The Post of the Day is about Mitt’s connections to the RWer propaganda machine
Grafic by Dan
(Note from Dan: The regular known as “Shrilliary” posted this on another thread, and it’s pretty interesting stuff, especially for the conspiracy minded. It traces GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s connections through Bain Capital to the chief purveyor of conservative propaganda in this day and age.)
“Did any of the progressives on this blog know about this connection?
I just happened upon this news from early 2012, and if I were a conspiracy “enthusiast” I think I should be worried about it, no?
1. Clear Channel Communications owns more radio stations (850) than anyone else in the United States. So, needless to say, Clear Channel basically owns conservative talk radio.
2. One of the subsidiaries of Clear Channel is Premiere Radio Networks. Premier is a wholly-owned division of [the above]Clear Channel Communications. Premiere Radio Networks is the company that syndicates the radio shows of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, among others
3. So who owns Clear Channel?
4. Bain Capital is one of the primary owners of Clear Channel. This company that Mitt Romney ran for so long, is one of the “big bosses” over virtually all conservative talk radio broadcasts in America. That deal was finalized in 2008. Today, Bain Capital is still one of the primary owners of Clear Channel. “He [Romney] is a “retired partner”, but he still has a huge financial stake in Bain Capital. We’re talking about millions upon millions of dollars.”
5. Now Romney can basically “own” the RW radio industry – having his minions act as his cheerleaders and propagandists – asking him “softball” questions, which is typical of Romney’s inadequate interviews, allowing him to do his usual gaming the system.
6. So, untangling this knot of secret deals:
- Romney owns a lot of Bain Capital;
- Bain Capital, in turns, owns Clear Channel Communications;
- Which in turn owns Premier Radio Networks [the RW propaganda machines],
- Which by extension, “owns” Rush Limbaugh;
- Which allows Romney unfettered access to Limbaugh’s low-information listeners;
- Which means that Romney, without one core belief, proceeds to buy his way towards the presidency.
How would the RWers react if you inserted the name Obama for Romney? The lunatics would run from the asylum called the Republican Party foaming at the mouth and tearing out their hair … and we would hear the constant drumbeat about unethical behavior … but for now, crickets…
Also, talk about gaming the system! Romney flew some black-conservative “audience” members to yesterday’s NAACP meeting, to ensure he would have some friendlies in the audience.
The republican game plan: lie, cheat, and steal to win any election…”
July 12, 2012 - 3:06 PM
I saw a really good bumper sticker…
” Apparently I am supposed to be more outraged by what Mitt Romney does with HIS money than by what 0bama does with MINE.”
1. You are getting ready to vote, you should certainly be concerned with what kind of person you are voting for.
pamadoodle @1 – some advice:
The wisdom of the Dalai Lama “Sometimes the best answer is silence.”
pammalla, bonus points for punctuation.
The Democrats already run every network but Fox and almost every newspaper including this one. Those conservative were trashing Romney when he was passing RomneyCare. I guess all that money didn’t buy him much loyalty.
The Democrats have become conspiracy kooks now.
Was Mitt making a stand at the NAACP convention or just pandering to the GOP base?
From his remarks at a fundraiser last night: “When I mentioned I am going to get rid of Obamacare, they weren’t happy … That’s okay, I want people to know what I stand for, and if I don’t stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that’s just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from the government, tell them to go vote for the other guy—more free stuff. But don’t forget nothing is really free.”
From Daily Kos: http://tinyurl.com/cg79k2v
I saw a really good bumper sticker…
” Apparently I am supposed to be more outraged by what Mitt Romney does with HIS money than by what 0bama does with MINE.”
That’s a great one, Pammala.
HERE COMES SUZIE’S GANG!!!
Protest President Obama
Due to overwhelming demand, we will be participating in a rally Friday evening to protest President Obama’s visit to Roanoke.
Why? Because of…
His wanton violations of the U.S. Constitution
His willful destruction of the U.S. economy that has caused untold pain to millions of citizens
His all out assault on individual freedom
His blatant assaults on religious freedom
President Obama will be visiting Roanoke and delivering a speech in downtown Roanoke at 7:30 PM. We will begin the protest by gathering at 6:30 PM at the main stage at Elmwood Park. There are numerous groups and individuals participating in this peaceful event. More information can be found at this Facebook page. Please RSVP.
