In these hard economic times, Mitt Romney’s millions are not something the candidate wants to wear on his sleeve. But ever since he offered Rick Perry a $10,000 bet during Saturday’s debate, Mitt’s wealth is the story that won’t go away. Which is presumably why, in a conversation with CBS, Romney tried to shift some of the attention to his “very wealthy” rival, Newt Gingrich.
“Newt Gingrich has wealth from having worked in government,” Romney told CBS News political correspondent Jan Crawford in an interview in New York. “He’s a wealthy man, a very wealthy man. If you have a half a million dollar purchase from Tiffany’s, you’re not a middle class American.”
Newt does have quite a bit of money — his campaign estimates his net worth is $6.7 million — and it comes with its fair share of embarrassments for the former speaker. So Romney knew how to hit him where it hurt. But Romney’s comments didn’t come out of the blue. Talking to reporters, Newt has highlighted not only Romney’s fortune, but also his $10k gaffe:
“If Governor Romney would like to give back all the money he made from bankrupting companies and laying off workers, then I’d be glad to listen to him. And I’d bet you ten dollars, not ten thousand, that he won’t take the offer.”
Newt slowly amassed his small fortune while serving in the House of Representatives, then outside of government through various consulting and lobbying fees, speaking engagements, and book sales. And of course, we all know he likes to spend it by running up huge tabs at Tiffany’s.
However, the risk here is that a fight over which of them is more “middle class” will only highlight just how removed both of the GOP frontrunners are from the people they so desperately need to win over. Romney and Gingrich are hurling stones at each other while each inside their very own glass house.
