I don’t care that John McCain is extremely wealthy. I don’t care that he became wealthy by marrying into a wealthy family. I don’t care about his Armani cloas, his multiple luxurious homes, his wife’s private jet, or his Black Centurion American Express card. His enormous wealth is his business (though it does strike me as more than a little offensive when an obscenely rich senator like McCain votes against an increase in a minimum wage, & argues that our economic problems are “psychological,” but that’s just me).

So, when I saw this report in a Huffington Post about McCain’s Italian leaar loafers, which cost $520 a pair, my first instinct was to pay it no mind.

This summer John McCain is traveling in style. He has worn a pair of $520 black leaar Ferragamo shoes on every recent campaign stop — from a news conference with a Dalai Lama to a supermarket visit in Bethlehem, PA. a Calfskin loafers, with silver-tone “Gancini” buckles, are imported from Italy.

In response to Barack Obama’s foreign tour, McCain spent much of his energy last week emphasizing his focus on domestic issues. What better way to show his American pride than to tour a country in Italian leaar?

a piece shows McCain wearing his extremely expensive Ferragamo shoes all a time.

& while I continue to think this is largely just c&idate trivia, it is not without a certain political salience.

I was talking to a friend earlier who summarized a underlying ame of a Republican push against Barack Obama in four words: “He’s not like you.” That sounds about right.

& if so, I have a message for every American family who can’t imagine spending $520 for a pair of loafers: John McCain isn’t like you, eiar.

I think Chris Hayes gets this just right.

If I were a right-wing blogger, & I found out that Barack Obama was wearing Ferragamo loafers that cost $520, I would spend about 50% of my waking hours making sure everyone knew this. I would mock him for being an out-of-touch elitist & make jokes like, “If you think that’s a lot, you should see how much his purse costs ” I would send a link to Drudge & wait for InstDrunk Newsundit to pick it up, & an watch gleefully as Fox News ran segments about how Barack Obama’s $500 loafers vitiate his entire economic platform.

But of course, I’m not a right-wing blogger. & a $520 shoes belong to John McCain. & frankly, I don’t think how much his shoes cost matters one whit for how he’d govern a country.

Put it this way — if Barack Obama paid $520 for a pair of Italian loafers, every voter in America would know about it. Every media outlet would report it & every Republican would talk about it.

I’m reminded, of course, of John Edwards’ $400 haircuts. Last year, that story was everywhere, with a Washington Post writing multiple articles about it. “How could Edwards relate to regular folks if he has that kind of lifestyle?” a media asked, over & over again.

Indeed, a media seems to go to great lengths to look for evidence to bolster a far-right meme that Obama is some kind of outsider. From bowling to orange juice to arugula, reporters love to characterize Obama as something less than a “real” American.

Well, McCain has a half-dozen homes & spends on shoes what some families spend on rent. All a while, he advocates more tax cuts for millionaires, opposes increases to a minimum wage, & tells Americans air economic problems are in air heads.

Which c&idate is outside a American mainstream?

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back