return is so anemic, so marginal to the couple's actual financial situation, that he doesn't even take a deduction for interest on his home mortgage. Presumably Cindy does, since disclosure forms indicate that she has several mortgages.

We don't know for certain whether she does, because the campaign has declined to release Cindy McCain's tax returns. This data gap sets McCain apart from his Democratic opponents, who have released jointly filed tax records going back a minimum of seven years. Thanks to McCain's lack of genuine opposition in recent months, there has been very little clamor to release Cindy McCain's returns, even from those Republicans who loudly insisted that Hillary and Bill Clinton were hiding something in theirs. The campaign cites privacy, but the omission smacks of McCain being defensive and of a willingness to let others take responsibility for crucial areas of his life.


There are other political issues embedded in McCain's relationship to money. Conservatives have long charged that McCain does not fully support a family-values agenda, and to some extent that still informs his finances. A full 27 years after his divorce from Carol McCain, the senator continues to shell out alimony to her to the tune of nearly $18,000 a year. Over the course of his lifetime, then, the senator's divorce will cost him more than a half a million dollars, which could be considered fiscally irresponsible.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Since all we see all the time is Revered Wright/Obama connection and this is taking the cameras and attention off of McCain.

But when the Wright/Obama thing gets old maybe they can talk to his garbage man.....maybe the guy who has been picking up his garbage for years might say something that they can use the sound bite on, take it out of context and bombard us with that.
Revered of a church that has 3 Sunday Services with approximately 600 people plus per service, let's face it Obama's garbage man is closer to him. Let the Faux noose people hang out in Obama'a alley on garbage day and interview his streets and San guy.......Pa leeze when is this Rev Wright going to die down so the media can cover McCain better?

airJackie said...

Cindy has brought and paid for Teflon John. If he thinks he wants to leave her he will not have a penny to his name and will never get a job. He'll be homeless or living with his Mother. Cindy has a big life insurance policy on John is waiting it out. No don't think Girl Friend doesn't have a active man on the side to do the job John can't anymore. When looking at John's income it's all Cindy. Just think what the World Leaders would say about a President that is brought like a sex slave by a rich woman. The World Leaders would do better talking to Cindy for US Policy then her slave who can't remember his name. Now if John's health records were released he would not be able to be President once it's known he's worse off then Reagan was in his last days. Mitt and Rev. Huck are fighting for the VP spot because they know on Jan.21th
the VP will be sworn in as President. Cindy will move on to her other man and John will be placed in a home for the insane. Cindy's income is above the 100 million mark and continues to go up every year. To get a better idea of her worth see how many people you know drink beer that should help.