CNN Asks If Romney's 'Rich Guy Image' Will Hurt Him, Although Poll Shows Americans Don't Care
CNN continued to hype the possible negative implications of Mitt Romney's "rich guy image" on Monday evening, even though a new poll reports 71 percent of Americans said Romney's wealth is "not a major factor" in their presidential decision.
The network blared such headlines as "Is his [Romney's] big fortune a
big political liability?" and "Wealth Will Be an Issue in 2012." CNN
correspondent Joe Johns ran yet another segment on the possibility that
Romney's wealthy image could hurt him in the November elections.
When Romney took his family on vacation for Easter at an expensive
California beach house, CNN jumped on the story. "Mitt Romney tries for a
little rest and relaxation at his beachfront home out in California,
but taking a little bit more heat for his rich guy image," noted Wolf
Blitzer.
John King questioned the criticisms of the vacation, then added "But
there's no escaping he's wealthy," as if the candidate's wealth could
still be an albatross around the neck of his campaign. He proceeded to
compare the net worth of President Obama and Romney, noting that
although Obama is a millionaire he is "certainly not in Romney's
league."
[Video below. Audio here.]
And King also showed skepticism over Romney's tax forms. "Now, Governor
Romney has released some tax returns, but there's still a lot we don't
know about his assets," King reported.
CNN tied the "wealth" narrative in with President Obama pushing for the
Buffett Rule, legislation that will tax millionaires no less than 30
percent. CNN's Jessica Yellin presented some White House spin of her own
by touting "Could you imagine campaign ads saying they [Republicans]
voted with the one percent?"
She followed up that quip with a clip of Mitt Romney explaining his own
low tax rate. CNN reported polls showing the majority of Americans
supporting the Buffett Rule.
A transcript of the various segments, which began airing at 4:00 p.m. on The Situation Room on April 9, is as follows:
[4:00]
WOLF BLITZER: Happening now, Mitt Romney tries to enjoy some regular guy moments, but his rich guy image gets in the way.
(...)
[4:04]
BLITZER: Mitt Romney tries for a little rest and relaxation at his
beachfront home out in California, but taking a little bit more heat for
his rich guy image.
(...)
JOE JOHNS, CNN senior correspondent: Well Wolf, all it took was one
holiday visit to the beach and a few family pictures of the campaign
front-runner to open up a whole new set of questions about how much
Romney, with all his money, appeals to the regular guy, or even how much
he has to.
(Video Clip)
JOHNS (voice-over): Over the Easter weekend, hanging out with his
family, Mitt Romney appeared on the beach in La Jolla, California, with a
boogie board, looking like a surfer dude. He talked about it Monday in a
radio interview.
MITT ROMNEY, Republican presidential candidate: We had 11 of our
grandkids staying with us and three of my boys and three of their – of
course, their spouses. And we had the Easter egg roll over at the
neighbor's lawn. He has a big lawn we use. And we made Easter eggs. We
went swimming and surfing in the water. We're in California. It's
absolutely delightful.
JOHNS: His campaign has worked hard to create glimpses of Romney as a
regular guy. The problem is, he's not. He's worth $200 million. He has a
home here in La Jolla that's set for renovation after the campaign and
another multimillion-dollar home in New Hampshire. Many Republicans
don't begrudge him any of that, but say he has to be authentic about it.
(...)
CNN
JOHN KING USA
[6:39]
JOHN KING: Taxes and spending are always issues in presidential
politics, and this year no exception. But it's also clear, and
reinforced just today, that wealth will also be an issue.
President Obama prefers to frame it as a fairness question and will
spend time this week, starting tomorrow, promoting what he calls the
Buffett rule, a requirement that families making more than a million
dollars a year should pay at least as big a share of their income in
taxes as the middle class, and Team Obama believes focusing on the
Buffett rule also helps them exploit what we might call the Romney rule.
"So what's Romney hiding?" @BarackObama tweeted last week, asking
people to tweet @MittRomney to demand he release his tax returns.
Now, Governor Romney has released some tax returns, but there's still a
lot we don't know about his assets. Team Obama says voters deserve full
disclosure. The truth is the pressure is about much more than that, and
it's borrowed from a playbook Republicans have used before.
Remember these guys? Democratic nominees Al Gore and John Kerry. They
lost competitive elections, one of them very, very, very competitive, in
part because Republicans spent a lot of time suggesting they just
weren't like you: too elitist, they said; too distant; too different;
maybe too affluent. Romney on this question has helped the Democratic
cause some.
(...)
CNN
ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT
[7:11]
BALDWIN: All right. We all know Mitt Romney is a rich man, it's just a
fact. But he has been criticized in this campaign as being out of touch
with the average American. And, well, there are some new photos, they
were released today from the campaign, doing not so much to tamp down
those attacks. So, check it out.
Here he is with his family. This was Easter, at his 3,000 square foot
Spanish style home along San Diego's beautiful La Jolla beach. Price tag
a cool $12 million. All the while President Obama spends the week
making the Buffet rule, taxing the wealthy more, the centerpiece of his
re-election campaign. So, is the Romney campaign tone deaf or is he just
trying to give voters an image inside Mitt Romney's real life, his
family life?
-- Matt Hadro is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center