For God and Country,
Chip Tarbutton
President
Roanoke Tea Party
Where & When:
Friday, July 13, 2012
Starts at the Main Stage
Elmwood Park Roanoke, VA, 24018
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Stay tuned for additional information on the event. Please bring a sign and be willing to join your voices to others in our area who have enough of that “hopey/changey stuff.” There will be a lot of press and security so this will need to be another example of how effective and meaningful peaceful protests are conducted. Stay tuned for further information.
Roanoke Tea Party
P.O. Box 20285
Roanoke Virginia 24018
United States
Wow, so Mitt once worked for a company that was owned by the uncle of someone who was his across the street neighbor who’s old college-acquaintance’s brother-in-law bought a company who had once been owned by a man who had the same zodiac sign as Rush Limbaugh. Therefore Mitt tells Rush Limbaugh what to say.
Did you people know I’m only three degrees from Chiang Kai-Shek?
You are gonna be zero degrees from next Christmas if you don’t get me a beer.
@BilBo: Please, take your Tea Party nincompoops and go get a clue. Not one of the things you posted there is anywhere close to being a reality. Perhaps you should put the pipe down for a little while. Seriously. You people are out of your gourds.
I wish I had some antidepressants to sell the libs on this blog in November. They are delusional.
You’re about one degree away from full-fledged sociopath.
#9
That’s funny . I’d have guessed you were one degree from Hitler, George Wallace, Ross Barnett, and Fred Phelps.
Re: Comment by Suzie — July 12, 2012 @ 5:18 pm
So that where old Rants & Raves (w/ lies) got the alleged engineering degree.
Wonder what the other two are?
Even Haley Barbour has stated publicly that Mr. Romney should make public his tax return copies. Until he does, he will be greeted with these questions daily!!!
Who Exactly is Mitt Romney Lying to?
By ThinkProgress War Room on Jul 12, 2012
It’s Time for Mitt Romney to Come Clean
An explosive report in today’s Boston Globe has raised even more questions about
Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital and what he’s hiding in his tax returns.
Here’s the rundown.
WHAT MITT ROMNEY SAYS: He says left Bain Capital in February 1999 to go run the
Olympics and had nothing to do with the company after that and is therefore not
responsible for the factories it closed, workers it laid off, and jobs it shipped
overseas.
WHAT OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS SAY:
“Until 2002, when Romney and Bain Capital finalized a severance agreement, he
remained the firm’s ‘sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive
officer and president,’ according to SEC documents. [...]“
“Romney’s state financial disclosure forms indicate he earned at least $100,000 as a
Bain ‘executive’ in 2001 and 2002, separate from investment earnings.”
His name appears several times in various official documents filed with the SEC and
signed by Romney. For example, his name appears 18 times in this February 14, 2000
filing and seven times in this January 25, 2002 filing.
WHY IT MATTERS: Mitt Romney has either been lying to the public about his role at
Bain Capital or filing false documents with the SEC. Here’s how a former SEC
commissioner explains it:
Roberta Karmel, a former SEC commissioner who served during President Jimmy Carter’s
administration, said the documents raise questions about Romney’s role at Bain after
the GOP contender says he left the company.
“It’s a criminal offense to file a false document with the SEC,” Karmel said. “And
if that isn’t true, then he made a false filing, which is something I don’t think he
wants to claim.”
She continued: “If he listed himself and he was getting paid, he was legally
responsible.”
“Either you’re the owner or you’re not the owner,” Karmel added. “You can’t have it
both ways.”
And since Romney was legally responsible for Bain Capital and making money from it,
he should take responsibility for all of its activities, like these job losses
Romney doesn’t want to accept responsibility for:
– GS Industries – 750 Jobs Lost: In a series of ads earlier this year, the Obama
campaign hit Romney over Bain Capital’s purchase of GS Industries, a steel company
that closed its Kansas City plant and eliminated 750 jobs in February 2001. The
Romney campaign responded by claiming that Romney had left Bain Capital well before
2001, and was therefore not tied to the collapse of the GS. Bain Capital and its
executives, including Mitt Romney, earned at least $12 million on the initial
investment.
