Romney on $374K Speech Fees: 'Not Very Much'

Mitt Romney is taking flak for a gaffe 37 times bigger than his bet with Rick Perry. The candidate, while discussing the possibility of releasing his tax returns, mentioned that his income includes "speakers fees from time to time, but not very much." Financial disclosure forms reveal that from February 2010 to February 2011, Romney's "not very much" came to a total of $374,327, the Huffington Post reports.

Romney's speaking fees from companies like Goldentree Asset Management add up to 7.2 times the median household income in the US, notes Slate. And the candidate's repeated failures to show a common touch are beginning to cause a major image problem, Romney-watching political scientist Dean Spiliotes tells the Los Angeles Times. "When people look at a president, they want to know: Does this person understand my life and what I'm facing?" Spiliotes says. "People want to know somebody can identify with them in their struggles."