Here's the difference, Keith. Yes, these others had lots of money and could have been wiser in some of their choices, as is the case for Romney. However, Romney is absolutely tone deaf to most working families' concerns. What separates him from the others you mentioned is that he has no solutions for what concerns them. His narcissism is so overpowering, it's breathtaking. So, doing this expansion is emblematic of his insensitivity to anybody but himself.

Saying sheet doesn't mean I have to hand over the toilet paper so you can cleanse your mouth, Tomazalob. Was Ronald Reagan a man who rubbed elbows with the middle class? Who does Bill Clinton hob nob with, the black citizens of Harlem where he has his offices, or the fat cats on Wall Street that fund his global charitable causes, and will fund Hillarys campaign in 2016?

A big part of the difference is that none of those others combined a presidential campaign with moving into a new neighborhood and making major changes in a big, splashy way. They either had their homes before running for the presidency, or bought them after they left office. And while the Kennedy compound is indeed among the largest if not the largest, that didn't happen overnight. It happened over decades, starting long before JFK's presidential run. The Kennedys were a part of that neighborhood long before that, and the kids growing up and buying their own properties, adjoining the original Rose & Joe Sr. property, didn't represent the same kind of disruptive change that an active presidential candidate buying in and making major renovations during the campaign does.

Oh, and despite his claims to the contrary, Mitt Romney was born rich and inherited quite a bit from his daddy, even though he subsequently made a lot more money in business. If you want someone who wasn't born rich, you'll have to look to Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, or, brace yourself, Barack Obama. (And, arguably, Jimmy Carter. The Carters were the well-off family of the community, but more upper middle class than really rich, I think.)

The Bushes, neither of them tried to pretend they weren't born to wealth. That's part of why, like their politics or not, more people liked them than like Romney: they weren't pathetic fakes.

That is loaded with a lot of personal animosity to Romney, but I don't think his supporters and the majority of voters feel the same way you do about his building a nice home in California, (Ir)ational Thought. BTW, you are aware that the Romney family is worth a liberally estimated $220 million dollars, which in todays world of successful CEOs is hardly startlingly great wealth. The average CEO of Fortune 500 coiuntires is making over $60 million A YEAR in combinded salaries/bonuses and stock options. Romney was very successful, but he also has a history of tithing to his church, and generosity in charitable donations, and gave up his wealth generating position heading up of the nations leading and most successful private equity firms to 1) run the prevariously troubled Winter Olympics, 2) serve as Governor of his home state, and 3) campaign for the Rebpublican nomination for Presidend of the United States, all over the last decade plus.

Granted he's no Abe Lincoln, born in a log cabin. But then even though he portrayed himself as one with his 2008 presidential nomination campaign on the steps of the Illinois statehouse in Springfield where Lincoln had served as a state representative, Obama sure ain't no Lincoln either.

Keith --- you are so blinded with support for Romney, he could shoot someone in cold blood and you would find a way to make Romney the victim. You can't rationally debate politics, when your opinions are so greatly skewed.

I don't see you debating anything here, Titan. If you have problem with something I posted, debate my points on their merit if you can, otherwise I invite you to SHUT THE F UP!

Tomazulob, I hope you kept watching till Willie Geist read a 2004 NYT article to him about how they went after John Kerry for his real estate holdings. Actually, most of them belong to Mrs. Kerry who inherited them from her first husband John Heinz. Scarborough mumbled something about Kerry having more money than Romney. Joe is actually the worlds biggest @!$%#.

and Romney has his "mormon brother" on Fox Republican Outlet.

Joe is a turncoat republican,a rino chasing a msnbc paycheck! Mika takes talking points from the WH from her blackberry. Like all msnbc shows they have the same liberal guest agreeing with the same liberal host day in and day out. They can"t promote anything positive about the Pres because theres not any,so they spend the whole show bashing the right and not reporting anything that shows the left in unfavorable way and they wonder why there ratings suck.