– KB Toys – Up to 3,500 Jobs Lost: During the primary season, Newt Gingrich’s 30
minute documentary on Romney and Bain Capital spent a significant amount of time
focused on KB Toys, a retail chain bought by Bain in 2000. At the time, the Romney
campaign, with an assist from fact-checking groups like PolitiFact, pointed to the
calendar. As these new filings show, Romney was still very much at Bain Capital when
they purchased KB Toys, and profited mightily when the company took out crippling
loans to pay Bain Capital an $83 million dividend.
– Dade International – 1,700 Jobs Lost: Months after Romney claims to have left the
company, Bain Capital received a $242 million bounty for its stake in the medical
supply company. Romney profited substantially from the deal. In 2002, Dade
International filed for bankruptcy, costing more than 1,700 people their jobs. At
the time, Romney was the 100 percent owner of Bain Capital, the new documents show.
–DDi Corporation – 275 Jobs Lost: In 1996, the circuit board manufacturer was bought
by a group of investors, with Bain Capital in the lead, for more than $40 million.
By December 1999, DDi closed a Colorado plant and fired 275 workers. Bain Capital,
with Romney still listed as Chairman and CEO, then proceeded to take DDi public,
raising $170 million during the company’s IPO in 2000. Over the next few months,
Bain began selling off its stock, raising almost $100 million, more than doubling
its investment. The stock plummeted shortly thereafter.
HOW DO WE GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS: The only way we can get to the bottom of
Romney’s time at Bain Capital, his shady foreign accounts and secret Bermuda
corporation are for him to release his tax returns going all of the way back to at
least 1999. He provided 23 years of tax returns to John McCain in 2008 when he was
being vetted for vice president, so it should not be difficult for him to produce
them and put all of this to rest. If he continues to keep them secret, one is only
left to wonder what Mitt Romney has to hide?
#9 most ill-informed’s comment
The embodiment of “Stupid is as stupid does.”
I remember reading about that connection too, it is interesting. So is this one: http://bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2012/07/11/government-documents-indicate-mitt-romney-continued-bain-after-date-when-says-left/IpfKYWjnrsel4pvCFbsUTI/story.html
Romney is more nefarious than even I believed and I am a believer.
Obama 2012 is the only choice.
Suzie…no didnt know that..
But always assumed you were 1 or 2 degrees seperated
from Uncle Looney..(old time ROA-ers) know who im talking about.
..and as for a couple of degrees..Amelia Earhart was off just a little
..but it turned out to matter a lot.
Its not how many degrees you are off. Its for how long youve been
clueless while the navigational errors pile up.
Thanks for clearing that up, Suzie. And here I was thinking it was Romney himself that had a stake in Bain.
“I just happened upon this news from early 2012, and if I were a conspiracy “enthusiast” I think I should be worried about it, no?”
No. In fact, quite the opposite. These connections have been in wide view for years, and as a conspiratorial reality it misses widely.
In fact, the intersecting business models for Clear Channels’s radio monopolization, RW talk syndication, and Bain’s stake in Clear Channel are a story playing out right now that’s MUCH more interesting.
It amounts to Clear Channel being a hostage as the private equity partners-including Bain-do what appears to be the typical Bain strategy of financial looting before a bankruptcy and/or subsidiary spinoff. A lawsuit charges that Clear Channel’s outdoor billboard subsidiary has been used as an involuntary source of cash payments to special investors (Bain) using lowball promissory notes, thus increasing the debt load while distorting earnings reports, hurting the value of the outdoor ad business without benefit to the parent company, and only enriching the limited beneficiaries of the special payment. Basically, it’s a version of the old “bankruptcy bust out” scam, but given legalized status if done with financial assets instead of refrigerators or cars. That’s after already borrowing billions against the whole parent company to pay themselves an earlier “special dividend”, and THAT’S after buying the company with debt in the first place, all moves typical of Bain’s private equity model. Bain buy a company with money borrowed against the value of the company then borrow even more money to fund special dividends that would mean a huge profit for them and likely bankruptcy for the company.
