Day: September 21, 2008
Cars: McCains, 13; Obamas, 1
Sometimes the differences between political candidates are nuanced. Sometimes they are stark. The number of cars owned by John and Cindy McCain versus the number owned by Barack and Michelle Obama fits the latter category.
Only the Cadillac is registered in the candidate’s name. Cindy McCain’s name is on 11 vehicles
…based on public vehicle-registration records, here’s the score. John and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one.
One vehicle in the McCain fleet has caused a small flap. United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger, an Obama backer, accused McCain this month of “flip-flopping” on who bought daughter Meghan’s foreign-made Toyota Prius. McCain said last year that he bought it, but then told a Detroit TV station on Sept. 7 that Meghan “bought it, I believe, herself.”
McCain’s personal ride, a 2004 Cadillac CTS, is no gas sipper…
Only the Cadillac is registered in the candidate’s name. Cindy McCain’s name is on 11 vehicles, though not the one she actually drives. That car, a Lexus, is registered to her family’s beer-distributor business and is outfitted with personalized plates that read MS BUD.
Note her tag doesn’t say, “MRS BUD.” Interesting.
So what do Barack and Michelle drive? A 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. With no vanity plates.
A Little Sunday Prayer
H/T to The Urban Core
Quote(s) du Jour
“Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.”
“Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.”
“If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.”
— John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 — 2006), Canadian-born economist
Photos from the Obama Rally in Jacksonville
Obama’s rally in Jacksonville on Sept. 20, courtesy of eyewitness Jeanmarie
A big THANK YOU to Jeanmarie, who supplied these pix from the Obama rally in Jacksonville. The gray skies are evident, but so is the spirit. Here’s what Jean said:
The crowd booed the two planes that were flying McCain banners that kept circling the area. One said, “Florida is McCain-Palin Country”
My photos weren’t fabulous, but here’s the best of what I have. The crowd was incredibly excited by Obama’s appearance, and there were roars of approval during his opening comments about McCain’s recent efforts to paint Obama as the source of our recent dire financial troubles. Prior to Obama’s appearance (about an hour late), the crowd booed the two planes that were flying McCain banners that kept circling the area. One said, “Florida is McCain-Palin Country” and the other said, “Taxes are Not Patriotic.” I read some blog that suggested some “LONE PATRIOT” was responsible for sending up the planes; I suspect not.
Anyway, the crowd was quite inspiring. There was one very old black woman, whose daughter was intent on getting her through the crowd up to front. Most of us were pretty tired about the latecomers who kept trying to get closer to the stage, but no one begrudged this one women, quietly proceeding through the crowd with her cane, a place of prominence in the crowd. Pretty cool.
The whole event sounds pretty cool indeed. Thanks, Jean!
