I don’t get the pandering of the poor. Even poor people stampede into the malls to get nice branded clothes.
Romney is a rich guy. He wears nice clothes. If he truly wants to connect, he should not hide his expensive clothes; instead, he should say how capitalism had made him rich and allowed him to enjoy life, including the option to buy expensive clothes, most likely not made in some third world sweatshop, employing hundreds of people. Instead, this wishy-washy opportunist gets clothes from a discount mass retailer just for the photo-op?
Just because one is rich does not mean he has to waste money on useless krap.
Compared to most people, I have a fairly high income. I have no wives current or ex, and no children. I have two cars, one a 1966 toyota landcruiser I rescued in Illinois for $3500 in 1999, and got back out west, which I rebuilt myself. And a 1996 ford taurus which I picked up at an auction for $1500 8 years ago. I have never owned a new car, nor do I wish to, because I don’t need one. Contrast to my sister who has a $50,000 car and earns less than a third than I do with 2 kids. She is always broke, in debt, and always a layoff away from disaster (she is a democrat of course).
I shop at Wal-Mart, and find good clothes at reasonably priced outlets.
If I won the super-lotto tomorrow, my spending habbits wouldn’t change one bit, because I have everything I need, and I’m happy with everything I’ve got. The only lifestyle change would be to focus on my business more, and become a consultant to my day job so I wouldn’t have to travel perpetually. (I am incapable of not doing something)
The only “luxury” item I’ve ever bought was my current house. It was a house I’ve wanted for years, I knew it was foreclosing, the bank f’d up unimaginably on the price, and only had bidding open for 3 days unannounced. So I cashed in the college account I had been saving for decades for children that obviously will never come, and I bought it.