Mitt Romney’s $12M mansion “is inadequate”

[TomCADem]

Source: Salt Lake Tribune

Mitt Romney has never claimed to be a middle-class man of the people. But the news that he is planning to quadruple the size of his $12 million oceanfront property in La Jolla, Calif., reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune over the weekend, came at a particularly awkward time for the former Massachusetts governor, who had spent much of the previous week on the campaign trail criticizing President Barack Obama for vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard when many Americans are still out of work.

The Union-Tribune reported that Romney, who was scheduled to attend several fundraisers in San Diego last weekend, recently filed an application to bulldoze his 3,009-square-foot single-story home and replace it with an 11,062-square-foot two-story home. The existing house, which has three bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths, sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac and overlooks a white sand beach.

A campaign official confirmed the report, adding that “construction will not begin until the permits have been obtained and the campaign is finished.” The official also explained that the large renovation is family motivated.

Romney and his wife, Ann, have five married sons and 16 grandchildren, and the current house “is inadequate for their needs,” the official said.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/52436703-68/romney-campaign-official-inadequate.html.csp

[Bozita]

1. We the People. eh?

[MADem]

2. You do see what the tone-deaf little prick is doing, don't you?

He's building his WESTERN WHITE HOUSE. Counting his chickens. Family motivated, my ass.

He's doing a Porgie--fixing up the Pig Farm, as it were.

I'd laugh like hell if Jon Huntsman is the GOP nominee. It would grind Mittsy's gears.

[hlthe2b]

4. I'd surely rather have Huntsman than Mitt (or any of the others)....

though I sure as hell don't want any RETHUG anywhere near the WH...

[MADem]

5. Me neither.

Huntsman scares me. He's all over the political talk shows, schmoozing anchors, giving 'good' interview, being an interesting guest. He'll get favors down the line because he's been in the chair early and has submitted to grilling. When you can get TV exposure for free, it's way better than paying for it...

[Enthusiast]

17. He is playing the role of the reasonable republican

they can fall back on in case it looks like Obama will be defeated.

[jerryster]

40. And he's the high school dropout.

At least that's what I read in a column by Kathleen Parker. Great irony. The dropout believes in science, the others don't.

On the dropout note: If that is true he will never be elected once people learn that (if correct). His family also has $, so he could drop out without serious consequences. And how would his Stay in School message resonate?

[RevStPatrick]

33. I'm sure Huntsman will end up having the same...

...Mormon problem as his cousin Mitt Romney.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Huntsman,_Jr.

[indurancevile]

10. they're cousins. betcha didnt know that. you can have any bread so long as its white

they're also cousins to a lot of show biz luminaries, like the king sisters!

[hlthe2b]

3. Well, he could scarcely have done much that more overtly shows...

how utterly clueless he is. Like when Bush didn't know what a grocery store scanner was...

I think we can probably stick a fork in him, now.... :shrug:

[tclambert]

20. Stupid as he was, Bush got the White House . . . for two terms.

I fear there is no lower limit to the stupidity Republicans will vote for. For pity's sake, Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann are considered serious candidates!

[GKirk]

31. I think it was Poppy Bush...

...who didn't know what a scanner was.

[hlthe2b]

45. the scanner idiocy was George H. W. Bush--may have helped lose him a second term...

as it showed just how incredibly out of touch and elitist he was.

[flor-de-jasmim]

6. He paid $12 MILLION for a 3000 sq ft house!??!!! I wouldn't try my economy to him!

[struggle4progress]

8. It's only about $25 a square inch

:shrug:

[Roland99]

36. LOL

[mimi85]

18. La Jolla

Well, it's overlooking the beach in La Jolla (San Diego) which is by far one of the most beautiful (and expensive) places in California. Everything is mega bucks there, even the parking! Still, VERY bad timing for Romney, though he seems to be losing ground. Sorriest bunch of potential nominees I've ever seen which is fine by me.

