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A Different Kind Of Housing Crisis

By Mande Wilkes • on August 22, 2008

MCCAIN DOESN’T KNOW HOW MANY HOMES HE HAS

By Mande Wilkes

FITSNews - August 22, 2008 - He’s not even the President yet, and already John McCain’s housing boom has precipitated a housing bust. Filed here under our “nontroversy of the week” category, we’re not really sure why we should care … but judging from the round-the-clock media coverage of the “gaffe,” we figured it’s advisable that we cover it too.

So here’s the deal. McCain doesn’t know off-hand how many houses he owns. Sure that sounds insincere, and Heaven forbid, elitist, but homeboy has like $100 million. With that kind of money, it can genuinely be dicey trying to figure out how many houses you own. Heck, when you have the capacity to own upwards of seven homes (as some estimate about McCain), property ownership is not necessarily straightforward: Properties may be in the name of corporations, trusts, or other organizations. Or in Sic Willie’s case, international crime syndicates.

Anyway, in this sound-bite age when his “$5 million means you’re rich” jest is repeated ad nauseum, it’s understandable that McCain wanted to take the time to get an honest answer to the housing question.

The thing is that John McCain married up. Lest anyone say he didn’t work for his lifestyle, we will remind you that when you marry for money you earn it. That goes double if you’re a man, and triple if it’s Cindy McCain you married.

Anyway, he married up, making him undeniably wealthy. That’s still okay in America, right? Because it sure seems like there’s suddenly a caste system in the U.S., and wealth relegates you to the “untouchables” category.

In an age where “movin’ on up” better refer to you making your way through the unemployment line (or else), it’s no wonder McCain’s getting blistered for his success.