The Real Romney?
January 26th, 2008 by Bill ColleyPeople seem puzzled when I won’t give a blanket endorsement to Mitt Romney as the savior of our land. Yesterday there was a notice in the broadcast trade newsletters that the behemoth Clear Channel planned a hiring freeze and additional budget cuts. This is a company that has variously owned between 12-hundred and 15-hundred TV and radio stations. It’s the outgrowth of the 1996 Clinton/Gore Telecommunications Act, which promised more choices and variety. Apparently there wasn’t a date affixed with the promise.
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Clear Channel stands to make billions this year just through political advertising. The company is also planning to unload somewhere in the neighborhood of between 400 and 500 properties to Bain Capital. The face of Bain Capital is Mitt Romney. Imagine having a President controlling a large swath of the media. Something akin to this did happen in Ireland in the 1940s, 50s and 60s as the leader of that country controlled much of the media. There was little dissent and a stagnating economy but the media sang its leader’s praises and he continued on in positions of government power past the ripe old age of 90 and at death was hailed as the greatest Irish hero since the days of Boraime.Â
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The other day on the program I mentioned Bain Capital’s efforts to sell 3com to the communist Chinese. The company could allow an enemy to crack U.S. defense encryption codes. Perhaps the profit motive is greater than the security of our country? An on-air caller asked why we weren’t hearing much media attention of what could, in some quarters, be considered treason.Â
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Let me attest that work in the media is ever more difficult to obtain and finding a new position after losing a job is no picnic. If you’re going to have a new boss very soon are you willing to be the man or woman causing his reputation great harm? There are folks in the media who will argue these considerations never enter into the decision making process. Yes and these people also slay dragons and save damsels in distress. Do you believe there are elements of the media willing to lie? Consider this paragraph evidence.
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Reporters and editors and many talk show hosts are afraid. Witness reactions from Democrats in the Senate to comments made by Rush Limbaugh. Government isn’t happy with dissent. No government and no member of any government will tolerate dissent if there is an instrument for silencing. Ask a local state representative his feelings about the lack of cheerleading on my program.Â
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I work for a living and because my daughter needs my support. I’ve no intention of allowing her to fall under the sovereignty of a communist or crescent moon but increasingly we see elements of the establishment willing to sell our freedoms and future for profit. The threat is exponential when the seller is coupled with public office.Â
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For the Clintonistas the goal is power and only power. For Mitt Romney it may be power with the goal to enrich the self at public and national expense. Those of you complaining that McCain is no option have a question to answer. Where were your contributions and support for Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul or Duncan Hunter? In politics I trust my instinct and refuse to follow the herd. The only other metaphor I can see is that of lemmings racing over a cliff.Â
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Bill Colley
Notes From Home
January 26, 2008
January 28th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Mitt Romney does not work for Bain. He worked there on two occasions, but he is no longer employed there. This fact completely invalidates your arguments regarding Clear Channel and 3COM.
http://www.baincapitalprivateequity.com/team/index.asp?viewType=ByRegion&d_Region_ID=All
Nor does he work for Bain Capital Ventures, a subsidiary of Bain which Romney began.
http://www.baincapitalventures.com/our_team/index.asp?d_Bio_ID=0&Section=1,1,0&
From the Mitt Romney for President website:
“From 1978 to 1984, Mr. Romney was a Vice President at Bain & Company, Inc., a leading management consulting firm. In 1984, Romney founded Bain Capital, one of the nation’s most successful venture capital and investment companies. Bain Capital helped guide hundreds of companies on a successful course, including Staples, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Domino’s Pizza, Sealy, Brookstone, and The Sports Authority. He was asked to return to Bain & Company as CEO several years later in order to lead a financial restructuring of the organization. Today, Bain & Company employs more than 2,000 people in 25 offices worldwide.”
