He said that "and less." In places where there is a higher cost of living than average that is indeed middle income and not exactly going to make someone be flush with cash. Small Business owners also are taxed for income like this but actually in most cases pay themselves far, far less.
Looks like another invented "gaffe" for the media. I was flipping through channels and there was some panel talking about how this was a bad week on the issue of foreign policy for Mitt Romney - yes - for Mitt Romney.
Also remember that the middle class with this income includes thousands of small business owners whom have $200,000+ as their “income” but after expenses of running the business have much less. Think of your locally/family owned stores and resturants, including some small chains where the owner is an independent franchisee. Back in my hometown, and probably yours too, there is the local bakery, garage, barber shop, farm implement sales, lumber yard, retail stores. Each of those owners are middle class and have gross incomes over $200K but once the bills are paid, the profit that the business owner lives on as income is much less than $200K. Something I learned from my grandfather who ran a country general store and “everyone” though was RICH, just because he ran the store, kept it open 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, with him his wife, and my parents as the employees.
Our Mom and Pop makes about that and I wouldn’t call it rich in any respect. And in a Boston, NY, Chicago, DC, it’s certainly not rich either.