PrintApril 21, 2008
Multiple choice quiz
A story appeared in the Sunday Chicago Tribune refuting Obama's claims of early poverty. According to the article, at the same time that Obama said he,
"was so broke when he arrived in Los Angeles for the Democratic National Convention in 2000 that his credit card was rejected when he tried to rent a car,"
the Obamas had already put $111,000 cash down payment on a condo and were earning more than $240,000.
Did Obama lie?
a. He did not lie-he just put his foot in his mouth.b. He was not in attendance when he was saying he was broke. It happened when he was not there.c. He has been taken out of context. He meant that to say that he was concerned about other people who might be broke for whom he has dedicated his every waking moment out of his well documented selfless altruism .d. He considers being a high six figure income in the 1990's to be as good as broke compared to Al Gore and his Google millions and Bill Clinton and his speechifying millions and George Bush and his inherited and baseball millions.e. None of this matters. It is all a distraction from the real issues which are that all we have to do is to put him in office and he will change everything for the better and there will finally reign peace on earth good will toward men and economic equality for all.f. He is a con man.
Thomas Lifson adds:
I have had credit cards rejected a few times in my life without being anywhere near broke. Mostly this happens when I am on a trip, and the credit card company flags a large transaction as suspicious, possibly because I charged my airline ticket on another card. Rental car companies sometimes put a large deposit charge on the card of a prospective renter before letting the car out of the lot, especially if they have never rented to the person before. When the car is returned, the large charge is revoked, and the actual charge is sent in.
My guess is that Obama did have his credit card rejected on some similar grounds. But portraying that as evidence of his poverty is deeply dishonest. This would be yet another example of misleading people, while strictly sticking to the facts. Do the American people want that sort of man in the Oval Office?