[Warren Stupidity]

19. It is on the beach in CA. Those houses are not cheap.

[tclambert]

22. Excellent point.

He must have used the same interior decorator as Saddam Hussein.

[aquart]

29. It's in La Jolla. That's where God has his summer home. Really.

And I'm sure the neighbors are going to be thrilled with the construction.

[Recursion]

39. It's on La Jolla. I'm surprised it was that cheap (nt)

[struggle4progress]

7. If I had a $12 million mansion

I'd bulldoze it in the morning
I'd bulldoze it in the evening all over this sand ...

[Marthe48]

35. it ain't the mansion of justice...

may as well have fun with it!

[indurancevile]

9. their sons' families live with them? what?

our extended family of 40 or so used to squeeze into my grandma's 800-sq ft house every christmas. it wasn't inadequate, it was good times.

[truthisfreedom]

11. 3 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, $12M.

$4M per bedroom. That's $274 bucks a day per bedroom over 40 years. Sure, yeah, I get the "inadequate" part, Mitt. Your motivation for wanting a few more bedrooms makes financial sense. I'm glad you're on the hot seat for this debacle, though. You're such a nozzle.

[jdadd]

27. 3 bedrooms, 4.5 baths

More baths than bedrooms....Proof republicans are full of shit.

[thesquanderer]

32. He's not tearing down a $12 million house

It's probably more like he's tearing down 1 million dollar house on an 11 million dollar piece of property.

[begin_within]

12. Here's a picture of it and a local story about it

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/aug/20/romney-home-in-la-jolla-to-grow/

[tclambert]

21. Those other houses are too close. The Secret Service won't like this.

For security purposes, you need more space between the protectee's house and any neighbors. Maybe a "ranch" in Texas . . . with no cattle.

[connecticut yankee]

25. I don't think

we'll have to worry about the Secret Service.

[begin_within]

41. And that path between the houses, to the left of Romney's house,

looks to me like a "Coastal Access" easement that is required by law in many areas, because all beaches in California are public land up to the mean high tide line. However it's puzzling why there appears to be a gate blocking access from the easement to the beach. There are sometimes huge legal battles between rich property owners and the public interest over these easements. David Geffen was involved in one such battle at his house in Malibu. And the residents of Malibu had used a lot of intimidation tactics to scare away would-be beachgoers. The residents of La Jolla must be less uptight and more sensible than the Malibu snobs, because I can't remember any local news stories about any battles in La Jolla over beach access. That gate is weird though. Now with the nationwide publicity of this house, I wouldn't be surprised if the neighborhood residents including Romney pushed hard to have that easement restricted or even removed.

[Zoonart]

30. NOT ONLY

Not only will this selfish bastard bulldoze a lovely house with the perfect character for the location, he will add a second story that will "STEAL"
the ocean view from his neighbors behind him. No sense of place and history, no sense of community, just me- me- me- like all the rest of the rich bastards.

[begin_within]

42. If he tries to block views he's in for a courtroom battle

I don't think his neighbors would accept it without a fight, if one of them has their ocean view impacted. But it wouldn't surprise me if he paid off the planning commission, or a judge or jury if it went that far. It may come down to who can afford the most and best lawyers...

[Auntie Bush]

46. It's hard to believe a house that size only has 3 bedrooms.

I can also see he needs a bigger house with his huge family.

I wonder what the hell that's going to cost him? Bet the neighbors aren't going to be very pleased with all that construction in their quiet neighborhood and his house will probably dwarf all the neighbors. Nice to have all that money isn't it? Why the hell doesn't he just finance his own campaign? I sure wouldn't give him any money if I was a ReThug.

[JohnnyRingo]

13. most people downsize when their children marry and move away.

I guess the wealthy do the opposite.(?)
It still makes no sense to me unless they all plan to move into the new pad.

I think this is just a case of Romney giving his money some exercise.

