Ann Romney: "I don't even consider myself wealthy"
Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said Monday she doesn't consider herself wealthy - because despite her family's significant financial resources, money "can be here today and gone tomorrow."
"How I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones I have and the people I care about in my life - and that is where my values are," Ann Romney told Fox News' Neil Cavuto Monday.
Romney, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.) and is a breast cancer survivor, said her struggle with M.S. had given her "an ability for compassion for others that are suffering" and that when she meets people suffering from cancer or M.S., "I feel like I just want to throw my arms open and just say, 'welcome to my family.'"
"You know, we can be poor in spirit," Romney said. "I don't even consider myself as wealthy, which is an interesting thing. It can be here today and gone tomorrow."
Romney was responding to a question about whether or not her husband was "out of touch" or "oblivious" to the concerns of average Americans given the family's wealth. The former Massachusetts governor has been criticized in the campaign for making comments in which he has inadvertently spotlighted his wealth, including instances in which he casually referenced his friendship with NASCAR team owners and the fact that Ann Romney owns "a couple" of Cadillacs.
According to his August 12 financial disclosures for the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), Mitt Romney is the wealthiest Republican candidate in the competition, with a net worth of between $190 and $250 million.