Meanwhile, on the radio side, Clear Channel’s RW talk business, particularly Rush Limbaugh, is causing declines in the asset value of the radio syndication subsidiary, and costing the company $38 million a year to Limbaugh for rights of diminished value. Although the values in RW talk models are in flux, Limbaugh’s deal is largely unaffected by the Bain looting unless he were to alienate the Clear Channel partnership, so he makes no issue of it.
Clear Channel is losing a large slice of advertising revenue for a broadcaster they are paying $38 million a year. The company has a market cap under $6 billion, and $19 billion in debt. Despite a junk bond rating, the company is planning to borrow another $2.2 billion to pay a $2 billion dividend to Bain Capital. That will leave the company with a market cap of $3.3 billion, and $21.2 billion in debt with $4 billion due in 2014 and another $12 billion up to 2016. There is also an investigation underway into insider trading in Clear Channel stock.
To recast it all as a contemporary metaphor, it is as if Bain Capital and parners are doing a Sandusky on another corporate victim (i.e., the second class investors without control like pension funds, and debt holders), while Limbaugh joins some others protecting their piece of the money pile by turning away and saying nothing, Penn State style.
The saga of Bain and Clear Channel is not about minions doing RW bidding. It is about Bain doing what it did many times during Romney’s leadership, taking over a company through low rated debt and a minimal investment of their own. But not taking over as a long range operating investment, not to be a job creator, not as a beneficial supplier of liquidity in public financial markets; no, only taking over in order to extract cash for the takeover team, and relying on the schizophrenic nature of corporate “personhood” to avoid responsibilty for the ensuing mess.
So if Bain capital didn’t own some of CC, the “right wing” radio programs would support Obama? No, Rush etc. would still support the Conservative candidate. Your logic fails Shril, just like Obama’s leadership. Bain wants to make money like any business. They’d probably even invest in liberal talk shows and programs like the Maddow show, if anyone bothered to listen to or watch them.
You’re about one degree away from full-fledged sociopath
Normal people outside the blog would say you’re the sociopath, scooter.
I’d have guessed you were one degree from Hitler
That would mean I met him, moron. Sheesh. LOL.
Romney is more nefarious than even I believed
You really have to have a lot of hatred in your heart to make Mitt into a villain. The guy is as honest and squeaky clean as a guy can get. Great family man. Great career. Even his campaign zingers don’t sound mean or personal. People who are looking for stuff dirt to go back 50 years for some silly prank. Now all you’re left with is making up lies such as Romney outsourcing jobs, something even leftwing “‘fact-checking” sites are refuting.
But I’m sure you have a reservoir of hatred to pull it off anyway.
Warren,
Interesting stuff on the Clear Channel bust out. What I want to know is, how do they find the suckers who buy those junk bonds? Why do the suckers buy them? Surely they look at the market cap and debt load before they loan the money.
William Bova; how dare you introduce facts into this discussion. Shame. Shame. Shame.
No J Swift, the right wing would still not support Obama, but that is not the point. The “infiltration” of the right wing partisan influence in media, education, lobbying and buying pols is assuring the Plutocracy and you will cheer it on like a puppet until it is your butt it bites obviously.
I’m sure the kinder gentler Bob will have Dan, gdad and the others making a wise choice and voting for our next President, Mitt Romney!
Today the Mittster got the kiss of death—a full throated endorsement by the currently most unpopular politician in the modern history of the United States. He loudly proclaimed Mitt’s outstanding foreign policy credentials. He’s just the man whose foreign policy experience we can trust to make a meaniongful endorsement—not!
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/cheney-calls-romney-only-man-able-lead-country-021944293.html?_esi=1
All of Romney’s foreign policy campaign advisors are neocons fresh off the staffs of Cheney and Bush. Aftyer the hash they made of foreign policy for 8 years, that is just what the cpuntry needs. Has Romney lost his mind?
Sandi,
You seem just a bit confused. The right has no stranglehold on the media. CNN, MSNBC, NYT and our RT are examples of the left’s influence on our media. As far as education is concerned, most colleges and universities are liberal as is the NEA. Anyone can lobby, and both parties spend lots of money there. Conservatives want the government out of our lives; liberals want it in every part of our lives, so that’s the group for which you better protect your “behind.”
Calling people who disagree with you “suckers” is supposed to advance the discussion in what manner?
It is a shame that such a bully has been given a voice by this rag of a paper.
