Romney Rumor: Romney Thinks "Middle Income" is $200K-$250K

Sometimes just a couple words makes all the difference. Here’s how the Huffington Post just reported something Romney said recently:

BOSTON (AP) — Mitt Romney is promising to reduce taxes on middle-income Americans.

But how does he define “middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year.

Romney commented during an interview broadcast Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

…. The definition of “middle income” or the “middle class” is politically charged. Both presidential candidates are fighting to win over working-class voters.

President Barack Obama has defined “middle class” as income up to $250,000 a year.

Now, let’s look at how it was reported elsewhere:

But how does he define “middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it Friday as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year and less.

The definition of “middle income” or the “middle class” is politically charged as Romney and President Barack Obama fight to win over working-class voters. Romney would be among the wealthiest presidents, if elected, and Democrats have repeatedly painted him as out of touch with average people.

Obama also has set his definition for “middle class” as families with income of up to $250,000 a year.

I’ve bolded a few inconvenient words. Observe: the HuffPo reports “$200-$250”; the AP story elsewhere says $200K-$250K and less. Add the “and less” and suddenly Romney is saying the same limits as Obama — and the other bolded words make clear.

By the way, this is first in a series of Romney Rumors; it’s become clear that we need to capture these things just as we did with Palin. If you see anything you think needs to be debunked, pass it along.