Forbes latest Billionaires Issue is out, with 1226 billionaires making the international list. There is hardly a single one of them who doesn't seem more down-to-earth than Romney. I've been using the occasion to prepare my latest Moneylove Club audio on the subject of what we can learn from these extraordinarily gifted and lucky individuals. Maybe they aren't any more likable than Romney, maybe they just have better PR people. In fact, it might be time for all the conspiracy theorists out there to look at whether the Democrats smuggled some highly trained moles into the Romney campaign. One top Democrat recently complained that it would be hard to fit all the Romney fumbles onto a thirty second commercial in the Fall. If he keeps it up, there may be enough material for a whole hour-long infomercial.
It was suggested on Morning Joe today that Romney go on a "listening tour" similar to the ones made famous by a campaigning Hillary Clinton. He could find out what ordinary Americans are thinking and wanting and keep his own loose lips tightly shut--and stop trying to pretend he has a sense of humor. His latest joke, which he doomed by announcing he was going to tell his Wisconsin audience "something humorous" was about his father closing an American Motors factory in Michigan to move the operation to Wisconsin. Added to his famous "I like to fire people," comment, this presents a pretty package to the millions still unemployed. The funniest thing to come from Romney during the whole campaign remains the several cartoons showing his family dog Seamus strapped to the roof of the car as they drove 12 hours to Canada.
The latest evidence of Romney disconnect was the revelation that he is planning to have his 3,000 square foot La Jolla, California beach house bulldozed to build one four times larger. A lot is being made of the fact that it will have an elevator just for the Romney cars, and that he has paid $22,000 to a lobbyist to campaign at the local planning commission for the necessary permits to build the palace. One can see the Democratic bumper stickers: The White House is My Second, Smaller Home.
To be honest, I am a bit sorry for the man. Sure, he's worth at least a quarter of a billion dollars (no one really knows for sure with those many overseas investments and bank accounts), and seems to have an adoring family. But Mitt Romney has obviously lived in a bubble all his life, totally divorced from the reality of the lives of most of the 300 million Americans he wants to lead into the future. How he can do that without having a clue about their present circumstances, I'm not sure. Every time he says something dumb, I picture an aide pointing out to him that it feeds into the narrative of him as an uncaring Richie Rich, and I picture Romney shaking his head in complete confusion--not having any idea why what he just said might alienate the 99%.
One of his neighbors on the beach at La Jolla is famed mind-body self-help author, Deepak Chopra. Maybe Mitt should take some sessions on connecting his tongue to his brain. It couldn't hurt.
Jerry
You may not get as rich as Romney by reading my other blog,
but it couldn't hurt. http://MoneyloveBlog.com
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