John McCain's Wealthy "Family Values"

Back in 2004, the Republicans attacked the Democratic Party's nominee for president, Senator John Kerry, who married a very wealthy second wife, Teresa Heinz, the ketchup heiress, for being "out of touch" with ordinary Americans. Some right-wing media darlings even called Kerry a "gigolo" implying he married Ms. Heinz for the money. The Right demanded Ms. Heinz make public her tax returns and skewered the Kerrys when they balked.

Fast-forward to 2008 and we have the Republican Party's nominee for president, Senator John McCain, who also married a very wealthy second wife, Cindy Hensley, the beer distribution heiress, getting a free ride from the media even though she also balked at making public her tax returns. The McCains want to downplay the fact that they are, like the Kerrys, fabulously wealthy. But unlike the Kerrys the McCains need not worry about the corporate media dwelling on any taint of "elitism" on their part. The media's love affair with the "maverick" continues unabated even when McCain utters Bushian gibberish about Iraq and the economy. The corporate media dutifully dressed up the emperor George W. Bush every time his clothes came off. Now they are doing so for McCain. Any "elitism" charge is aimed at Barack Obama, the only candidate who pulled himself up by his own bootstraps.

Interestingly, the difference between the union of John Kerry and Teresa Heinz and that of John McCain and Cindy Hensley is that Kerry was already a Senator when he married Heinz and he does not owe his political career to her wealth or family connections. In contrast, John McCain, who "aggressively courted" the 25-year-old beer heiress while he was still married to his first wife, owes his entire career in Arizona politics, and hence in national politics, to his wife's wealth and family connections.

The journalist Glenn Greenwald points out in his recent book, "Great American Hypocrites," that McCain moved to Phoenix in 1981 and "Cindy's wealthy and well-connected father" gave him a job "in a public relations capacity that enabled McCain to travel around the state giving speeches. A year later, McCain announced that he was running for Congress, and his new connection to a well-known, highly-regarded, and lavishly funded Arizona family gave him instant credibility and cache as a candidate." (p. 274) In other words, it was the Hensleys' Arizona Republican connections that handed McCain his first House seat, and later catapulted him to the U.S. Senate. The "maverick" married into it. Now that's "family values!"

Comments

[pcplz]

I am very pleased that Obama is being above the negative campaigning and slurs of the Repubs. But, at the same time......there is so much mud to sling......can't we just have a mud wrestling party instead of town hall meetings?? It really needs to be put out there what sort of sleaze ball this man is. Just a little of the old Midwest Cow Patty tossing?? Is it negative campaigning if it is all true??

[johntal]

its a wonderful thing when a persons legacy of Vietnam "Police Action " imprisonment, the foundation of his heroism meme,; shot down in the line of duty ,happended because he very simply was a "SHITTY" pilot.

[pcplz]

Blundered his way into history is more like it.

[Gmoney1]

I really had no opinion of Cindy McCain in that I was ready to see and hear her present herself as a person - then Cindy McCain gave me my first impression of her when she was put up to making a remark about Michele Obama's proud of America statement - that first impression of Cindy McCain was one of discuss because not one time had Michele Obama ever made a negative remark about Cindy McCain - I said to myself, what does she know about Michele Obama's life that she thought it was okay for her to judge Michele Obama with a nasty response - well, now I had my first impression of Cindy McCain - and that was not a good impression of her at all -

[Gmoney1]

John McCain and the media will repeat and sanction all the negative ads that will be run against Obama by others - but watch, as soon as others begin to run negative ads about John McCain, the media will blame Obama and his campaign - keep watching, it shall be the case -

[demfriend]

It is sad that the media has given McCain a pass repeatedly because he served in the Navy and he was a POW. He refuses the GI Bill when he himself owes his education to the Navy. His lack of support for bringing the troops home has gotten more ink with the "I don't care how long they stay" in Iraq. It could be "up to 100 years" and he would care little. He has strolled the marketplace when in Iraq while speaking of the increased safety all the while helicpters and muliple snipers and troops surrounded him risking their lives so he could walk and lie to the US. He has been to Iraq many times and gives Obama hell because he has been there once but McCain could not tell you who is fighting who and who is helping who from Iran. Yeah the true story of how McCain walked out on his first wife who kept the kids and house going while writing to McCain while a POW all so that when she gets in a life altering, life threatening accident which changes her body and appearance he can "run around" on her.

[marthlois]

Just as an aside, Barack and Michelle always hold hands, he walks along side of her when they are together, she doesn't trail behind him/ever, they walk down the stairs of the plane together....bottom line is that they hold one another up. Check it out with John and Cindy are together. He hardly even acknowledges that "a wife" is with him.
He has such little character and he obviously doesn't hold his second wife in high regard. Could she have expected anything more, I wonder - given the way he treated his first wife Carol? Slimy!!!!

[Liberoservative]

Barack and Michelle have a real marriage... which is a partnership where each party solemnly affirms to uphold the other through thick and thin... you can see it in their eyes how much they love each other and their children...
Now.. contrast that to McCain who doesn't even acknowledge his wife most of the time.. she is relegated to standing somewhere in camera range and looking at him admiringly through her botox'd face....
I'm with Scarlett.... I am engaged to Barack Obama!! Hehehee!

[pcplz]

When he does speak to her he calls her a "c^^t"! That was in public....just imagine what he calls her at home. Poor woman to be taken so.

