Noah mentioned this in his piece about the ridiculous Democratic race to the bottom income bracket, but it deserves its own space. This kind of mess will continue to happen until reporters stop asking the question because there’s really no good answer. “Income inequality” is an evil of American society, according to the Democratic Party. In running against Republicans, especially Mitt Romney, every high-profile Democrat has made it his business to equate rich with evil. And, not just evil, but congenitally unable to understand or adjust policy to reflect the problems of real people. If that’s true for Romney, it’s surely worth a question for Hillary. And, Hillary’s bumbling answers—thrice over, now!—have made it a question reporters looking to raise their profiles would be wise to ask because it clearly precipitates gaffes.

Here’s Vice President Joe Biden assuring the American people he doesn’t even have a savings account. Which, pardon me, am I supposed to be comforted by the idea of a man one heartbeat from the presidency who runs over to the corner check-cashing place with his Ray-Bans on every Friday with his big Veep check?

To be sure, Biden is among the poorer of the political class’s revolving door, cronied up denizens. By which I still mean, wealthy:

When he joined the Obama ticket in 2008, Biden was the poorest senator (though, as Politifact reported at the time, poorest senator is still far wealthier than the average American.) In this year’s White House financial disclosure, Biden listed assets “valued at $276,000 to $940,000, including a rental property owned jointly with his wife, Jill,” according to USA Today. President Obama’s assets were “valued at about $2 million to $7 million.”

Also, he has a savings account.

People, please stop trying to normalize it.

Stop the presses, Joan Walsh and I mostly agree. Though she posits that these arguments would be stronger if Democrats pivoted from their wealth to hawking a progressive tax policy. Which, isn’t that already the strategy? Perhaps it’d work better if they walked the walk.