The tax returns prove what most of us already know: Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown are both wealthy.
In 2011, Warren and her husband earned more than $600,000, while Brown and his wife, TV reporter Gail Huff, earned more than $500,000.
The Warren’s paid about $159,000 in federal taxes; the Brown’s about $124,000.
Brown's six years of tax returns reflect income of more than $2.5 million… an average of about $400,000 a year.
Warren's four years of returns show about $3.4 million in earnings, an average of more than $800,000 a year.
Both downplay their wealth, using almost the same words.
"I'm blessed, Gail and I both know that, and we want other people to have those same opportunities," Sen. Brown said.
"Great opportunities were afforded to me. I'm in this race right now because I'm worried those opportunities are being taken away," Elizabeth Warren said.
But the Massachusetts Democratic Party also seems worried by the "regular guy" image Brown has created for himself, despite his personal wealth:
The proof? This new web video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDPMzdGLb38&feature=youtu.be
Hiller asks Warren: “Is Scott Brown a phony, pretending to be something he's not?” Warren: “I don't think he's pretended to be different in this sense, he's made it clear that he's going to stand with the richest people in this country.”
Brown would like the issue to go away:
“I've never commented on her wealth, ever,” Brown said.
And so, another battle over releasing tax returns ends.
The Democrats are happy because they kept Scott Brown's wealth in the news for another day; the Republicans are happy because the story isn't a very big one.
67 of our 100 United States Senators are millionaires and, frankly, what surprises me is that 33 aren't.
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