Political bombshell of the day: Rich man to build big house
posted at 9:29 pm on March 27, 2012 by Allahpundit
The “scoop” is that the house will have a car elevator, which isn’t that interesting — it’s a way to store multiple vehicles in a tighter space — but can be usefully demagogued by class warriors on the left as a plutocratic extravagance. “Romney’s so rich that his cars don’t even have to drive. They’re carried.” Picture him lighting a cigar with a flaming thousand-dollar bill while he’s at the wheel and you’ve got the idea.
Food for thought: Is this dumber, or less dumb, than the “McCain owns seven homes” meme that captivated the left for a week in 2008, just four short years after they nominated mega-millionaire John Kerry?
A project this ambitious comes with another feature you don’t always find with the typical fixer-upper: its own lobbyist, hired by Romney to push the plan through the approval process.
Work on the project has not yet begun.
But it may not help Romney — whose wealth has caused him trouble connecting with average folks — to be seen building a split-level, four-vehicle garage that comes with a “car lift” to transport automobiles between floors, according to 2008 schematic plans for the renovation obtained by POLITICO that are on file with the city of San Diego.
The documents were provided to POLITICO by a rival campaign, but authenticated independently by POLITICO with San Diego officials…
It is not unusual for homeowners to hire lobbyists to petition local California boards for large home renovation projects, San Diego officials said.
Politico seems awfully interested in the lobbyist angle, notwithstanding the fact that it’s not only legal, it’s not even uncommon. If you’re going to gin up a non-story as an excuse to talk about Romney’s money, at least focus on the strategic riddle of why he’d undertake a project like this knowing that he was going to run for president and further knowing that the Party Of Ideas would stoop to cheap attacks on him for it. Case in point: DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse opined, “Well, doesn’t everyone need an elevator for their cars? Even if you have to hire a lobbyist to secure it?” This from a guy whose party’s last nominee before Obama owns a yacht worth $7 million. And who, of course, initially somehow avoided paying taxes on it.
Oh — apparently, Romney’s house will also have an outside shower and a gigantic basement. So, yeah.
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I’m sure most progressives dig this story.
spinach.chin on March 27, 2012 at 11:50 PM
One of the best books
Schadenfreude on March 27, 2012 at 11:52 PM
What if Romney is tearing down the old $2m structure because it doesn’t use energy efficiently? What if the new home will have nice thick well-insulated walls, solar panels, Low-E glass windows, and the most efficient A/C available? What if he only wants to lower his carbon signature so mother Gaia doesn’t cry at night?
Ahhh, feel the love!
slickwillie2001 on March 27, 2012 at 11:53 PM
?
What the hell?
You don’t need air-conditioning in La Jolla. There is also no winter.
Emperor Norton on March 27, 2012 at 11:54 PM
Bigger garage requires a bigger footprint.
WryTrvllr on March 27, 2012 at 11:59 PM
Meantine, little Obama takes a Mexican Vacation with 12 friends and roughly 30 SS agents and not a peep from the Left about “Optics”. LOL
ManWithNoParty on March 28, 2012 at 12:12 AM
He earned his money, he can do what he wants with it.
crosspatch on March 28, 2012 at 12:18 AM
Care to check how much your hero Buffet made in “unearned” income?
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:18 AM
AP, please lose the Auto rRefresh. It freaking kills good, thoughtful cmmentary with backup. IMO only. Thanks for listening!
ManWithNoParty on March 28, 2012 at 12:20 AM
You do realize Airforce one is over 100k per hour to operate right?
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:25 AM
Hey! I wonder what Tom Hanks house looks like, or his buddy Buffet, or maybe even that low-end comedian Maher?
Can you say “Dog Whistle”?
ccrosby on March 28, 2012 at 12:28 AM
And Romney can’t throw us in jail for not paying our taxes.
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:28 AM
Or Norton:
How about how much your fair lady Jacqueline Kennedy tried to bilk out of those poor indians on Martha’s Vineyard?
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:30 AM
One of these days norton….
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:31 AM
…or even the proggies’ favorite Nazi stooge George Soros! Oh Noes, more unearned income! The horrors of it all!
slickwillie2001 on March 28, 2012 at 12:32 AM
*sound of progressive heads imploding* (they CAN’T EXPLODE)
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:32 AM
And check on the price and hourly costs of a flying squirrel.
