TAMPA—Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour was holding court at a private party before the Republican National Committee on Sunday, where he called President Barack Obama a one percenter, and urged a group of conservative bloggers to rally behind Mitt Romney even though he's not perfect.
"We've got two guys running for president, by the way, who are both very rich. Each one of them is in the top one percent in the United States." Barbour said during an event for the National Bloggers Club in Tampa. "Both of them are one percenters. And in fairness, both of them made their own money. Romney made his by winning the confidence of people who invested their money. …Obama made his money writing two books about himself. He's a one percenter! ...Which one do you figure is going to do a better job of getting our economy going in the right direction?"
Indeed, both men are in the "top one percent" of income earners, although Romney's net worth is about 20 times greater than Obama's. Romney and Obama are worth around $200 million and $12 million, respectively.
During his talk, Barbour also argued that conservatives need to look past Romney's moderate record as governor of Massachusetts.
"Mitt Romney's not as conservative as I am. It's a fact," Barbour said. "But the difference between him and Obama in terms of their vision, their plan, their policies, their belief in the history and the fundamental principles of America are the greatest difference of any two presidential candidates in my lifetime. …It behooves us to make sure Romney wins."