Last: Richie Romney-ism

Reading Steve Hayes's post on Romney and ordinary Americans, I'm surprised that this hasn't yet caught up with the former Massachusetts governor. Particularly with moments like this from a couple weeks ago:

At times, the wealth of the Romney family clashes with voters' more modest circumstances. During a luncheon in rural Nevada, Josh [Romney], his nose peeling from a recent surfing trip to Costa Rica, tried to poke fun at the frugality of the campaign. The drinks they had ordered never arrived, and Josh suggested with a chuckle that if people were thirsty, they get some water out of the tap. A woman, with her daughter clutching her knee, spoke up. 'Oh, that's OK,' she said. 'That's how we do it around here.'

The most disturbing bit of Richie Romney-ism came back in 2005 in Sridhar Pappu's excellent profile of the candidate:

As governor of Massachusetts he draws no salary at all. A lesson he says his father taught him is that one shouldn't get involved in public life until it is a question of service rather than employment.

I've never seen anyone else bring up that bit of Romney family wisdom. I wonder why.