[Liberoservative]

What amazes and doesn't amaze me... (I was for it before I was against it.. harrr)... is that there are so many people out there that have no idea of his adultery. I lost him a vote today with one of my co-workers who was a fervent South Carolina Republican when I told her about his philandering.... I showed her the article from his first wife and she read it with horror... having been through a, less than happy, marriage herself (her husband actually married another woman in another state).... she came to me at the end of the day and said... "Well, you just got another vote for Barack Obama".... I grinned and gave here a "terrorist fist jab" LOL.... :)
Keep on spreading the truth because it will never come back to bite you in the arse....
Peace out!
k

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

Great comments -- I'm reading "The Real McCain" right now by fellow Huffington Poster Cliff Schecter. It's a great read and full of important facts exposing the "maverick." I will be blogging on McCain a lot and I will try my best to keep his record straight. He's venal and dishonest and an "elitist" in the same way Bush is, i.e. all he cares about is his country club millionaire buddies.

[XME]

What's particularly interesting is that the media CONSTANTLY commented that Hillary Clinton would not be where she was if she wasn't married to Bill Clinton, yet they wouldn't dare say that of John McCain...even though it's true is some ways of both of them.

At first I figured he doesn't get grilled by the press because he's a war vet, but then someone reminded me that they skewered Kerry even though he was a vet.

One thing is for sure...something's rotten in the state of Arizona!

[jurr]

I wonder if $100 million in Beer Money is one of the reason evangicals are dragging their feet on McCain?

[Gmoney1]

Remember Bush and the republicans promised the evangelicals all this "faith based" money for their votes - well that promise never came to past - so now, I wonder what John McCain is going to promise the evangelicals for their vote this time - there is always a gimmick with the republicans -

[sandtats]

He didn't wait long to turn his back on her and embrace the multi-million dollar trust fund "baby,' beer heiress, who compelled him to sign a pre-nup. They can better relate to a man with what, 5, 6, 9 homes. Can better relate to a man who repeatedly, has disparaged women in the most demeaning, disgusting terms imaginable, including HC, a woman whose voters he now panders to, Chelsea Clinton, and his current wife. OK, now I get. Typical white male relating to another, typical white male.

Sandra
Typical, white woman

[sandtats]

Part I

Thank you Joseph as your commentary is especially comforting to me as I at this very moment, read the "scroll" on MSNBC stating Obama is trailing in support among white, male voters, said group stating that he "doesn't share their values."

Not share their values? One can only surmise then that these white men can't relate to man who by any measure is a kind, good and caring man; a devoted and FAITHFUL husband and father. A man who rather than cashing in on his heralded, historic, academic achievements by taking a vaunted position in the judiciary, on Wall Street, committed himself to improving the lives of others. Translation, they cannot relate to selflessness.

No, these "hardworking, white males" can better relate to man whose life began with privilege, the 3rd generation in a family of Annapolis graduates, the son and grandson of Admirals; can better relate to a hot headed, foul mouthed "maverick," some would say hot dog, who unlike Barack who graduated at the top of his class, graduated 5th from the bottom of his.

Can't relate to a man who upon returning from Vietnam, after having suffered unimaginable indignity and physical abuse and suffering, turned his back on a wife who herself had suffered silently in his absence following a near fatal car accident, an accident leaving her maimed and disfigured after 22 surgeries, unrecognizable from the "tall and willowy" former model he left behind.

[jmpurser]

Just a note of bitterness: It has never done any good to point out the hypocracy of the reich wing. They choose not to see it so no matter how often it's pointed out. We need to come up with another tactic.

[BADEN]

"In contrast, John McCain, who "aggressively courted" the 25-year-old beer heiress while he was still married to his first wife, owes his entire career in Arizona politics, and hence in national politics, to his wife's wealth and family connections.

The journalist Glenn Greenwald points out in his recent book, "Great American Hypocrites," that McCain moved to Phoenix in 1981 and "Cindy's wealthy and well-connected father" gave him a job "in a public relations capacity that enabled McCain to travel around the state giving speeches. A year later, McCain announced that he was running for Congress, and his new connection to a well-known, highly-regarded, and lavishly funded Arizona family gave him instant credibility and cache as a candidate." "

Keep repeating this over and over and over again:

"Mr. Gigolo"
"Mr. BeerBarrel"
"Mr. My Wife's Millions Feel Goooooood"

ChillinWithDreadMan has it down pat....

http://www.ebonyjet.com/uploadedImages/EbonyJetcom/ArtsandCulture/dreadmanCindyMcCain.jpg

[Moose49]

I guess that's why he said, "I will veto every single beer." Obviously, a Freudian slip.

[bethinCary]

That's what so funny that Mac & the GOP are trying to say O is elitist..

umm...hello...single mom...NOT married to a beer heiress...NOT a man who gives earmarks to anyone with thier hand out......

But it's always "throw at your adversary what your guilty of" in the GOP huh?
It's OPPOSITE world...everday to them..

[Liberal2]

Heh, you hit on one Obama political ad: McCain, he created one "single mom". He divorced his wife of 15 years to marry an heiress.. He married his first wife in 1965 but had two children born years before that year (per wikipedia). Gee. Rethug family values. Gotta luv 'em.

[RS]

It should be painfully clear after reading this story that John McCain got to where he is today the old fashioned way--BY INHERITING. This includes his LEGACY CONNECTIONS--if it wasn't for these, he probably would have NEVER gotten into the USNA at Annapolis.