The hatred is showing.
Hey William, see you tonight. Facts rub some of these folks the wrong way, but they will come around by election time. It will surely be a peaceful protest, until a rabid left winger gets up in someones face.
Look on the bright side. It is kind for President Obama to stop buy Roanoke and give a cookie cutter “Blame” anybody but me speech. With luck, the last time President Narcissist, I mean Obama will step foot in town as an elected official!
“Calling people who disagree with you “suckers” is supposed to advance the discussion in what manner?
It is a shame that such a bully has been given a voice by this rag of a paper.”
CJ,
You are being misleading. It was a question to Warren, predicated on comments he made in comment #21 about Clear Channel and its debt load. Did you even read that comment?
I used the word “suckers” not as a reference to people who disagree with me, as you asserted, but as a specific reference to people who buy junk bonds in a company that is 1. undercapitalized and 2. overloaded with debt, and who are likely to end up holding worthless paper.
Why are you trying to make the reference seem like something it’s not?
Bainers are the new Birthers.
Getting the endorsement of the Administration that had 4.5% unemployment and a low deficit is the kiss of death. Sure it is. I’ll take that kiss every day.
#32 CJ, buddy, you need to read more closely. Dan called the people who buy junk bonds “suckers.” Jeesh.
#36 OK, Dan posted his comment as I was writing mine.
J Swift, no, I do not believe I am the one who is “a bit confused”. I did not say the right wing had any “stranglehold on the media”. Thankfully they only have a “stranglehold” on some people. I do not view all media as biased and being able to think for myself, I can still appreciate the truth even if it is delivered in a biased manner. Apparently the right wing cannot.
The truth is that the right wing has been doggedly infiltrating the media, education and politics, using the claim that the left wing is already there. “The truth has a well known liberal bias” for a reason. But that is more than right wingers can bear.
It is patently dishonest to claim “Conservatives want the government out of our lives” you know better and still say it. It is also patently dishonest to whine that “liberals want it in every part of our lives” but you say that too. It strips you of any integrity and helps me appreciate why so many of you blog anonymously. Conservatives want DIFFERENT spending and DIFFERENT intervention in our lives, but history has proven they want both. Did Reagan clear the deficits or the debt? Did Bush 1 or 2? Nixon was the last GOPer to even try. Saint Reagan GREW the government and yet he is worshiped still (mainly in fantasy terms). Nope, you are just not honest.
#8 Any sane human being will just avoid the whole area no matter which side you’re on. Although I have to admit that checking out some of the tinfoil folks like Sharon N would be highly entertaining.
Haley Barbour, Fraternity Man Ole Miss. Sigma Alpha Epsolon (SAE).
Obamas leading by 3 points in VA. I’m sure he’ll get a warm welcome in Roanoke….sorry I can’t be there.
#41 Hmm, where I went to school, the SAEs were the Southerners who burned furniture in the middle of the road. Just for the heck of it.
Sandi and Others
Why is it you all are so angry? Every post I read it’s like you all are angry that conservatives even exist. Life is good relax enjoy life. In the scheme of things is it really that important? I have a very good friend that was diagnosed with ALS two years ago; nothing works now except his eyes, and brain, now that is a problem. Your right Sandi I do enjoy this but at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter.
Now, let’s see, right wingers have assured us on this blog that Kaine is running from Obama, yet he’s appearing with him in Roanoke. How does that work again?
The thing is Henry, there are just not enough birthers and deathers to help the Bainer.
Gdad, Good Fraternity founded at The University of Alabama most chapters have lions statues out front. William Faulkner and Phil Jackson SAE’s
Most of the leaders at Ole Miss were Sigma Nu’s which was founded in the town where you went to school. Sigma Nu was founded after my Fraternity ATO was founded. The legend is the founders of Sigma Nu were a group of guys that could not get in ATO. Archie and Eli Manning are are both Sigma Nu’s from Ole Miss
I’m very glad that Kaine is with Obama. Kaine is guaranteed to lose. Obama vs Romney at this time is still a toss up. I respectfully ask that you folks vote for Romney.
Thanks, and have a good day. Don’t drink. It’s overrated!
