May 12, 2008
The Spousal Shell Game (Ronald Goldfarb)
For good reasons of public policy, political candidates must forgo general protections of privacy that all Americans rightfully demand in ordinary circumstances. Citizens are correct to insist that their tax returns and medical records remain private. These records are no one’s business but theirs, and we share a common purpose in protecting their confidentiality — ours and our neighbors’.
Not so for public officials, especially presidential candidates, whose health and financial conditions are the public’s business. These records, then — of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain — are relevant areas of public inquiry. The candidates have acceded to making these records available, even if reluctantly and not completely in all respects.
The integrally related, but less examined, question is the obligation of Mrs. Obama and Mrs. McCain and Mr. Clinton to reveal their records — financial, not medical. Here, a spousal shell game has been played by Mrs. McCain and Mr. Clinton. Both are multimillionaires personally, and in addition former President Clinton has raised a fortune for his foundation and presidential library. The public is entitled to know the sources and uses of these people’s fortunes because they may be related to their spouses’ campaigns. I say may because we don’t know. Voters are entitled to know. The longer the silence, the greater the suspicions. To demonstrate that their privacy is at the heart of this self-censorship, not self-protection — or spousal cover-up — all Mrs. McCain or Mr. Clinton has to do is make these records open to public scrutiny.
Mrs. McCain, when asked if she’d make her tax returns public, said no. Former President Clinton has not made public his library’s fundraising sources. Candidate Hillary Clinton, when asked whether these records will be made public, said no. In one debate she added obliquely, “The Archives is moving as rapidly as the Archives moves.” Real edifying.
So far, the media have not made much of this issue, accepting these answers and moving on to other irrelevant questions like who is wearing patriotic pins (note: the questioner did not wear pins, nor did patriotic Sen. McCain, nor did Sen. Clinton, who sat next to Sen. Obama when the question was asked by the pin-less Stephanopoulos, but I digress). I submit that Mrs. McCain and President Clinton and their spouses are playing the spousal shell game, actively involved in their spouses’ campaigns but refusing to be openly transparent to the public about possible conflicts of interest (note again, the media has pursued Obama’s connection to a questionable Chicago character).
Ironically, while these two multimillionaires hide the source of their fortunes, their spouses claim their opponent, Sen. Obama, is “elite.” Two $100 millionaires calling someone who just paid off his school debts elite reminds me of the old joke about the hydrant peeing on the dog.
For Mrs. McCain and Mr. Clinton to take active roles in their spouses’ campaigns for the highest office in the world while their husband and wife benefit from their unexamined fortunes is the ultimate spousal shell game.
I support Sen. Obama, and I approve this blog!
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Ron, The Clintons are no longer relevant in this campaign. The McCain's have filed taxes separately for the last 20 years or so, it's not like they are playing some game specifically for this election. There may be valid legal and business reasons for doing that, unrelated to his Presidential campaign. It's an attempt by liberals to change the focus from obama's radical supporters and his mean wife. Get over it because you won't see any traction with this issue.
Comment by Misha — May 12, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
It isn't a shell game. She stated that she has done it to protect her children. This blog is typical of the liberal though process. Attack the rich, attack the business class. It's so transparent.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — May 12, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Why are you distracting from the important issues facing the American public? While everyday Americans want to know how their health care and food needs are going to be addressed and how they will pay for their gas, you're focusing on an irrelevant issue that hasn't had any new developments in 20 years.
When McCain simply pointed out that Hamas endorsed Obama, Obama's response was that that's essentially dirty politics. While Obama's advisor has to resign when his connections with Hamas are exposed, you're finding an important issue in McCain's rich wife wanting to keep her finances independent. Cleverly creating an illusion of balance by dragging Bubba into this won't hide your true intentions. Yes, THIS is dirty politics at it's finest, you can be proud!
Comment by Igor R. — May 12, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
So Igor, when it's Ms McCain who wants to hide her tax returns, you want to move on to other issues but when it came down to Sen. and Mrs. Obama, everything should be put on the table. What a hypocrite you are and your post plainly shows it. This is not dirty politics, the American people want to know who these candidates are beholding to. We recently founds out that John McCain used his wife's plane to fly to campaign events when he ran low on money, in violation of his campaign finance laws. So yes Igor we would like to know more about Cindy and her money as well as Bubba and his.
Comment by Mike Coleman — May 12, 2008 @ 4:15 pm
I just don't understand how American Jews can vote for this man:
http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2008/05/the-tea-boy.php
Comment by Igor R. — May 12, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
Mike, McCain using her plane if fair game. McCain's possible dalliances with lobbyists is fair game. Her tax returns are hers if she wants to keep them private. It has a cost for McCain but it's her right and he can't completely control her like a robot.
Comment by Igor R. — May 12, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
Igor never fails to amuse. After endlessly shrieking at Senator Obama for something his pastor said and for being on a nonprofit board with an antiwar activist he writes: "Why are you distracting from the important issues facing the American public? While everyday Americans want to know how their health care and food needs are going to be addressed and how they will pay for their gas, you're focusing on an irrelevant issue that hasn't had any new developments in 20 years."
I kid you not, he really wrote that. Look above. See, he wrote it! Igor did! That neocon who loves dictators and war (for others, not for his chickenhawk self).
Igor's nonsense has reached new heights. How did he avoid the gulag? Any openings in Gitmo's new class?
The fact is that McCain is a crooked loser, a graduate of the Keating Five who was lucky to graduate high school and the naval academy. He doesn't know a Sunni from a Shiite, and he thinks Al Qaeda plays for the Dodgers. The smartest thing he ever did in his life is get shot down while bombing the Vietnamese but the Songbird (from his Hanoi broadcasts) has gone downhill from there as he dumped his faithful wartime wife and married Mrs. Beerbucks, who won't release her tax returns. Par for the course for Loser McCain. Obama is going to clean his clock. It won't even be close.
Comment by Don Bacon — May 12, 2008 @ 11:30 pm
Igor, you are a rank hypocrit.
Comment by Lester — May 13, 2008 @ 10:39 am
Funny how the same slugs insisting on Cindy McCain's "right to privacy" as it relates to keeping her tax returns shielded from public view were the same slugs screaming "what do you have to hide" when it was Theresa Kerry's tax records at issue.
Comment by KingCranky — May 13, 2008 @ 11:17 am
Lester, at least learn how to spell "hypocrite" before you call someone that. The use of the word "distracting" was a joke because it's a favorite tactic of Obama for those of you too dense to get it.
Comment by Igor R. — May 13, 2008 @ 2:41 pm