I am watching Now with Alex Wagner and Meghan McCain, a MSNBC contributor, is one of the pundits. Why does she sound like a spoiled rich girl? I’m not sure about the spoiled part but rich is definitely part of her DNA. I say this because at two times in the conversation, and I haven’t gone through the whole session so she might have more to say, she has made references to wealth that illustrates a basic problem with many of the politicians on the Republican side.

The first thing I heard her say was, in reference to the wealth of Mitt Romney as compared to the President, she said he wasn’t exactly living off the streets before he got into office. Really? Do you really want to go there? While Alex Wagner was kind and didn’t go down that road, though it was clear she was about to go there, I don’t have a contract with MSNBC so I will take issue with Meghan McCain about her statement.

I’m not going to say her comment was a dog whistle issue for something else, because honestly I don’t think her statement was racially motivated. I will say it was economically motivated, sort of a back hand swipe saying the President has money. Well, he does but let’s be perfectly clear about what kind of money he has. I think the President, with book sales and other income, had something close to 5 million dollars. It might be less or more but defiantly in that ballpark. I don’t know what the actual wealth of the McCain family is, but when your mother inherits a beer distributorship and during the 2008 election there was a little dust up as to how many houses you owned I would venture to say her family has some wealth. In Romney’s case, when you are doing 20 million dollars in renovations to a home, I would dare say they are filthy rich. Now, I get where you can say the President wasn’t actually poor when he ran for office but let’s be real here; compared to her family and Mitt Romney, the President’s income doesn’t come close. Trying to make the President out like he’s some corporate fat cat or some inheritance baby is stupid.

The problem with Republican candidates over the years has been they have been extremely wealthy and always have been wealthy. To find someone of relative modest means you would have to go to Reagan and Bob Dole. Both Bush’s’ and McCain were extremely wealthy. On the Democratic side you had Bob Kerry who was rich, but he went up against Bush who definitely outpaced him on personal wealth. Other than him you had Clinton, Dukakis, Carter and Obama; candidates and Presidents who many don’t see with silver spoons in their mouths.

Another example of Meghan McCain’s disconnect or ignoring income facts happened another time when she said Romney didn’t spend a lot of time or money in Iowa to win by 8 votes. Again, really? I don’t know if she was just being loyal to her father since he was about to endorse Romney, but for her to say something like that suggests she hasn’t been analyzing the news like she should be if she is a paid commentator. She even challenged Alex Wagner and said that she wasn’t sure if her facts were right about the amount of money spent. Understand she was on a panel with seasoned reporters who have been out in the field in Iowa, or were editors who had reporters in the field researching this. It was like she felt her feeling that he didn’t spend that much money trumped the fact that he did spend a lot of money. Not only was her assertion challenged by saying Santorum spend twenty one thousand dollars while Romney spent well over a million, the host had a graphic that showed for every vote Santorum spend something like $0.73 while Romney spent $49. When faced with the facts she asserted the Iowa caucus meant nothing because her father, the man who would be President, didn’t win Iowa but got the nomination.

So, after making a statement that Romney didn’t spend a lot of money in Iowa, which I guess not a lot would be by her income status, she decides the whole Iowa caucus was irrelevant. Of course if it was so irrelevant why did his win by 8 votes prompt John McCain to endorse him? Seems to me if he won New Hampshire and endorsement would have been due then, especially if he won by more than 8 votes.

The bigger issue for me is how quickly people with incredible wealth, either by being born or married into it, are quick to criticize people have, in comparison, modest incomes who succeed not by entitlement but hard work. I’m not a great fan of Santorum but to get the numbers he did against Romney was impressive, especially when compared to the money spent by both. Meghan McCain defense of Romney is either because of money loyalty or family loyalty. Whatever the reason, her position clouds a rather clear picture of how those with money can manipulate and massage the system, while those without must sweat to get results. The sad part is how those with money talk about hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, yet when someone actually does this and beats those who feel entitled, suddenly the result is dismissed or that person’s accomplishments are diminished.

By the way, though I doubt she would care, I was following her on Twitter but after watching her on Now with Alex Wagner and on The Last Word, I had to unfollow her.