Yet another attack on Scott Walker is only adding to his appeal to those people Hillary Clinton calls “everyday Americans,” as his critics from the left reveal their own snobbery.  The New York Daily News (hat tip: Legal Insurrection) headlines:

2016 hopeful Scott Walker has tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt despite reputation as fiscal conservative: report

That newspaper’s Adam Edelman writes:

Owe, no!

2016 hopeful Scott Walker has tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, owing money to a list of banks and stores including Sears and Barclays, a new report alleges.

The Wisconsin conservative Republican governor owes between $10,000 and $100,000 to credit card companies, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday, which cited Walker’s latest state financial disclosure forms, filed in January.

Among Walker’s cards with debt listed, according to the forms, were a Sears MasterCard and a BarclayCard. (snip)

...the revelations about Walker’s less-than-stellar personal finances — which suggest he hasn’t been able to adequately manage his own expenses, and possibly those of the state he runs — could make trouble for his all-but-certain presidential campaign.

The first thing to note is that Walker’s debit could be as low as $10,001, given the reporting range, So “tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt” could be a serious exaggeration.

The second thing to note is that Mitt Romney was demonized for being financially successful. Now, Walker is being demonized for outing purchases on a credit card. Could someone please tell me what the acceptable financial stats of a GOP presidential contender is? Maybe a net worth limit? Oh, and be sure to apply that same standard to Democrats like Hillary Clinton. For example, when she and Bill were “dead broke” after leaving the White House, were they guilty of the same offense as Walker is supposed to be? Is she no “fiscal conservative,” or does peddling influence make up for that misbehavior?

The Walker camp’s response at the very bottom of Edelman’s article is telling:

“Over the years, the governor has given $370,000 of his salary back to taxpayers,” AshLee Strong, a spokesperson for Walker’s Our American Revival PAC said. “He has two kids in college, parents who live with him, a mortgage, car payments, and small credit card use. All in all, pretty ordinary stuff.”

I’d say “pretty ordinary” is the right phrase. Here is a guy meeting his family obligations, buying stuff at Sears (kitchen appliances needing replacement?) and using credit card debt to tide himself over. I’d say that qualifies him as a pretty average American, and most definitely not the type of politician who enriches himself in office. The kind of guy his neighbors all admire.

Betsy Woodruff of The Daily Beast (another hat tip to LI) gets it:

The Boston Globe noted that Walker has the lowest net worth of any serious presidential contender: -$72,500.

That’s vastly lower than the next lowest, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who clocks in at $330,507. (snip)

Frugality is a part of his political identity, which places him in stark contrast to Mitt Romney. (snip)

When the folksy Wisconsinite ran for governor in 2010, he started a “Brown Bag Movement” to highlight the importance of fiscal responsibility.

Ever since Barack Obama took office, the public has been treated to the spectacle of his and his wife’s fondness for lavish living and celebrity friends, as stories of federal employees partying on the taxpayers’ dime have come in succession. Middle America is hard-pressed, and I am certain would welcome a presidential candidate who would lead by example, and impose frugality, even austerity, on the federal government.

All that’s missing is elitist sneers at Walker’s patronizing Sears instead of Bloomingdales. But hey, it’s early, so just you wait.