Michael, you have not seen me “angry”. I am, in general a laughing cut up and a rather quick wit, I also do not seem to have a “check valve”. I am in reaction mode on this blog because the right wingers bring their ignorance, hate, bigotry and distorted view of reality. If the truth seems angry to you, that is your issue to deal with. I do not suffer fools although I admit I pull my punches on people I like or generally agree with. Certainly your own selective call-outs prove the same is true for you.
14.#9
“That’s funny . I’d have guessed you were one degree from Hitler, George Wallace, Ross Barnett, and Fred Phelps”.
Comment by dave — July 12, 2012 @ 5:51 pm
Hey Dave speaking of Hitler watch this,
http://www.180movie.com
I must admit that i skimmed the comment and my comment was not as accurate as it should have been. Suckers in the context it was used was
fine. My apologies.
Apology accepted, CJ.
Shrilliary let’s see ….. is she the one on the commercials saying “shame on you Barack Obama”? O Wait … I’m confusing her with the party girl secretary of state. My bad.
I knew several members of the ATO chapter at VT, still friends with them too. I didn’t have the time to do much of anything like that aside from XE and TBP for engineering; I was working about 30 hours a week too much, on top of my studies. But in the time that I was around VT, aside from some good keggers and competitive games of beer pong, the greek organizations were pretty tame and well-behaved, and even those parties were pretty well-controlled too, to make sure they didn’t run afoul of the law.
#512 Wow, that’s one you’ve never linked to before, will.
I saw Obama created more “couch potato” jobs today by ripping the guts out of the Welfare Reform Act. Pandering to those who vote for “their” living. This ought to sit well with no-one. Hope the boo-birds don’t get him tonight.
#54 You won’t mind if we crank up the commercials with Romney’s conservative primary opponents calling him a flip flopper and liberal and pointing out his lies, will you, will?
Hey will, speaking of abortion, see this:
http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/D/0/7/romney_invested_in_medicalwaste_firm_that_disposed_of_aborted_fetuses_government_documents_show/
They aren’t saying Boo walker, they’re saying “Nooooke”
@60 – That’s already been discounted. By several sources, including Dems.
“The investment in question: Stericycle, a medical waste company that, among other things, disposed of aborted fetuses.
How could the Stericycle investment be used against Romney?
Bain’s involvement in a company that disposed of aborted fetuses could make a powerful final week direct mail piece or attack ad on Christian radio. And in a close election, turnout of the religious right is one of the keys to a Romney victory in November.
Bain negotiated the Stericyle investment deal in November 1999, nine months after Romney said he left.”
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/12/politics/john-king-bain/index.html?hpt=hp_c1
Romney left in February 99 -
Sorry @59
Another blow to the lies –
Assuming Romney was involved with Bain through the end of 1999 and involved in the deal obviously doesn’t make him responsible for Stericycle’s business collected aborted babies from abortion clinics. Bain itself — after Romney left the company — divested from Stericycle well before it began its abortion-connected operations.
As Mother Jones notes: “In 2001, the Bain-Madison Dearborn partnership that had invested in the company sold 40 percent of its holdings in Stericycle for about $88 million—marking a hefty profit on its original investment of $75 million. The Bain-related group sold the rest of its holdings by 2004. It was not until six years later that anti-abortion activists would target Stericycle for collecting medical waste at abortion clinics.”
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/07/04/left-wing-blogs-falsely-attack-romney-on-abortion-stericycle/
Walker, it is indeed true that Romney has said he left Bain in February of 99.
But he also filed corporate docs with the SEC indicating he led the company through 2002 and was “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president” and that he had created five new investment partnerships during between 99 and 2002.
And he filed Masschuasetts financial disclosure forms in 2003 indicating he received a salary (exclusive of investment income) of at least $100,000, as an executive of Bain, in 2001 and 2002.
And his severance agreement with Bain was finalized in 2002, but was retroactive to 1999.
The discrepancy between his statements, and those filings has created quite a bit of controversy. It will be interesting to see whether Romney says that he misspoke about the Feb. 99 date or miswrote on the securities and financial disclosure docs.
Maybe a “Checkers” speech is in order.
Loved the caption on the pic with the story in the Boston Globe today: “Mitt Romney’s campaign asked for a correction on Thursday’s Globe story, but did not dispute any facts in the article.”
