A Tale of 2 (Rich) Candidates

John Edwards and Mitt Romney are both self-made millionaires who used their wealth to climb the political ladder, the New York Times reports. But Edwards is an old-school populist who chalks up the current 1920s-level income gap to Reaganesque policies eroding the middle class, while Romney thinks the key to growth is laissez-faire economics.

Edwards says he wants to slash Bush tax cuts as president; Romney wants to extend the free market to health care. Their diverging views reflect their career paths: Romney made his $350 million fortune making smart investments as the head of a consulting firm, while Edwards amassed his $30 million by going after big business as a lawyer.