Palin Says She's "Everyday Working Class" Despite $250K Income, 5 Properties, 2 Boats, And 1 Plane

This defines being out of touch. On Hugh Hewitt's radio show, Sarah Palin calls herself "an everyday working class American" -- but the truth is that her family income is $250K and she owns five properties, two watercraft, and an airplane.

Here she was on Hewitt's show:

Todd and I, heck, we’re going through that right now even as we speak, which may put me again kind of on the outs of those Washington elite who don’t like the idea of just an everyday working class American running for such an office.

The Washington Times (who'd have thunk it?) puts the lie to her claim:

Their combined income of nearly a quarter-million dollars last year was five times the median household income for Wasilla's 7,000 residents. They own a single-engine plane, two boats, two personal watercraft and a half-million-dollar, custom-built home on a lake that is worth three times the average of other homes in town. For the future, they also have a 401(k) retirement account compliments of Todd Palin's years as an engineer with oil giant BP.

So I guess the question is: who's more out of touch, Palin or McCain?

Comments

[DrJohnnySkeptic]

'So I guess the question is: who's more out of touch, Palin or McCain?'

I'd say it's a dead heat.

[necer65]

She is a perfect running mate for McCain. He is totally clueless too....10 houses, 13 cars.

[Lupin77]

Yes, she's middle class like MC who owns 10 houses, 13 cars and wears $500.00 shoes. He's middl class too or didn't you know this.

[BarackDaVote]

Alaskan Elite

[dav8d777]

The average working stiff doesn't need a month to release their tax returns. We could just about write ours on a napkin. : )

I don't know why she wants to wait until after the debate to disclose her tax returns. Does she plan to just never release them or is she just carefully scheduling her bad press....

[westreal]

She's looking more and more like Sallie Jessie Raphael every day.

[Lilybart]

Let's not forget that she draws a per diem for living at home from the state AND Alaska send checks to all citizens as their share of the oil and gas revenue.

[dav8d777]

Yeh, doesn't that make you ill? If she didn't have so much other bad press the per diem its self would be major news.

Given the funk that's rolling out of her life now things like the per diem don't have a chance of floating to the top.

[denlong]

My employer offered me a per diem to sleep at home: But I said thanks but no thanks!

[Ofactor]

Good then that puts her in the bracket of folks that will be taxed....

[edwarvir]

Ofactor they don't pay taxes in Alaska

[militarymomforobama]

They dont pay taxes in Alaska? Better check your facts.

[Rog49Thomas]

This of course is perfectly logical if you're a Republican.

Someone in this bracket isn't rich so they're the working poor.

And thus when you do things for the "poor" you miss the group below - you know the invisible people that compassionate conservatives can't see except when they're thinking about building more prisons.

[realityczech4u]

Say what you will about her salary as Governor. That's what the job pays.
As for her husband's income, the man works on oil rigs and as a commercial fisherman? Is he making too much? Are you in a position to judge that? Do you work anywhere near as hard as he does? My bet is that you've never done an honest day's work in your life.

Oh, and last time I checked, "compassionate conservatives" were not building more prisons to house the poor. They were building them to protect the poor from the criminals who prey upon the poor.

[Df7702]

The point is she is not working class unless your one of those people who think 250,000 is not rich

[CtJean]

Hey noreality here. It's not the fact of how much they make, the point is that they consider themselves working class (like all the other little people). With the wealth they have, the point is that it is five times more than the average Alaskan.

They have accumulated this wealth by billing the government for room & board while living in their own home. Ask a tax attorney, he/she will tell you that is illegal. She will find this out after she is sent packing back to Alaska on November 5th.

[ThoughtAboutIt]

I would like to see what percentage of Todd Palin's income is from British Petroleum, his employer of 18 years, and how much is from the more often quoted sources.

[RThM]

Typical Republican answer: attack the personal integrity of your critics by calling THEM dishonest when it's really your own problem. Here's an honest thought. You might ask yourself why we need more prisons than any other civilized nation on earth expect for places like China? The simple answer is that crime by the poor increases during bad economic times for them. These bad times have been brought to you courtesy of the failed and fraudulent leadership of Republicanism and the true outcome of their bankrupt trickle-down economics is that More Republicanism = More Crime.

[MajorKong]

Interesting. That puts them roughly in the top 3% of American households.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

[BuickBoy57]

The transcript from Hewitt's radio show is a hoot...

Palin: "It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that’s kind of taken some people off guard, and they’re out of sorts, and they’re ticked off about it, but it’s motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe six-pack like me, and we start doing those things that are expected of our government, and we get rid of corruption, and we commit to the reform that is not only desired, but is deserved by Americans.­"

Sounds like her journalism degree really paid off, but when does the woman come up for air?

[scotia626]

well she is kind "joe six pack" who has beer money!
party at her house!

[CtJean]

Robots don't need no stinkin' air.

[RThM]

She sounds more like a vapid commercial for Cindy McCain's beer business than anything.

[smark]

Just what we need--2 out-of-touch candidates that refuse to acknowledge the fact that they are just that, but try to paint their opponent as an elitist. HYPOCRITES!!!

[rasputin999]

Yah know it just makes me--ill when folk say I ain't working class. I mean, I hold the door open when Olga my maid takes out the garbage. There's nothing I like better that to boil up a big pot of moose stew. I mean, look, I may not be little orphan Annie but I sure as heck ain't no rich leftie with a rich sugar daddy, yeh all hear what I'm saying now? The reason I got lots ah homes, cars, boats and aeroplanes, is because the good Lord smiled on me. "Oh Lord" I pray each night "never let me get to rich and yah know, stuck up, not to feel sympthy for my fella man, and indeed woman. When I see someone in dire, yah know-need, I smile, toss my purty little head and shriek. "GET A JOB YEH NO GOOD BUM, OR I'LL DEPORT YAH TO RUSSIA" Why do people laught at me behind my back? I'll tell yah all--its really making me-ill.

[militarymomforobama]

Doncha know.

[Gary47]

Another obvious ad opportunity for us showing the repubs totally out of touch. Get it up and running boys! Attack, attack, attack. Don't let up for a minute.

[realityczech4u]

Yesiree. Launch the next "swiftboat"! Friggin' hypocrites­.........
What happened wittle Gawee? I thought Obama was gonna take the high road and avoid negative campaigning. And this is coming from an independent not a "rethug" or a "progressive". The stench coming from both sides has me holding my nose. I will be voting though grudgingly. And only because I always do. I'll probably flip a coin outside the polling place. I might tend to lean toward Obama but could not decisively vote for him since to do so would ensconce me among all the self-righteous and vile hypocrites that I see on this site backing him.

[militarymomforobama]

You're hardly independent or undecided--just another blamer with no real opinion of his/her own.

[ThunderMongoose]

OMG...

I'm married, 4 kids making 49k /year in FL. I rent too....yea­h, Palin/McCain are SOOOOOOO like me.....yee­eahhhhhh..­....about that......­..

[JumpyJack]

If she's "every day working class", then why's she running for an "elitist" job?

[metalpipe]

She's had a taste, and she wants more.