# What's the deal with the GOP attacking Kerry for being rich? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 30, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790 "2004-05-30T14:49:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/41 "2004-05-31T01:50:37Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I agree, the musical choices were funny. Not sure it was as funny as these guys attacking Kerry’s wealth, but pretty funny! I particularly like Queen’s ‘bicycle’. Whoa! It’s a good thing they don’t know what Freddie was **really** singing about! ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/42 "2004-05-31T03:12:56Z")
Let’s see. We have one millionaire (Bush) claiming to me “just plain ol’ folks” while creating policies that favor his own family’s corporate interests, as well as cutting taxes for himself and his corporate buds – some of which trickle down to some of the middle class – all the while complaining that his opponent is RICH RICH SUPER RICH! Then we have another millionaire (Kerry) planning to roll back those tax cuts for the top 1%, a plan that would _not_ benefit him or his family, and pointing a finger at his opponent for dragging us deeper and deeper into debt during a war courtesy of egregious spending and tax cuts. One of these guys is a hypocrite. And it ain’t Kerry. :wally Honestly, it’s incredible how assbackwards the Bush/Cheney strategy has been so far. Some of their high points: 1. Mocked Kerry’s Vietnam war service, despite neither of them ever stepping foot near a battle – indeed, avoiding service altogether. 2. Raised the spectre of Kerry’s wealth, despite being uber-rich themselves and doing all they can to make themselves richer courtesy of no-bid Halliburton contracts and foreign policies that lead to bumping up the price of oil. 3. Called Dean and Gore “crazy” while their own attorney general annoints himself in Crisco, spends thousands of dollars to hide a statue’s bare breast, and thinks calico cats are of the devil. They must seriously think the U.S. public is stupid and/or oblivious. That, or they’re just feeling extra confident in the knowledge that we voters don’t really matter (maybe 'cause [one of their major donors](http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.asp?id=867) is in charge of thousands of [voting machines](http://www.blackboxvoting.org/)?). ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/43 "2004-05-31T03:13:32Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > Whoa! It’s a good thing they don’t know what Freddie was **really** singing about! That’s almost right up there with Bush 1 accepting the nomination at the 92 “culture war” convention to the strains of “The Best of Times is Now” from uber-gay musical _La Cage Aux Folles_. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/44 "2004-05-31T03:46:40Z")
Not even close. St. Ronald of Regan, using Springsteen’s _Born in the USA_ as theme music. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/45 "2004-05-31T04:21:53Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > Are there _any_ members of Congress who _aren’t_ in the top 10 percent, money-wise? And has any member of Congress pulled him or herself up by their own bootstraps? The congresswoman for quite a few years now in the district I grew up in (California’s 6th) is the only member of congress ever to have been on welfare. [Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.](http://woolsey.house.gov/Biography.asp) ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/46 "2004-05-31T04:53:15Z")
Just to offer a clarification She took office in 1992, but was on public assistance 35 years ago. I just wanted to make sure nobody else took your statement to mean that she was receiving public assistance while a congresswoman. My initial response was WTF? Although with the cost of living in DC… ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/47 "2004-05-31T10:38:58Z")
What’s this about Ashcroft thinking calico cats are from the devil? Is there a link? I want to know MORE. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/48 "2004-05-31T14:55:35Z")
> [@bluethree](#): > > What’s this about Ashcroft thinking calico cats are from the devil? Is there a link? I want to know MORE. [http://www.snopes.com/critters/gnus/calico.htm](http://www.snopes.com/critters/gnus/calico.htm) Snopes considers the story “undetermined”. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/49 "2004-05-31T14:56:56Z")
OK, I gotta look like a dumass and ask: what’s the Queen song really about? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/50 "2004-05-31T17:37:33Z")
Hi everyone! I’m Jonathan Chance and I’ve been a member of the International Queen Fan Club since 1982. (Hi, Jonathan!) Freddie originally wrote a snippet of a song about the joys of bi-sexuality. In the interests of marketability it turned into ‘bicycle’… ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/51 "2004-05-31T18:07:43Z")
Thanks Jonathan. Do you remember the lyrics to the original snippit? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/52 "2004-05-31T18:56:46Z")