[Glimmer of Hope]

14. What needs? Some people don't even have a home Mittens!

[cutlassmama]

16. they don't care about the little people

[tcaudilllg]

15. Mormon excess...?

[Zambero]

38. Not a problem

Just leave 10% of everything on the collection plate, and one's Temple pass is in good standing. Otherwise, pathetic widow's mite cases, sinners, lepers, and other riff raff of the type that Jesus Christ formerly associated with are hereby advised: KEEP OUT!

[Uben]

23. At least he's spending money

I don't give a rat's ass if he has a thousand mansions. This is not an election for real estate barron, it's for president and this has zero to do with that.

[Rebubula]

24. Of course...

....Al Gore does something similar and no one bats an eye....

[Blue_Tires]

26. uh, there was a huge media shitstorm over Gore's place

not quite as huge as the one over John Edwards, but it was pretty big...Check the archives...

[polmaven]

28. Well, obviously this explains why

The Romneys were living in the basement of their son's home in January, 2010, when they voted for Scott Brown using that address. It now becomes clear that the 12.5M home was totally inadequate, to the point that Tagg's basement had to serve their needs....You know, with him being unemployed, and all.

Did Mitt Romney commit voter fraud when he cast a ballot for Scott Brown in last year's special election in Massachusetts? On Monday, one of his lesser known opponents for the GOP presidential nomination, Fred Karger, filed a complaint with Massachusetts state election officials alleging that he voted for Brown, as well as in other Massachusetts elections, when he was not in fact a resident of the Bay State.

In his complaint, Karger lays out a chronology of Romney's real estate moves since his failed presidential bid in 2008. According to Karger's timetable, Romney and his wife, Ann, bought a $12.5 million home in La Jolla, California, in May 2008. ("I wanted to be where I could hear the waves," Romney told the AP of his move to the West Coast.) Thereafter, Romney became a regular at California political events, even campaigning for Meg Whitman during her gubernatorial bid. A year later, in April 2009, the Romneys sold their home in Belmont, Massachusetts, for $3.5 million, and registered to vote from an address in the basement of an 8,000 square-foot Belmont manse owned by their son Tagg. But where the Romneys really lived these past couple of years seems to be a bit of a mystery. While Romney was appearing at so many California political events people were speculating he was going to run for office there, the National Journal reported in May 2009 that the Romneys had made their primary residence a $10 million estate in New Hampshire.

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/06/did-mitt-romney-commit-voter-fraud

(btw...son's name "Tagg"!!! - is he related to the Palins somehow???)

[lynne]

34. Unless we're willing to compare this to the Kennedy Compound and John Kerry's -

- numerous million dollar homes, then we're just being hypocritical. Excesses of wealth know no political boundaries.

And I didn't bother to mention John Edwards because . . . well, just because.

[Old Time Pagan]

44. Spot on

Not a big fan of Steven Seagal but there is a great line in one of his movies when he confronts a multi millionaire oil man played by Michael Cain. Seagal's character has found out that Cain's character is going to install defective blow out preventers (amazing how that one came true), so he can keep a lease that will produce "millions and millions of dollars" a week. Seagal's character simply asks "When is enough, enough?" Cain's character's face goes blank for a moment, looks confused and then he changes the subject. You can see his brain going into "Does not compute" mode.

The elite and the uber wealthy do more damage, destroy more lives, have a longer negative impact on the world in general then the the worst serial killer psychopaths in history. We murder the serial killers and give the multimillionaires awards, recognition and hero adulation.

Want to know what will bring down this version of our world? That's a pretty good place to start.

[TomCADem]

48. Odd how on DU we rationalize the excess of GOP presidential candidates

Blame Democrats, Give Republicans a Free Pass.

[Zambero]

37. At least Mitten$ doesn't have an arugala rap to contend with...

and has never been accused of putting other than French's yellow mustard on a hot dog. Or occasionally indulging in a microbrew (or any brew I suppose). Those are the unpardonable sins of that notorious "elitist" Barack Obama, so very out of touch with ordinary citizens.
:sarcasm:

[xoom]

43. Wonder who is going to build it?

[begin_within]

47. So all 28 of them are going to live in the house?