Yup, imagine ol' Mitt scolding the surfer bums smoking mary jane on the beaches near his lovely home! What an unhip guy! Obama is headed for the same place, you know, though his experience with the wacky weed was in Hawaii when he was all about skipping school, getting drunk, and doing weed and blow with the beach, gold and basketball court bums getting prepared for the finer things in life to come his way from writing autobiographies of his life experiences! LOL!

Keith, your lies and silliness doesn't seem to have any boundaries. I agree with the previous poster that you're just so obviously biased and oblivious to the facts and REAL truth, it's useless to even argue with you.

I hope that at some point in your life, you actually get a clue, and recognize how nutty you sound in these posts.

Until then, you're at least entertaining!

Did you not read Obama's own description of his high school years he provided in his autobiographical "Dreams of My Father", Sarah. Tell me what in my posts are silly or lies! Can't do it, can you?

Kerry was a combat veteran with a Silver Star. McCain was another Vietnam veteran who saw real combat and got shot down. Clinton never supported the war. Poppy Bush was a WWII bomber pilot--another genuine war hero. Even Shrub, though he took care not to be at risk of going into combat, served in the Air National Guard for a while.

Romney, like Cheney, Rumsfeld, and others, supported other people getting killed in Vietnam while avoiding anything remotely resembling military service. He spent the war in <i>France</i>, for cryin' out loud. Some hero! And then he enthusiastically supported the war in Iraq, while not wanting his own precious sons to be at risk of getting killed over there like other people's.

Romney is an utter hypocrite.

Rational thought only talks about Romney . . . What about Obama? Any word on his defense record? If you find it so easy to bring up Romney's, how about Godbama?

You cant tell me much about his Childhood, upbringing, schooling or intent on any defense of the United States, can you? Because it is kept very secretive . . . all we really know if that he was a pot smoking liberal who was told how to think by others . . .

I will take the Mormon over the Moron every day of the week!

Finally, a voice of reason amid these fans of irrelevant journalism. Since when does a home remodel have anything to do with a presidential election? Liberals are worried, and they are digging deep for anything they can find to discredit an excellent candidate. Better dig harder, because the polls are trending upward for Mitt.

In fact, we know quite a bit about Obama's childhood and schooling. Not secretive at all; he wrote a book about his life at a time when he still had no serious prospects of ever running for president. It was a bestseller; you may have heard of it.

As for his defense record--how much of Al Qaeda does he have to dismantle for you to believe he isn't out to destroy America, or let America be destroyed. Bin Laden is dead. Quite a few others in the Al Qaeda leadership are dead. The war in Iraq is over, and we're on the path to getting out of Afghanistan--meaning we won't be tied down there if/when another threat arises.

And unlike Bush II, under Obama, there REALLY HASN'T been a successful terrorist attack in the US.

"Morons" don't get to be president of the Harvard Law Review, and neither do sheep who let themselves be told what to think.

Obama has, despite the worst efforts of the GOP, a successful term as President behind him. Mitt Romney has a single failed term as governor of Massachusetts behind him--and he's running away from his only serious accomplishment during that war. Easy choice--for anyone who cares more about what's good for the country than for Republican short-term party advantage.

Well, you were doing a half arsed decent job of argument til you wnet into the anti-Mormonism bigottry, RT!

Keith, you're proving my previous posts directed at you to be utterly and entirely true.

You commented: "Well, you were doing a half arsed decent job of argument til you wnet (sic) into the anti-Mormonism bigottry (sic), RT!"

You made me laugh again! I re-read RT's post, and he said NOTHING AT ALL about Mormonism.

You apparently were mistaken about the word "moron". . . as in, idiot.

Funny, I was just thinking that about you. Why do you continually embarrass yourself?

RT's inclusion of his charge that Romney "was running away from his only serious accomplishment in that war" referred to his missionary mission for which he had a draft deferrment, Sarah. It was his back handed slap at Romney's Mormonism, but I don't expect a concrete thinker like yourself to read in between the lines for the innuendos.

Inaccurate reporting? Hannity & Faux and Friends come to mind. Really.

Rachael is an honest, fact finding reporter. Of course you would not know that since you watch Faux News and you know what they say about people that watch Faux News. The survey says, uninformed.