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:37 AM
Oh…poor emperor finds he has no clothes.
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:40 AM
You’re acting like a jerk. Are you that way in real life too, or just when you’re anonymous?
scotash on March 28, 2012 at 12:44 AM
I am sure Romneys “stimulus” will employ more people than O’bozo’s ever did.
WryTrvllr on March 28, 2012 at 12:48 AM
BISHOP!! You around? This one needs some fine tuning in the fishing department.
kim roy on March 28, 2012 at 12:48 AM
I have seen the house, seen the plans and belive me, the finished product, while nice will not hold a candle to Michael Moore’s vacation home….
Nothing ironic here, move along sheep…….
SDarchitect on March 28, 2012 at 2:03 AM
Romney needs to only say one thing about this:
“President Obama’s wife has spent $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ traveling the world, and staying at the most exclusive, elite and expensive resorts in countries all over the world while I fixed up my house right here in America. The difference? his wife spent YOUR MONEY and I used my own. When I am President we will not over indulge at the public’s expense, bla bla bla”
Dollayo on March 28, 2012 at 3:10 AM
The Democrats are going to engage in class warfare against Romney if he is the GOP nominee. The questions are how will he handle it and will it be effective? We look askance at class warfare, but we have an election to win, and we have to deal soberly with an expected line of attack so that American voters are not waylaid it.
One concern that I have about Romney is that he is gaffe-prone, and he could commit a gaffe in a way that Democrats can effectively paint Romney as out of touch with ordinary Americans, just like they painted the elder Bush as out of touch over things that were not gaffes.
I also have the concern that Romney will shake the Etch-A-Sketch and go moderate on us. Romney is not a conservative. His record as Massachusetts Governor is liberal to moderate.
Phil Byler on March 28, 2012 at 4:21 AM
Sweet. With this one project Romney has already pumped more money and jobs into the economy than Obama has in his entire life.
AttilaTheHun on March 28, 2012 at 5:31 AM
Unearned income……. Obama’s never actually earned one penny. His life is off the teet of the American public !
angrymike on March 28, 2012 at 6:05 AM
Emperor Norton, unless I’m mistaken, you are the same person who engaged in vicious anti-Mormon bigotry the other day on this site. I have to believe you are some kind of moby, because I’d hate to think you are truly this sad and vile of a person in real life.
I think you’re just jealous of Romney because he has been so successful.
Small, sour people who try to stoke class envy and engage in class warfare would be more at home commenting on a left-wing website.
bluegill on March 28, 2012 at 6:10 AM
Not my business on what Slobama spends his own money. It is my business if he’s spending my money and I expect he will spend too damned much of it, barely less than Turdboy. Reason #1 why I won’t vote for him.
swinia sutki on March 28, 2012 at 6:28 AM
A real man reads this and says “awesome”
jfox21 on March 28, 2012 at 7:49 AM
What’s more important to me is WHICH rival campaign. This sure has the stink of the anti-Bain “vulture” capitalism class envy crapola floated by Gingrich and Perry. On the other hand Santorum kisses up to blue collar union types who would love this story. Someone please tell me this came from the Obama campaign. What’s the friggin’ point of being a Republican if people in your own party play the class envy game? If that’s where the trucons want to take the party, who needs ‘em? We’ve got plenty of Democrats salivating to do that work.
rhombus on March 28, 2012 at 8:10 AM
How many people will he employ to build it and staff it?
Fallon on March 28, 2012 at 8:23 AM
Porsche Design Condo
They are building a condo in Florida with a car elevator.
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1068826_porsche-design-collaborates-on-luxury-miami-car-elevator-condo
IlikedAUH2O on March 28, 2012 at 8:31 AM
A “car elevator”, which probably means a “lift” just means you can fit four cars into the footprint for 2 cars…now if Mitt can do that with the government, get the work done with two desks, instead of “four” desks, and layoff the appropriate people, than I would go for that.
And yeah, who wouldn’t like to live in LaJolla, on the beach in a multi-million dollar home?
All I care about is that if elected he rules with a conservative hand, a conservative plan…I think I am dreaming, but that is my hope.