@60 – Looks like they will need parkas. Shucks.
http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/graph/Roanoke+VA+24018:4:US
@64 True, but it doesn’t change anything. The left is trying to connect the dots but can’t.
On a media conference call about the Globe story, Stephanie Cutter, Obama’s deputy campaign manager, said the story proves that Romney had “full control” of Bain during this time and “therefore directly responsible” for decisions made at companies in which Bain invested. “Either Mitt Romney, through his own words and his own signature, was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the SEC, which is a felony. Or he was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the American people to avoid responsibility for some of the consequences of his investments,” Cutter said.
But we see little new in any of these SEC filings, and a University of Pennsylvania Law School professor we spoke to sees no basis for the Obama campaign’s claim that Romney committed a felony.
None of the SEC filings show that Romney was anything but a passive, absentee owner during that time, as both Romney and Bain have long said. It should not surprise anyone that Romney retained certain titles while he was working out the final disposition of his ownership, for example.
http://factcheck.org/2012/07/romneys-bain-years-new-evidence-same-conclusion/
Okay Walker, let’s try this; we’ll form a company. I’ll claim to pay you part of the profits, actually will pay you, will call you a corporate officer and the sole stockholder in filings with the SEC, and you’ll sign you’re name swearing to the SEC under penalty of a felony that it’s true.
Meanwhile the company will accomplish numerous deals in which we transfer ownership and install management teams far quicker than three years. Then, notwithstanding the profits from the company in your bank account (Swiss, Cayman Islands, or anywhere else), you will vigorously deny to your friends and the SEC that what you swore to was true, and will use a claim that any timing discrepancies are due to being unable to change ownership and management in less than three years.
How can you refuse? After all, what’s a little felony perjury when it will bring you more money?
Comment by will — July 13, 2012 @ 1:01 pm @54
Good grief will, even that is below your usual low information statements…
J.Swift @ 31 “Conservatives want the government out of our lives; liberals want it in every part of our lives,”
You got it wrong, conservatives want the government “out of our lives” BUT in our vaginas – they loooooove the transvaginal ultra sound, having legislated it across the land, or did you forget about that already?
I saw Obama created more “couch potato” jobs today by ripping the guts out of the Welfare Reform Act.
That was horrible, Walker. Undoing all that good work by the 104th Congress, and by executive order. This is the same welfare act Clinton took credit for many times. This ought to be hammered loud and long by Romney since the MSM won’t do their job and hammer it.
most ill-informed @25…just to keep you abreast of the news developing since yesterday on your outsourcing fact-less comment:
Regarding the information that according to you was proven not to be accurate, well, nope, you are wrong again.
“…a fact-checking column in The Post [...] was highly skeptical of the Obama ad. But the column appeared before a news article in The Post on June 21 that took a deeper look at Bain and identified companies that the firm had invested in that helped other companies move call centers and manufacturing overseas.”
“That conclusion was based in part on the fact that Mr. Romney left Bain in 1999 to run the Salt Lake City Olympics, before two companies that Bain invested in moved work from the United States to Mexico, in 2000 and 2001.”
“On Thursday, that timeline was thrown into question by a report in The Boston Globe that securities filings named Mr. Romney as the owner, president and chief executive of Bain during the period. It is unclear whether he made hands-on decisions during that time”.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/us/politics/accusing-obama-of-untruths-over-outsourcing.html
Do you get it, he testified in 2002 that he was in charge of Bain, on his SEC filings he was listed as President and CEO of Bain, and now he wants everyone he had nothing to do with Bain after 1999. So which is it, did he lie back then, or is he lying now?
Please try and keep up with the news…and Romney being caught in his daily and multiple lies. The Liar in Chief is what he is striving for evidently.
#22 Comment by J Swift — July 12, 2012 @ 9:40 pm
So you wouldn’t be running around with your hair on fire if a company run by the President owned, say Disney, who owned ABC news, and that news organization constantly ran only positive stories about the President and made up stuff about say, Romney?
Good to know.
Well to add to Romney’s lying about not being in any way involved with Bain after Feb 1999 – which he continued to say this evening, over and over – this might be a “pant on fire” moment – since Bain’s own records indicate Romney was paid $100,000 for the three years following 1999.
