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Friday, Sep 14, 2012 2:40 PM UTC

Romney defines “middle income” as $200,000-$250,000 and less

GOP slaps collective forehead [UPDATED] VIDEO

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Topics: Mitt Romney, 2012 Elections, Barack Obama, U.S. Economy, The middle class, ,

Romney defines Former Gov. Mitt Romney waves to supporters during a campaign event at Van Dyck Park, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012, in Fairfax, Va. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Updated – 2:10 PM EDT: On Twitter, folks have been responding to Mitt under #middleincome:

And from a Romney supporter:

12:22 PM EDT: According to a 2009 Tax Policy Center study of income distributions, earners making $180,000 and more are in the top 5 percent of the population.

10:40 AM EDT: In an interview with “Good Morning America’s” George Stephanopoulos, Mitt Romney was asked: “Is $100,000 middle income?” “Middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less,” Romney replied.

“I said that there are five different studies that point out that we can get to a balanced budget without raising taxes on middle income people,” he continued. “Let me tell you, George, the fundamentals of my tax policy are these.  Number one, reduce tax burdens on middle-income people.  So no one can say my plan is going to raise taxes on middle-income people, because principle number one is keep the burden down on middle-income taxpayers.”

Obama has said in the past that he’ll cut taxes for middle-class families making $250,000 and less per year, but the way Romney put it certainly doesn’t help the narrative that he’s out of touch with the middle class.

According to the Census Bureau, the current median household income in the U.S. is slightly over $50,000.

Here’s the video, at the 5:15 mark:

 

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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