Presumably, most people who've been paying attention know by now that Mitt Romney is very, very rich.
But to say that he possesses a fortune estimated at up to $250 million can be too abstract for most people. From an opposing campaign's point of view, better to provide voters with a concrete example of how Romney differs from most people.
And it's hard to find a more concrete example, literally and figuratively, than a supersized basement.
Politico reported Tuesday that a rival campaign passed along to it the plans for Romney's new house in La Jolla, Calif., which involve a massive renovation of the oceanside property outside San Diego. The report also said Romney has paid a lawyer $21,500 since 2008 to lobby local officials for the needed construction approvals.
The overhaul will include the excavation of the area under the house to create a 3,600-square-foot basement.
What's more, the house plan obtained by Politico calls for a four-car garage and a car lift to transport cars between floors. Politico reported:
"The documents were provided to POLITICO by a rival campaign, but authenticated independently by POLITICO with San Diego officials.
"The U.S. Secret Service, in a coordinated appeal with the Romney campaign, requested that POLITICO not publish the specific plans, complete with architectural drawings, submitted to a local agency in California as part of the approval process."
If Romney gets the Republican presidential nomination, which at this point seems likely, and goes on to defeat President Obama, it appears he'll have at some point a very impressive Western White House. And if he loses, he'll have quite a retreat from which to reflect on it all.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