That’s right, Bain’s own records show he was being paid even when he claimed today to having no involvement with Bain after Feb 1999.
Wow, Bain pays you $100,000 x 3years = $300,000 for doing nothing…not a good business model….
Shrilliary,
In case you haven’t noticed, Romney is on the defensive, big time. The outsourcing stuff in the Washington Post stung, but this Bain stuff really really hurts. I just heard him on the radio news, and it was all about “these unfair personal attacks on me!”
Personal, schmersonal. He’s the one who said he left the company in 99. He’s the one who signed the docs that indicate otherwise, under penalty of perjury. Now he’s saying, “How dare anyone question this big, fat, giant discrepancy.”
And this is not going away, at least not until he releases his income tax returns from those years, on which you have to list your employer and your occupation. The way things smell, he can’t do that without handing his critics more evidence that he lied about leaving Bain in 99. Which is why he said today he wouldn’t release any more prior year returns.
And THAT means the questions are going to continue. Which will continue hurting him.
If Obama’s smart, at the first debate (assuming the GOP hasn’t dumped Romney by then) Obama will show up with his tax returns for the last 12 years and hand out copies. What a laugher that would be. . .
and Romney when forced to release his 2010 which he had to amend to show the Swiss bank account…don;t think he can amend the last ten years without it looking, shall we say, suspicious?
“Mitt Romney will amend his financial disclosure forms to show he earned interest from a Swiss bank account that was closed in 2010.”
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/01/mitt-romney-swiss-bank-account-disclosure-/1#.UADUc5HzYs4
The Romney campaign tonighthas issued a statement that the Mikttster will only release one more tax return- the one for 2011- and that one only after his accountants have filed on his extension in October. He is feeding the fuel to the fire that there are things in those returns that will be embarrassingmto him and a big time problem for his campaign..
Ron Paul may knock him off yet!
Wonder if Mitt will really get the nomination after all. Sounds like a lot of Republicans don’t agree with his stand on tax returns and just may be willing to dump him before the convention. Maybe they can bring bacdk crazy Rick Santorum and pair him up with Micherlle Bachmann. Then the lasndslide would really be on!
George H.W. Bush asks an interesting question in this Sunday’s Parade Magazine interview. He wonders “Who the hell is Grover Norquist>” I believe he also says something to the effect that those who sign the Norquist pledge are fools. Pretty good summation of today’s Republicans IMO.
#72 That’s really good of J Swift to be so understanding.
Wonder if Mitt will really get the nomination after all. Sounds like a lot of Republicans don’t agree with his stand on tax returns and just may be willing to dump him before the convention
Right. They’re going to dump the prohibitive favorite over a made-up charge. Did you get your meds mixed up, Dave?
Dave is kidding about the GOP dumping Mitt before the convention. But I’m not. This Bain thing is hurting him bigtime, and he’s squealing like a stuck pig. You can bet that other Repubs are calling him, saying “Enough, already, just release the damn returns!”
For whatever reason,Mitt has decided he can’t. The price might be too high.
This makes the dog on the car thing look like kid stuff.
#80 most ill-informed posted “Right. They’re going to dump the prohibitive favorite over a made-up charge. Did you get your meds mixed up, Dave?”
“prohibitive favorite”? Geez, you shouldn’t talk about “meds” while off your own. I will guess you mean the P R E S U M P T I V E
republican candidate…
Your welcome.
Dan
I was only half kidding. I think there must really be some bombshells in those tax returns and if Romney doesn’t get ahead of this story somehow, it is going to kill him. He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.
Somehow, investigative reporters are going to find out what he’s hiding and it’s going to come out anyway. He’d be a lot n
better off disclosing now, taking the bullets and getting it out of the way before Sept. unless it’s so bad he knows it will drown him before the convention.
Romney released 23 years worth of tax returns to McCain while fawning to become his VP…so, 23 years to be VP, and 2 years to be President…something doesn’t pass the sniff test.
“Romney released 23 years worth of tax returns to McCain while fawning to become his VP…so, 23 years to be VP, and 2 years to be President…something doesn’t pass the sniff test.”
Maybe John McCain will release Romney’s taxes. . .
Maybe thats why mccain didn’t pick Romney for veep