I have a feeling he is one of those “It’s for me, but not for thee” kind of executives…but we will hopefully see.
right2bright on March 28, 2012 at 8:53 AM
OT:
If you’re talking about the actual house and garage and not the notional bunker, it could have gone better; if I had better sequence and timing. Being a farm, it’s remote. The bank is taking a bit of time on the appraisal because it’s considered an unconventional or unique property, because it is a remote farm area with a pretty big log home and garage being erected on it. Most farmers, they claim, if I had to resell it would not be wanting a house and garage worth twice what the property alone costs.
So the bottom line is I’ve had to pay quite a bit out of pocket to get the build started even before the loan is “officially” approved. A 20K check is getting blocks and cement moved to the property this week to construct the two foundations. Just over 8K check (10 percent down) to secure the GC to cover the cost of the initial dry in stage of construction for the house itself. About as much for the rock well. 15K already paid OOP for the down payment of the log kit and probably 38K OOP for a pre-manufacturing installment on the kit. Good news is all those payments are not monies being drawn from the eventual construction loan. And of course you’re paying on that as you’re constructing and the balance is ultimately your mortgage amount. My sister, who is a businesswoman and works real estate a lot, called me a name on the phone describing a person born with mental faculties below the average mean due to chromosome arrangement which I cannot repeat here; for my pushing forward before the loan was secured.
She still loves us and we’re still excited.
hawkdriver on March 28, 2012 at 8:54 AM
After all the garbage that Mitt has thrown out against his rivals, the irony of being indignant because a “rival” exposed this is, is, well it’s just ironic.
right2bright on March 28, 2012 at 8:54 AM
If people want to engage in personal, off-topic chit chat, it would be nice if they used private e-mail messaging.
Hawkdriver, you have scolded me and others many times about the supposed unhelpful tone of our posts, so it would be nice if you yourself made some some effort to respect blog etiquette and refrain from turning the comment section into personal chit chat hour.
Thank you.
bluegill on March 28, 2012 at 9:05 AM
If there was a modicum of your opinion I valued, I’d consider it. In the mean time, please carry on with your vitriolic installments.
hawkdriver on March 28, 2012 at 9:24 AM
BTW, the topic is home-building.
hawkdriver on March 28, 2012 at 9:25 AM
True, but there is more than the ridiculous double standard that separates the rich Democrats from the rich Republicans like Romney. Democrats know better than to say things like “I don’t care about the very poor” and “I’ll bet you $10,000.”
Sure they are hypocrites who want to spread other people’s wealth while clinging to their own like Gollum, but they are hypocrites who understand the importance of optics.
Threshing Flora on March 28, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Another way of putting that is: They understand the value of a well-told lie.
M240H on March 28, 2012 at 9:40 AM
You’re mistaken. You’ve been hearing anti-Willard sentiment from me, and you interpret that as bigotry. It’s all in your head. Willard deserves to be defeated, but before that, he deserves to be mocked mercilessly.
In fact, you, bluegill, are regarded as the most unstable and adolescent of all the Hot Air Willard trolls. You were screaming up and down the threads last week or the week before that Rick Santorum was “a homophobic bigot.” To you, everyone is a bigot if they disagree with you. Today, you fantasize that someone is “an anti-Mormon bigot.”
I think the truth lies in this direction. Either you’re complaining because you’re a Mormon, or gay, or both.
But, if you are a Mormon, you sure seem to have your sacred underwear in a bunch this morning!
Emperor Norton on March 28, 2012 at 10:04 AM
I don’t know ya from Adam, but you really come across like a shrill bitter tool with a weird fetish for mormon underwear. Congratulations?
AttilaTheHun on March 28, 2012 at 11:21 AM
This is from the biggest bigot and most hated commenter on hot air. Except for your DH friends almost everyone else I’ve seen write a comment about you wants you banned.
smoothsailing on March 28, 2012 at 11:31 AM
These “elevators” are likely merely vehicle lifts that can be purchased from a tool supplier for as little as $2k. They lift a car up so that you can park another underneath. This is called efficiency. Suddenly that two car garage just turned into a 4 car garage. The kicker is the logistical ceiling height and the need to take the Dog’s crate off the top of the car before you lift R’ Up…
Hornet on March 28, 2012 at 4:05 PM
I always revisit threads for just such reasons. There is always a wise guy that leaves a real funny one.
laughed out loud
hawkdriver on March 29, 2012 at 7:22 PM
Always worth the drive.; )
Bmore on March 29, 2012 at 8:36 PM
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