Maddow and Odonnell are smart enough to get on TV . . . It is the simple people who watch them and believe that what they say is correct and believable . . . it is the simple people who vote for someone based on what an actor or TV personality says . . . That number accounts for 50% of Obama's votes . . .

O'Donnell ain't as bad as Cjris Mathews. Recall when he was being informed by one of his leftist guests that the hoped for upset by somone like a Gingrich or a Santorum in the Southern Strategy States after Romney's win in Michigan Mathews getting so upset that the thought of the primaries ending early with a Romney victory (obviously the strongest candidate to put up against Obama with the economy being the issue), Mathews glared across the desk with his hands gripped in fists, and stated: "Somebody's got to knock that guy off!" which ordinarily would have gotten him a visit from the Secret Security boys if they had been assigned to give protection to the Republcan candidate for the nomination.

TWelch--I understand why some can't understand MSNBC. They speak fairly quickly and use complete sentences with proper grammer..Dan Rathers' reporting has been proven correct. Quit trying to look up foxes skirts and listen. When Rachael interviews she states facts, then ask the person if they are correct. People know they can't change the talking points when they are confronted with their own words.

CNBC is fine, and I prefer them as a news resource to MSNBC or the parent network for both, NBC, PC. And O'Donnell and Maddow get no play at CNBC at all!

Nancy, just how is it you know that the 8 to 1 ratio didn't carry Walker over the top.

What information do you have to prove your statement. I would be interested to see your response.

Gee, I guess the facts have nothing to do with the recall. The union issue and the actions that Walker took were the cause for his mess. As for MSNBC, have you ever heard of Morning Joe? That is a program that used to be my favorite. I think you would like it these days with all of the twists and turns. Problem with this election cycle is that issues get lost. Tired of it. Maybe that is what has you upset. Example: Constitutional issues blurred by the "War on Women" phrase, Commerce issues and obligations of businesses blurred by religious choice screams, the right to privacy and the right to equal rights blurred by the idea that gay people do not have these things and therefore, the government will decide what rights they have at the State level --Let us vote on who has what Federal rights? And the worst development of all is the lack of concern about this country that we see in the Congressional branch of our government and then after months of obstructionists and rudeness, saying the President has done nothing, proposed nothing, submitted no budget, etc. The twisting of the truth during this campaign is a continuation of what we have already watched the Republicans do with no explanation as to why they would do it other than they hate Obama. Why? I see nothing irresponsible, hateful or short-sighted by our President. He has continued the Bush policies and expanded war (I dislike this very much), he has continued the Patriot Act and Fusion Centers which are dangerous to the Constitution (terrible), he did not fight for single payer (huge mistake), he did not regulate the Banks enough to prevent another melt down (bad decision). So what is it that drives YOUR hatred of the President and his party? Seems to me that he has taken some big steps to compromise.

It is divided because so many do not like a biracial person in the White House.

As to the start of the divide, look back at the Supreme Court decision, which could never be used again to wipe out citizens votes and declare bush president. And shall we mention how does it happen that in 2004 Kerry is way ahead of bush but in the morning suddenly it is bush ? The phrase used by a republican Senator comes to mind, it doesn't matter who does the voting, it is the ones counting the votes.

Kerry lost it in Ohio, becuse Rove knew an anti gay referendum question on the ballot would bring out the votes for Bush! Now the Dems are tryying desperately to play that game in reverse with the pro gay marriage stance looking for votes and financing while gambling that the black community and hispanic community voters will hold solid for him. And they think having legalizing marimuna issues on the ballot help them too, althougjh if they are running a South Park marathon on the first Tuesday in November, don't look for the pot heads to get out to vote. LOL!

I've always found it true that the last in to a community want to put up the barracades to hold the others out! Kind of a liberal set of mind, Barbara, and that is coming from a former member of his New England commnity's Planning Board and Board of Appeals!

The motto of the gay committe is "bugger thy neighbor"; Odonnell is an idiot imho.

