Where Did the Money Come From?

[migtig]

Okay, I know who McCain is, where his money came from and even how he came to be in politics, and it all connects and makes sense.

But Obama?! Gawd I am confused.

First I hear how poor he was growing up. His dad died in a car accident when he was a kid, his parents were divorced. ETC. How sad.

Then he goes away to college, quality colleges, travels the world - like Pakistan, has no fixed address, doesn't work, travels the world some more - to see his father's family and go back to Pakistan, goes back to college, works a job for $16000 a YEAR because the cause is just, marries a regular gal from Chicago who doesn't come from a wealthy family, does some more travel, goes back to a fancy college, works as an ASSOCIATE at a law firm, and then all of a sudden he is in politics and has an expensive home. And now, out of nowhere, this man with no verifable history, no financial records explaining how he was able to do all this traveling much less afford everything he was able to afford, much less run for any political office, is able to run for President. Get real. Where did the money come from? Did he win the lottery?

Almost everybody I know that was able to go to college, even with financial assitance and scholorships, had to work. If they traveled anywhere even with parental assistance, they still had to work. I have met and worked with several senators, congressman, etc. and it costs money out of pocket to even begin to think about running for any kind of office. Yes, eventually you get donations etc, but start-up expense tends to be out of pocket unless you were famous to begin with.

Where is this man's money coming from?
Does anybody know the answers?

 

[mAlice]

Okay, I know who McCain is, where his money came from and even how he came to be in politics, and it all connects and makes sense.

But Obama?! Gawd I am confused.

First I hear how poor he was growing up. His dad died in a car accident when he was a kid, his parents were divorced. ETC. How sad.

Then he goes away to college, quality colleges, travels the world - like Pakistan, has no fixed address, doesn't work, travels the world some more - to see his father's family and go back to Pakistan, goes back to college, works a job for $16000 a YEAR because the cause is just, marries a regular gal from Chicago who doesn't come from a wealthy family, does some more travel, goes back to a fancy college, works as an ASSOCIATE at a law firm, and then all of a sudden he is in politics and has an expensive home. And now, out of nowhere, this man with no verifable history, no financial records explaining how he was able to do all this traveling much less afford everything he was able to afford, much less run for any political office, is able to run for President. Get real. Where did the money come from? Did he win the lottery?

Almost everybody I know that was able to go to college, even with financial assitance and scholorships, had to work. If they traveled anywhere even with parental assistance, they still had to work. I have met and worked with several senators, congressman, etc. and it costs money out of pocket to even begin to think about running for any kind of office. Yes, eventually you get donations etc, but start-up expense tends to be out of pocket unless you were famous to begin with.

Where is this man's money coming from?
Does anybody know the answers?

I think this was discussed before and someone suggested Terrorist funds.

 

[migtig]

I think this was discussed before and someone suggested Terrorist funds.

Well that's a frightening thought.

 

[mAlice]

Well that's a frightening thought.

:shrug: I'm just repeating what I recall reading....somewhere.

 

[vraiblonde]

Mig, this was my question, too - I brought it up in another thread.

I'm curious why no intrepid reporter has bothered to explore this?

 

[Dixie]

Okay, I know who McCain is, where his money came from and even how he came to be in politics, and it all connects and makes sense.

But Obama?! Gawd I am confused.

First I hear how poor he was growing up. His dad died in a car accident when he was a kid, his parents were divorced. ETC. How sad.

Then he goes away to college, quality colleges, travels the world - like Pakistan, has no fixed address, doesn't work, travels the world some more - to see his father's family and go back to Pakistan, goes back to college, works a job for $16000 a YEAR because the cause is just, marries a regular gal from Chicago who doesn't come from a wealthy family, does some more travel, goes back to a fancy college, works as an ASSOCIATE at a law firm, and then all of a sudden he is in politics and has an expensive home. And now, out of nowhere, this man with no verifable history, no financial records explaining how he was able to do all this traveling much less afford everything he was able to afford, much less run for any political office, is able to run for President. Get real. Where did the money come from? Did he win the lottery?

Almost everybody I know that was able to go to college, even with financial assitance and scholorships, had to work. If they traveled anywhere even with parental assistance, they still had to work. I have met and worked with several senators, congressman, etc. and it costs money out of pocket to even begin to think about running for any kind of office. Yes, eventually you get donations etc, but start-up expense tends to be out of pocket unless you were famous to begin with.

Where is this man's money coming from?
Does anybody know the answers?

factcheck.org says student loans, part time summer jobs got him through college.

 

[Vince]

Mig, this was my question, too - I brought it up in another thread.

I'm curious why no intrepid reporter has bothered to explore this?

The media doesn't want to look into this. They might dig up something that would hurt him.

 

[migtig]

factcheck.org says student loans, part time summer jobs got him through college.

There's no way. I know how much crap costs, and it's just not feasible. :shrug: It's "barely" imaginable, IF you take away all the foreign country trips he made and the running for political office.

