The presidential candidates’ financial disclosures so far will give voters some perspective on where and what these people are coming from. As a commentary by Michael Goodwin on Wednesday’s Opinion pages put it: “Consider that Democrat Barack Obama, worth more than $1 million, is the pauper in the top-tier club. Republican Mitt Romney tops the fortune fortunate with a stash estimated at $250 million.” Romney could be outmoneyed, though, should the GOP race gain New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, estimated to be worth $5.5 billion to more than $20 billion. Meanwhile, median family income in American in 2005 was $46,326. As Goodwin asks of the millionaires who would be president: “Can they relate to the average American? Are they too rich to understand the struggles of the people they want to serve?”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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13 Comments
How about listing some other current and past Democrats?
Al Gore, the trust fund kid, who inherited wealth from mining and energy interests, who spends more on utilities each month than most people spend on their mortgage and car payments put together?
John Kerry, who married into wealth and owns more than one home, and drives large SUV’s while preaching about the environment just like Gore?
Hillary Clinton? Bill and Hillary have lots of money from ripping off retired people in Castle Grande and Whitewater.The Clintons are to real-estate owners what payday loans are to strapped working people. They took back houses that went late on “rent to own” contracts, without the standard protections afforded in a normal purchase!
The list goes on.
Tell me how people MADE their money. If they made it honestly, that is actually to their favor.
Paullie,Rhonda was being even handed by listing members of both parties, but YOU had to be blaming everything on Democrats. Well, how about the Shrubery family then, starting with the Nazi sympathizer Prescott?
One thing I can say about Shrubery, once a war-profiteer, always a war profiteer…
Lumping Barack Obama in with Michael Bloomburg is very misleading.
Because of the ridiculous valuation of real estate these days, being a “millionaire” isn’t what it used to be.
A nice house in a nice part of a big city like Boston could easily be worth half a million just for starters. Add investments during the CLINTON stock market boom from two somewhat above average earners, and a million is very much in reach.
But a million in assets is a far cry from having a million dollars to spend . . .
American politicians: the best money can buy!
FYI CapnAmerica, personal residences were not counted in the calculations.
By the way Eagle staff, you’re only a week behind the rest of the internet, way to go!
Perhaps if the media took third-party candidates seriously. . .
They are all part of the same rich boy/girl club and have absolutely no idea what it is like to manage a budget and have to worry about such things as health insurance, college tuition, car payments, etc.
It is obvious that they are far removed from the working class, and have absolutely no idea of the struggles faced. There is no identity, no recognition, and they all (both parties) smugly keep it that way–for themselves.
Not as clearly defined as Mexico, but a caste system nonetheless.
Informed Reader – you are wasting your time on capnamerica because he is envious of anyone that actually reads several sources for information and should people actually be wealthy then that is also bad unless they are like him.
Thanks for the clarification.
But still, Obama did graduate from Harvard Law.
How many folks with that background WOULDN’T be worth a million after a couple of decades?
As far as “jared” and your totally cheap shot, FYI I just returned from lunch at my country club.
Among my many flaws, envy of wealth is not one of them.
I’ve got everything I want, and I’m grateful for it.
Info USA rips off old people too, and the Clintons are into that company up to their necks:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/5/28/203543.shtml
The Clinton’s lost $50,000 on Whitewater, Paul, and you know that. You are just playing partisan bullshit again. Nice try.
WSSo if you loose money in a shameful venture which rips off retired people, that is OK?
Actually, Castle Grande was more of a rip off scheme to take retirees money, or a more successful con job, if you will!
I would also point out that realestate is a tricky thing, especially if you are allowed to take a “tax loss” on capital that was never really “yours” to begin with!
The New York Times and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette have both, never been satisfied with Clinton’s lies in the Whitewater mess.
The Clinton’s put little or no money of their own into Whitewater. One of their partners in the deal, James McDougal, went to jail. Madison Guarantee Savings and Loan was never shut down by state regulators. The Feds finally had to close it down. The Clintons never made payments on the note THEY owed to Madison Guarantee for their own Whitewater lot. The Bank never foreclosed. The Clintons took a tax loss on an investment they really never made and the taxpayers bailed out the Savings and Loan and put Clinton’s partner, McDougal, in jail!
“Bill Clinton’s answers to questions about his land deal with Jim McDougal are less than satisfying, —”If what the New York Times reported is true–and there is plenty of indication that it is — Clinton’s presidential candidacy could and should be irreparably damaged” John R. Starr, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Well, the questions were never answered, the press just stopped asking!