http://www.mittromney.com/Learn-About-Mitt/Mittxs_Biography
And more specifically regarding Romney’s tenure with Bain Capital I refer to an article from mondostars.com (The information is consistent with other sources but laid it all out in one cohesive paragraph for your easy reading.):
[b]Romney left Bain Capital in 1999 to head the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee.[/b] The games were facing a fiscal crisis, and there were allegations of bribery involving top officials, including then Salt Lake Olympic Committee (SLOC) President and CEO Frank Joklik. Joklik and SLOC vice president Dave Johnson were forced to resign. Romney revamped the organization’s leadership and policies, reduced budgets and boosted fundraising. He contributed $1 million to the Olympics, and donated the $825,000 salary he earned as President and CEO to charity. He wrote a book about his experience titled Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games.
http://www.mondostars.com/politics/mittromney.html
Romney’s Positions on Foreign Policy include:
*Tighten Economic Sanctions Against Iran.
*Isolate Iran Diplomatically.
*Have Arab States Join This Effort To Prevent A Nuclear Iran.
*Make It Clear To The Iranian People That While Nuclear Capabilities May Be A Source Of Pride, It Can Also Be A Source Of Peril.
*Expanding And Accelerating Actions To Combat Nuclear Terrorism.
*Empowering A Senior Ambassador To Lead Efforts To Prevent Nuclear Terrorism.
Romney’s positions on the major issues facing America include:
* Keeping Americans Safe at Home and Abroad
“We must strengthen our military and transform our domestic civilian international efforts to meet a new generation of global challenges.”
* Winning the Global Economic Competition
“We must improve America’s global competitiveness and unleash the American economy through lower taxes and less government.”
* Ending Our Dependence on Foreign Oil
“As long as we import much of our oil from unstable regions and countries, our national security and economic prosperity are threatened.”
* Curbing Out of Control Federal Spending
“Politicians from both parties in Washington, D.C. have spent too much money on too many programs for far too long.”
* Ending the Tide of Illegal Immigrants
“We must secure the border, implement an enforceable employer verification system, punish sanctuary cities and reject amnesty.”
* Reducing Spiraling Health Care Costs
“A free market, federalist approach to make quality, affordable health insurance available to every American.”
* Confronting Threats to American Culture, Values, and Freedoms
“The American values that have been at the heart of our historic rise to world leadership are being challenged everyday.”
* Raising the Bar on Education
“Improving our schools is critical to the future of our country and our economy. Closing the achievement gap in our schools is the civil rights issue of our time.”
* Strengthening Latin American Allies and Confronting Tyrants
“It is time for the United States to adopt a Latin American strategy that will strengthen the institutions of freedom.”
Now if we can do a little more due diligence on the tin-foil-hat-wearing camp instead of simply accusing a candidate falsely, it would be greatly appreciated.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
To me, Romney is a spoiled rich punk who could never sink down to the shoes of the lower working class. He does look like a president but that’s it. This is coming from a right winger. He is rated by his political record as equal to McCain as slightly a conservative more swayed towards moderate. Only Giuliani is more moderate than Romney and McCain. Thompson was the most right winged and next being Huckabee who is far more right than Romney and McCain. I didn’t take Paul into consideration. To Romney is a fake and prompted politician. Just as is Obama. It’s all a facade. This is a weak class which has me scared.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Yes, Romney has “divested”. I’m sure his website is as truthful as his rhetoric. If it’s on the ‘net then it’s got to be true.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
but being on the internet doesnt necessarily make it untrue…
January 28th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
And I’ve a researcher in New Orleans and he can cite evidence as well. Unless he’s busy reading Trivial Pursuit cards.
January 29th, 2008 at 7:18 am
“If it’s on the ‘net then it’s got to be true.”
Someone did some research and very methodically refuted everything in your ill-informed little rant, and that’s all you have?
January 29th, 2008 at 7:48 am
O.K. Quick follow up. You won’t find a financial paper trail with anyone serving or who has served in public office. When entering public life there are often trusts established. The other option is “sale” of assets. My favorite was the candidate I once did a story about who sold his assets to his wife and her siblings. Assuming the marriage wouldn’t falter the candidate has a nice retirement fund and an option for “purchase”.
These things said I’ve worked here for 5 months and haven’t seen any need to publicly question or criticize a coworker. It’s generally considered bad form. The idea of any posting at this site is to provoke thought, discussion or action. Much like a radio talk show. So I’m a bit perplexed.
