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"I don't want to redistribute the wealth" by John McCain
This is an actual quote from an interview this morning with Matt Lauer on NBC. I was on the elliptical machine as he said it and damn near fell off. This kind of straight talk is what is wrong with this country today. John McCain showed his true feelings with that statement. Just another way of saying "you're on your own". I'm pissed that someone who wants to lead the free world would let something like that come out of his mouth.
Another thing on the war, John McCain keeps with the mantra that the surge is working. I'm not there, he has been so, I'll take his word for it. But my issue is when he says he can't say when we will pull the troops out. He also said that it doesn't matter when we pull the troops as long as deaths are down. Hey John McCain, how 'bout we bring them home so that are NO deaths!!!
One last thing, the death toll in Iraq is somewhere near 4,100. Does that number include the suicides that have occured as a result?
Comments (14)
"I don't want to redistribute the wealth"
Yes I saw that somewhere else. It leapt out at me.
Amazing! Is there really a chance that this man is going to prove to be as excruciating as Bush?
June 11, 2008 8:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not unless he gets elected somehow.
June 11, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't this the same interview in which he said bringing the troops home from Iraq isn't important--only reducing the number of casualties is important?
I keep wanting to point at Afghanistan and whimper impatiently.
June 11, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Same interview. I think he likes to get all of his dumbass statements out in bunches instead of piecemeal.
June 11, 2008 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please, is there any way we can just, I don't know, play those sound bites over and over again?
And not just in the newspaper. In the new media, like the radio?
Or even better, on TV?
June 11, 2008 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Distribute beer, not wealth
That is the McCain mantra, he needs his heiress wife's Bud money to supplement his meager paycheck as a US Senator.
June 11, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Fortunately for Democrats, there is some truth to the "straight talk" image, in that McCain seems incapable of keeping himself from blurting out his true (authoritarian/plutocratic/heartless) feelings about sensitive political issues in public forums. It makes his campaign's attempts to cover up with denials and bland policy declarations laughable!
The guy is such a transparent berserker. Any Obama/McCain one-on-one debates will be a mind-blowing study in contrasts, a Republican strategist's worst nightmare! I'm not being flippant - look for McCain's people to be scrambling for ways to minimize/restrict/cancel debates in the coming months.
June 11, 2008 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think what interesting is that, in addition to his comments, when most people think of "redistributing wealth," they think of taking money from the rich and giving it to the "poor." But the last 8 years has been the largest redistribution of wealth in generations! And the wealth went upwards. It's interesting, and sad, that nobody seems to think about that.
June 11, 2008 2:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that's exactly why this type of quote resonates. Lots of work needs to be done to educate voters.
Too many people think tax cuts that only affect the rich is a good thing.
June 11, 2008 7:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. I hope Obama makes voter education part of his campaign, but I also think it's unfair to leave it up to him. You know?
June 11, 2008 9:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, let's hold McCain to his promise. If McCain doesn't want to redistribute the wealth, then I know the first thing he'll do is ensure that the money in our taxpayer-funded treasury is prioritized for the needs of the American people who put that hard-earned money in the treasury!
And we can expect that McCain will work to prevent Congress from looting the treasury on behalf of the military industrial complex for unnecessary wars, banks making bad loans, subsidies for oil and drug companies, etc.? Too bad the treasury is already empty--except for some IOU's to China and other countries.
Haven't looked too deeply into McCain's economic policies; his Bush-like-talk has made that seem a waste of time. Might McCain simply continue Bush's work with Congress to redistribute massive amounts of wealth from those with less to those with more? Is it called "redistributing wealth" when the money is transferred from the poor to the wealthy?
What is it called when large businesses hire illegal workers, but give them no health coverage so the average person (many who of whom are unable to pay for their own health care) must foot the bill?
Is it redistribution of wealth when an unnecessary war costs each American family up to 50,000, which is then transferred into the pockets of companies like Haliburton?
June 11, 2008 2:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish I had more confidence in the American electorate, so I could feel safe in knowing that McCain would never be able to overcome these gaffs. But I saw W win twice, and now I'm jaded.
I'm voting for Obama. I hope everyone else does too. But I could see McCain dumb-assing his way right into the White House if we're not careful.
June 11, 2008 7:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
yes I know. His party never wants to redistribute the wealth ... unless its from the poor & middle class to the upper 3% or so. Then its a really good idea.
June 11, 2008 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
The economic/political system of communism forwards the idea that a government, serving the interests of the proletariat, would confiscate the wealth of the rich and then distribute benefits to the poor.
June 22, 2008 9:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
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