 

[vraiblonde]

factcheck.org says student loans, part time summer jobs got him through college.

That's an awful lot in loans and pocket change, especially for such expensive schools. Typically kids with no money go to a state institution - they don't go away to LA, then NYC, then on to Harvard. I suppose it's possible that he got a bunch of scholarships, but you'd think that would be mentioned.

 

[SamSpade]

Mig, this was my question, too - I brought it up in another thread.

I'm curious why no intrepid reporter has bothered to explore this?

Me too, although - as near as I can tell, Michele's family was NOT poor, and she got paid rather well for her jobs.

 

[bresamil]

Those that molded him have deep pockets.

And when he talks about his dad dying in a car crash he better be referring to his step dad, because he's got a half brother 20 years younger than he is living in Africa.

 

[migtig]

Those that molded him have deep pockets.

And that I can believe. It happens to a lot of politicians, but usually not those running for President. :reeksofdirtypolitics: Regardless, who are those "deep pocket" folks that have molded him?

 

[Dixie]

That's an awful lot in loans and pocket change, especially for such expensive schools. Typically kids with no money go to a state institution - they don't go away to LA, then NYC, then on to Harvard. I suppose it's possible that he got a bunch of scholarships, but you'd think that would be mentioned.

Went to Occidental then Columbia before Harvard. It's not really saying but it's possible he really wasn't dirt poor through maybe his mother. She married (re-married?) someone who moved the family to India. Does that usually mean a better paying job perhaps? Anyhoo. Digging in between hiding what I'm not doing which should be work. Just dropped the article I found had most of the answers in it.

The travel - he went to India to visit his mother - then to Pakistan with a friend and stayed with his family for three weeks.

That might not have been as expensive as you might think. I have a friend from high school who's an artist. He's lived overseas off and on and lives solely off what he makes from his art. He's lived remarkably well considering there's no steady income.

 

[SamSpade]

Went to Occidental then Columbia before Harvard. It's not really saying but it's possible he really wasn't dirt poor through maybe his mother. She married (re-married?) someone who moved the family to India. Does that usually mean a better paying job perhaps? Anyhoo. Digging in between hiding what I'm not doing which should be work. Just dropped the article I found had most of the answers in it.

The travel - he went to India to visit his mother - then to Pakistan with a friend and stayed with his family for three weeks.

That might not have been as expensive as you might think. I have a friend from high school who's an artist. He's lived overseas off and on and lives solely off what he makes from his art. He's lived remarkably well considering there's no steady income.

See, I can easily see all that. I know people who spent years paying off school loans. Even mine took ten years, a situation made worse by the fact that the bank it was taken out from went under, and the bank that bought them went under.

But Obama is worth a small fortune now. He's quite wealthy for a guy in his early forties who's worked at - well - not exactly lawyerly level pay.

Neither one of them was dirt poor, and I've read articles about both clarifying a lot of myth-making. People WANT to believe they were brought up poor, but they were both mostly middle-class America. Michelle benefitted greatly because she's very smart, talented and very ambitious.

 

[awpitt]

He and Michelle were both up to there necks in student loans up to the point were his first book came out. That brought in some cash. Lots.

 

[SamSpade]

He and Michelle were both up to there necks in student loans up to the point were his first book came out. That brought in some cash. Lots.

I can't see much evidence that his first book made all that much money until 2004, nine years after its release. How much did it make before then?

 

[Dixie]

He and Michelle were both up to there necks in student loans up to the point were his first book came out. That brought in some cash. Lots.

Oh you're right I forgot about that.

 

[Dixie]

I can't see much evidence that his first book made all that much money until 2004, nine years after its release. How much did it make before then?

Took him close to ten years to pay off the loan and it was only after two best selling books that they were able to pay it off.

 

[Dixie]

See, I can easily see all that. I know people who spent years paying off school loans. Even mine took ten years, a situation made worse by the fact that the bank it was taken out from went under, and the bank that bought them went under.

But Obama is worth a small fortune now. He's quite wealthy for a guy in his early forties who's worked at - well - not exactly lawyerly level pay.

Neither one of them was dirt poor, and I've read articles about both clarifying a lot of myth-making. People WANT to believe they were brought up poor, but they were both mostly middle-class America. Michelle benefitted greatly because she's very smart, talented and very ambitious.

Have I ever read they said they were dirt poor? (asking myself - I'm not really sure). It seems like it's been more middle class - maybe comfortable for Barrack and Michelle - but harder on the family - a lot of parents - in jobs that only pay so-so, sacrifice to put their kids into college.

 

[SamSpade]

Took him close to ten years to pay off the loan and it was only after two best selling books that they were able to pay it off.

Not following you here on the time line - the first book was published thirteen years ago, 12 years after he left Columbia and four years after he left law school, and his second book only came out two years ago. He wasn't even in politics at all with the first book, and everything I can find shows it didn't begin to sell much until after 2004, when he made his famous speech and was elected to the Senate.