The biggest joke of all is that Obama was forced by the withdrawal of funding from the Wall Street and business tycoons that bankrolled his 2008 primary and election campaigns (recall he had and did spend the most money?) from refinancing him for this reelection campaign. Hence, he had to go to Hollywood with his gay hat on, and hope that a non federal issue of support for gay marriage and instructing his DOJ not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act while actually conning himself that getting the untied support of the 3.2% of the adult population in the US who consider themselves in the LBGT interest group would make up for the Black, Hispanic, and Evangical voters that he lost by that etch a sketch move from his previously stated postions that he was only in favor of civil unions, not legalized marriage for gays.

I thought this Chicago crowd was supposed to be smart? Seems to me that they stumbled their way into the presidency in 2008, failed at the tasks ahead of them repeatedly with their off the mark leftist agendas, and now can seem to corral their surrogates to be on the same message so far in their pitiful campaign efforts.

You have to understand the most hateful of the posters are fans of the nastiest rush limbaugh who has to give his radio show away for free in many states.

I don't remember people being able to use the "term free speech " to disparage Mrs. Bush or her daughters who managed to get into alot of trouble while bush was President. You have to consider these people are angry because how dare a man who has a funny name and dark skin become President. Why it just isn't fair in their minds.

President Obama took a country that was in financial shambles from the previous administrations wars and deregulations, while the candidate supported letting a huge industry go bankrupt ! This President who has had to fight obstruction and outright racism every day wants all of Americans to succeed not just the super rich. Americans have seen more progress for ALL Americans in 3 years than we had in 8, this President is working for everyone against all odds.

I agree here is a sample of just two recent comments made by Republicans:

2Cents2 Bleeding heart liberal get a f'n clue. Dont like it move the f--- out of here and take your cesspool with you. If you have not figured it out by now as you think you are so smart, the majority of the people here in America DO NOT WANT YOU HERE! It's folks like you that are preverting what was once a great nation.

Archie Murter And it is going to get worse, what the dem leftys do understand is that this has gone past politics. This has come to personal. I'm not sure why
you leftys thought that you could continue to take more of our wages every year
too use for your own ends or give them to the hanouters and expect us to like
you.

The attempts especially since Obama was elected have taken us to aplace, where we simply despise you people very personally.

It amazes me how they think they are the only ones who work and pay taxes and that no republican has had to accept assistance because they came on hard times. When people apply for assistance are they asked if they are a registered voter and what party they vote for - I think not.

Wow ! I am so glad I didn't know these comments, how ugly ! I can see from the second he is in need of better schooling or maybe just attending.

I can't believe everyone hasn't had to rely on help sometime in their lives. It is very demoralizing and most of us only need it for a short time. Are there users, of course, however are they worse than those who use write offs for the cars, lunches, boats ? What about the subsidies for oil and farms that aren't farms really. Isn't that as bad as a welfare cheat ?

Do these haters like the fact that republicans spent way over $7,000,000 to find something, anything on President Clinton. Or that $9 billion sent to Iraq on pallets and never accounted for. How is that somehow never spoke about.

My mean self wish the haters would all congregate in some state in live there, please not mine, we have more than enough here in redneck Texas. But America is for all of us whatever your politics.

Those who think America would be better all republican, go check out the school scores, the lack of healthcare, the lack of living wage in an all republican state, then consider if this is what you really think is progress.

You might want to research Romney's Education reform committments while Governor of Massachusetts, and read his education reform platform, Texaslady.

Last I looked, New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and now Wisconsin particularly are making economic progress under Republican Governors after the recent elections, where they were previously floundering under Democrat Party control, just as is bankrupt California now for all the federal stimulus borrowed dollars Obama and Pellosi shoveled in there.

And as to the stimulus jobs created, my neighbors dog created more shovel ready jobs in the last three years than did that ineffective and wasteful spending binge that put the nation's economy on a temporary sugar high that is wearing off in the direction of a double dip recession now due to the other failed policies and threats to the business community of this present Administration.

After just coming back from Sarasota and seeing the economic turndown there, you may want to expand your research. I know where Texas stands in education, can you say 47th, I also know that Georgia has more kids being home schooled because the public schools are so bad.

