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.