Mitt Romney's Cadillacs boast: Gaffe or 'brilliant pander'?

During a big speech on the economy, the wealthy Republican tries to win over Michiganders by reminding them that his wife drives not one, but two Cadillacs

The revelation of Ann Romney's two luxury Cadillacs has sparked debate over Mitt Romney's wealth versus the importance of driving American.
(Image credit: Ralf-Finn Hestoft/Corbis/Corbis)

Mitt Romney gave a big speech on reforming entitlement programs and the tax code to 1,200 members of the Detroit Economic Club on Friday, but the punditry isn't buzzing about Mitt's financial ideas. Instead, Mitt was mocked for holding a 1,200-person speech in a near-empty 65,000-seat football stadium and the media seized on an off-the-cuff remark in which Romney said he drives Detroit-made cars — a Ford Mustang and Chevy pickup — and "Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs." Apparently forgetting that most Americans are lucky to own a single car, Romney sure got "people talking about his wife's two Cadillacs," says Mark Trumbull in The Christian Science Monitor. (Apparently, the two Caddys are kept at separate houses.) On Sunday, Romney shrugged off the criticism, telling Fox News Sunday, "If people think there's something wrong with being successful, they should vote for the other guy." Is casually mentioning his wife's two $35,000-plus luxury cars an unforced error ahead of blue-collar Michigan's big primary on Tuesday? Or is driving American always good politics in Detroit?

This could play well in Michigan: Reporters are treating this "oddball moment" as a gaffe, says David Weigel at Slate. But it might actually be "a brilliant pander." Romney's wealth is hardly a secret, and "shaming wealthy people for doubling up on luxury American cars doesn't make a ton of sense," especially in the Motor City. Besides, Romney is running for such an elite job that, if he wins, "he gets his own plane, and we pay for it."

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