Our Governor said our budget was balanced before reelection, turns out he lied and had to ask for stimulus money he had turned down. I think you will find that about Wisconsin in the next few months.

We all get it, you hate, hate, hate anything that benefits all of society, you enjoy being a self sufficient person needing no one or no one. But some of us believe in helping out neighbor to get back on their feet. Some of us believe if all of society works together we will become stronger.

Most of all, some of us understand that the tax rate under Clinton helped us become a strong economy, leaving a surplus for the next administration. When you fuss about spending do you mind that $7,000,000 was spent to prove Clinton had an affair ? That $9 Billion was taken on pallets to Iraq and just squandered ?

Was Clinton a saint, do I like NAFTA by all means NO ! Do I agree with all President Obama has done NO, but he unlike republicans actually do work for ALL Americans not just the very rich. You have your mind made up and really are wasting your time on this blog, you may want to visit The Blaze which is more in your mindset.

Keith as always being interested in improving my knowledge I have checked on the states you say are doing so well. America's Top States for Business a 2011 CNBC Special report on economy, they also have school ratings if you care to check.

New Jersey -42nd, Florida - 47th, Michigan 36th, Indiana 30th, West Virginia 13th, Wisconsin, 22nd, Ohio- 24th Interestingly, a good economy doesn't equal a good educational system. North Dakota is #1 in economy but 23rd in education, Alaska #3 in economy but 41st in education as is Texas at 14th economy and well, look at what Mrs. Bush stated in Feb of 2011.

47th in Literacy, 46th in Math, 49th in SAT scores, this after years of total republican governing. A state needs balance in governing to represent all the people.

Anyway, hope you do stay and comment, you are encouraging me to research more after your comments, thank you.

Might it be that the increased Medicaid state expenses in Texas had something to do with the unbalancing of the budget, hence Gov Perry having to reverse his course, and accept the 1/3rd of the $800 billion that was earmarked to the states for Meidcaid support?

Might in huge influx of illegal immigrants into Texas over the past 20 years have had its impact on the educational system? George W. did quite a bit in his earlyiest initiative together with the denizen of Liberals Teddy Kennedy to design No Child Left Behind to produce the standardized testing systems and the funding to put them in place so that states and municipalities could measure their success or failures in meeting the educational goals, and provide a system of incentives and disincentives (the carrot and the stick approach) to bringing improvements to bear. Now the liberals see a better approach...scrap the No Child Left Behind...and put in its place a huge pile of federal taxed and borrowed dollars to throw at the problems, willy nilly, while attempting to put a one size fits all federally developed curriculum into place.

Curriculum development in our public schools is best left to the localities, with counsel from the state governments....they are the folks closest to the knwledge of what their particular constitutients desire and need.

Are you aware that most of our people classified as within poverty levels by their incomes have automobiles, air conditioners, refrigerators with freezers, a computer, and a cell phone? That's a pretty good draw for folks aroung the world that want to come here, either legally or illegally.

Or got rich like the Clnton's while serving as an underpaid Governor and a shady law firm mouthpiece all those years in backwater Arkansas? Or got rich on your best seller autobiographies of your high school days and college years coming of age in American with hour hand held by affirmative action programs of higher education opportunities, and being cultivated by the social nationalist crowd from Sol Lewinki's University of Chicago like Barrack Obama?

So it is bad when Democrats write books and become wealthy, but ok for romney to buy a company, borrow and pay his friends back, then let the company go bankrupt leaving people who worked for 34 years with nothing ? And by the way those pensions that were lost, YOU are paying for with your tax dollars. How much did you get back from romney's pillage and burns ?

I have read Sol Lewinsky's writings, you may want to check again before aligning President Obama with him.

Democrats can see the sand at the feet of those we elect to lead, they are only human after all, we don't walk in lockstep with a party line most of us are independent thinkers so we can choose the best of what is offered.

Keith, Virginia did just fine under its Democratic governors, thankyouvery much. We're just hoping McDonnell doesn't regress things too far before his term is over.