How do you think the politics of wealth will play out in the 2012 election?

Romney is a millionaire many times over. His wife never had to work outside the home, and perhaps didn’t have to cook or clean inside the home, as she raised her boys. Mitt has lots of friends who own NASCAR teams, and he goes elk and quail hunting with his rich buddies in Montana. God knows what cars he owns or whether he has yachts or how many homes he has.

Obama is probably a millionaire by now, but a million dollars isn’t nearly what it used to be. It’s kind of an old standard, and should be adjusted for inflation. In any case, he has a lot less than Mitt and is newer to the wealth. He’s also black, and I don’t know if that is related to the wealth issue—like maybe people believe that because he’s black, he can’t be as wealthy as whites, or something. If it plays in, feel free to mention it, though.

So how will this play? Are Mitt and Ann out of touch due to wealth? Will people care? Or are they just symbols of aspiration?

What about Barack and Michelle? Are they better aspirational symbols because they come from further back (if they do)? Are they out of touch because they live in Washington?

How do the independents see wealth? Are Democrats anti-wealth? In the perception of who? Are Republicans anti-poor? What does it mean to be anti-wealthy or anti-poor?