Any Republican attacks on Kerry’s wealth can be instantly blunted by showing a simple bar graph comparing the campaign spending of the two front-runners. Bush is up to, what, $200 million+ now? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/53 "2004-05-31T19:37:01Z")
[http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/index.asp](http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/index.asp) As of May 30 (Receipts) George W. Bush ® $201,362,643 John Kerry (D) $117,065,038 (Spending) George W. Bush ® $128,498,586 John Kerry (D) $88,453,064 (Cash on Hand) George W. Bush ® $109,493,306 John Kerry (D) $28,611,973 Anybody know what “receipts” is ? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/54 "2004-05-31T19:54:56Z")
Receipts = money received. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/55 "2004-05-31T20:38:47Z")
Thanks **Otto**. Do you know if “receipts” is less than “spending” + “cash” because there’s been spending on credit? ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/56 "2004-05-31T23:47:00Z")
> [@bluethree](#): > > What’s this about Ashcroft thinking calico cats are from the devil? Is there a link? I want to know MORE. LOL, well, in the spirit of the Straight Dope, I must admit (sadly) that I’ve just done some research and found [an interview in American Enterprise Magazine](http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleid.17335/article_detail.asp) in which Ashcroft denies this rumor. (The American Enterprise Institute is a right-wing thinktank.) > [@](#): > > TAE: Andrew Tobias, the treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, has gotten much Internet mileage out of a claim that you believe calico cats are a sign of the devil. Any idea how this rumor got started? > > ASHCROFT: Absolutely none. All I can think of is the poem by Eugene Field about a duel between a gingham dog and calico cat. In any case, there’s no truth to it. I owned a calico cat–on the farm I lived on until I went away to be the state auditor of Missouri. Is Ashcroft telling the truth? Was the rumor merely a joke from one of Ashcroft’s minions? Who knows. Still, I felt it was my duty to acknowledge that, according to the man himself, calico cats are a-ok by him. So _mea culpa_ for that. That said, I’m happy to say that Ashcroft’s Crisco bath and fear of a statue’s brass boob are indeed true. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/57 "2004-05-31T23:57:04Z")
It’s not the color of the cats. It’s the teats. Way to many to cover. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/58 "2004-06-01T01:07:39Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Weren’t they all? > > Honestly, have we ever had a _true_ Joe Sixpack president? Grant? Although, he might have been more of Joe FifthofWhiskey… As for the OP, Dems are supposed to want to help other people, which is why they want to give our money away. Kerry has lots more money than me and it’s in the bank instead of the hands of the poor. Seems kind of hypocritical to claim you want to help people when you obviously have the means and are keeping it all for yourself. Maybe he _does_ give to charity, but it sure isn’t putting much of a dent in his account… ---
**Author:** ![kdeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@kdeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kdeus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/59 "2004-06-01T02:17:37Z")
Has anyone been able to pin down the source for the “50 cent Gas Tax would cost average family $1.80/ day, $687/ year”? The GOP website lists “How Stuff Works” as their sourse, but I couldn’t find anything relevant searching How Stuff Works. For $.50 a gallon to cost me an _additional_ $1.80/ day, I’d have to drive 50+ miles to work (each way). Unless they are counting increased cost of moving consumer goods, which (IMHO) seems to require _way_ too much speculation. kdeus ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790/60 "2004-06-01T02:50:50Z")
by **elfkin477** > [@](#): > > As for the OP, Dems are supposed to want to help other people, which is why they want to give our money away. Kerry has lots more money than me and it’s in the bank instead of the hands of the poor. Seems kind of hypocritical to claim you want to help people when you obviously have the means and are keeping it all for yourself. Maybe he does give to charity, but it sure isn’t putting much of a dent in his account… This is so utterly weak that I’m almost speechless. So now all Democrats are supposed to be poor and if they are not, they’re hypocrites? Well, two can play at this stupid game: Seems to me that it’s actually the Republicans who are always saying that charity, as opposed to the Wallet-Raping Government, is the fairest way of helping the less fortunate. The Democrats tend to view it in the other way. So when you look at it like that, Bush with his rich ass is more of a hypocrit than Kerry. Why isn’t he giving some of those funds that he is wasting on mudslinging ads to agencies that feed and shelter the homeless, huh? Plus, Kerry is also for rolling back Bush’s tax cut even though he, being the rich man that he is, benefited from it. What does that piece of information do to your argument? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-the-gop-attacking-kerry-for-being-rich/247790.md?page=4)