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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

2012 Mitt Romney's New Summer Home Comes with Its Own Car Elevator and Lobbyist

Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 10:17 AM

At Mitt Romney’s proposed California beach house, the cars will have their own separate elevator.

There’s also a planned outdoor shower and a 3,600-square foot basement — a room with more floor space than the existing home’s entire living quarters.

Those are just some of the amenities planned for the massive renovation of the Romneys’ home in the tony La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, according to plans on file with the city.

A project this ambitious comes with another feature you don’t always find with the typical fixer-upper: its own lobbyist, hired by Romney to push the plan through the approval process.

An elevator just for cars! What a problem-solver. What an original thinker.

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My lifestyle must be so primitive! I can't for the life of me think of why I'd ever want or need to elevate a car.

Posted by Clayton on March 27, 2012 at 10:26 AM

Probably figures that he needs to get the cars off the street while he's living in the White House for eight years. Any regular joe can see the logic in that.

Posted by seatackled on March 27, 2012 at 10:26 AM

It has been said elswhere, but I'll repeat it: "Outdoor showers: only for the super-rich and the super-poor."

Posted by Looking For a Better Read on March 27, 2012 at 10:28 AM

How many of Ann's Caddies will be parked here?

Posted by Looking For a Better Read on March 27, 2012 at 10:29 AM

And it's a beach house--it's not like this is his regular home, so doesn't he deserve a break from all this criticism?

By the way, will there be a dog elevator, too?

Posted by seatackled on March 27, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Driving one's car up or down a ramp is obviously for socialists!

And just lookit all the jobs he's creating in the car-elevator-manufacturing sector! That's a clearcut route to American Exceptionalism if I've ever seen one!!!

Posted by Timrrr on March 27, 2012 at 10:36 AM

@5,
I laughed out loud at the dog elevator comment... nice!

Posted by Urgutha Forka on March 27, 2012 at 10:44 AM

My gyrocopters have their own escalator.

Posted by dirge on March 27, 2012 at 10:54 AM

you say lobbyist, we say land use attorney.

Posted by Max Solomon on March 27, 2012 at 10:56 AM

@1, a house near me has one of these. It's waterfront (like Mitt's), so adding an extra parking level was a way to find space for the guy's fleet of luxury cars. I mean, they needed to be kept safe! Where is your empathy?

Posted by Irena on March 27, 2012 at 10:57 AM

Goddamn it, I wish I was rich.

Posted by schmacky on March 27, 2012 at 11:05 AM

My ties have their own gondola.

Posted by dirge on March 27, 2012 at 11:18 AM

Romney's wife has MS, if money was no object I wonder how many MS patients would want one for their home.

ALSO Outdoor showers are fucking bad ass. I stayed at a hostel on Isle de Ometepe and they had this spacious outdoor shower, freak'n sweet. The water was 'room temperature', there was no heating or cooling of the water.

On a 90-degree day + waterfall of somewhat cool water + sun and blue skies above = most enjoyable shower ever.

Posted by internet_jen on March 27, 2012 at 11:23 AM

What no car "lazy susan" ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/raven_chick… ) so he never has to back in and out of his garage? Just an elevator. Meh I'm not impressed.

Posted by Machiavelli was framed on March 27, 2012 at 11:23 AM

Rich guy buys rich guy stuff. Thanks for the fascinating read.

Posted by Rotten666 on March 27, 2012 at 11:38 AM

Out of curiousity where are all the hit pieces on how evil Nancy Pelosi is for her financial success? George Soros? Any of the no talent half wit actors and actresses agitating for the left?

Anyone?

Hello?

Anyone there?

No? Just people you dislike that make money are the evil ones for spending it? Alrighty then.

Posted by Seattleblues on March 27, 2012 at 11:43 AM

@16: Nobody thinks he's evil because he's rich. (How he made some of his money is ethically questionable, but that's not the point.) What's being waved around here is that he's a bit out of touch with the working man, who is, rather than building a new and extravagant house, just trying to keep paying his mortgage.
He's already seen as rich and oblivious. Flamboyant displays of wealth aren't helping him much.

Consider yourself educated, Seattleblues.

Posted by venomlash on March 27, 2012 at 12:28 PM

But it's just an ordinary one car elevator, right? Right? So what's all the fuss?

Posted by RonK, Seattle on March 27, 2012 at 12:34 PM

@ 17, he already does. That's his problem.

Posted by Matt from Denver on March 27, 2012 at 12:52 PM

@17: mitt is helping the working man by creating work. who are we to criticize how the wealthy employ us? it's not like they are nobility. they owe the 99% nothing, not even their oblige.

i'm sure mitt sees this as preparing the western white house - much like bush's crawford compound was finished shortly before the election in 2000.

Posted by Max Solomon on March 27, 2012 at 1:53 PM

Car elevators are not unusual for parking garages on tight lots in, say, Tokyo. Ramps take up a huge amount of space. I've seen elevators (even turntables) many times in Europe and Asia. LaJolla, not so much, but then I've never been there.

Posted by crone on March 27, 2012 at 4:14 PM

Have you ever tried driving a car up the stairs?

Posted by seandr on March 27, 2012 at 9:57 PM

Okay, I'm on board with being shocked by the car elevator, but the lobbyist...uhm, as someone who works for government it is pretty routine for everyday rich people to hire lobbyists AND land use attorneys to navigate the building approval process. Granted, one does have to be rich, but lots of regular rich folks do it. Car elevator is another matter....

Posted by Papayas on March 28, 2012 at 6:35 PM