January 29th, 2008 at 8:09 am
I’m not arguing against Romney being a Richie Rich pretty boy with long-time aspirations of the Presidency, I think that to some degree, the run for power must inhabit every player in the race.
On the contrary, I see Romney as a leader who has a proven track record of taking things from zero to hero without all the bloodletting that usually accompanies such efforts.
I only quoted his website one time and was rather exhaustive in researching Bain to find that he is not employed at any of their companies. If when you say he has ‘divested’ you mean to suggest that while he is no longer working but owns (via stock) parts of those companies, well, duh. If I worked for a company and knew of its potential earning capabilities and had the money to invest, I’d be much quicker to invest their than in unknown companies. Can you fault him for that?
Surely you don’t think he’s been running a company like that one while Governor of Massachusetts or running for President?
In all, I don’t understand your opposition to a man who got liberals in Mass. to vote for him twice.
His morals are present although they probably sway with the winds of change. This is common for a good politician to keep a wet finger flying in the wind. Some are better at this than others. He has experience, he’s smart and he’s electable against whatever the Dems toss at him.
January 29th, 2008 at 8:20 am
And… as to criticizing a co-worker, I was displaying an opposing opinion on a specific topic of which I am passionate. I spent two days explaining why I’m behind Romney and it’s mostly because of his track record of turning losing propositions into winning ones. It is possible you did not hear me do this.
Since I am not a regular on the air, my ability to re-state my opinions in the face of opposing views is only here, in print. I mean no ill-will.
Even if Romney is fully invested financially in those companies, he is not making decisions on how they operate. They are themselves investment companies who make decisions based on how they can profit. They have a full staff of people who do the research and make the decisions. I don’t understand the Romney connection with the workings of companies with which he is invested.
If I own stock in Disney and they continue their Gay Pride Days, is it my fault? If one of my IRA’s invests heavily in Burger King and they financially support Planned Parenthood, am I making the decision to put babies to death?
If you show me how Romney is involved in the selling of 3COM or that he is making decisions at Clear Channel (The Evil worldwide monster, I grant you) I may have a change of opinion on my support of him. But I will not penalize him for making wise financial decisions.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I’ll also cite the case of the Pyramid Companies. One of the largest developers in the country and yet not one company but several with no real indication of how these companies are all related. The founder claims he has no management oversight and is an equal partner with several other employees, yet he chairs daily meetings at 6:00 A.M. He’s also a member of President Bush’s buckaroo club or whatever the big donors are known as. By chance I’ve been to the 4400 acre hunting estate owned by the Pyramid Companies for the pleasure of the “founder”. I was a guest, making full disclosure, when I was employed by Clear Channel. Pyramid plans the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America and plans have included a 17,000 seat arena to be managed by Premier, which is a Clear Channel product. Do you not get that in modern corporate America structures are designed to be obscure for political and business reasons?
January 29th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Bill, as usual, you have to make unkind remarks in general regarding posts in which you disagree. Mr. Mixon is a “trivia expert” and from what I can gather, he does a fine job. He also has a very positive and pleasant attitude on the air and I look forward to hearing him on Fridays. To state ” your researcher in New Orleans just might be reading trivial pursuit cards ” was unnecessary, since you wre having a hard time accepting that another person somehow disagreed with you. Unbelievable !!!!!
January 29th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
“Even if Romney is fully invested financially in those companies, he is not making decisions on how they operate. They are themselves investment companies who make decisions based on how they can profit. They have a full staff of people who do the research and make the decisions. I don’t understand the Romney connection with the workings of companies with which he is invested.
If I own stock in Disney and they continue their Gay Pride Days, is it my fault? If one of my IRA’s invests heavily in Burger King and they financially support Planned Parenthood, am I making the decision to put babies to death?”
Why does anyone want to own stock in a company which openly (or not) does not support his or her core beliefs…or, specifically, flies in the face of them….except for financial gain…and isn’t that hypocritical, lacking integrity, talking out of both sides of the mouth? And Romney…or whichever candidate…enjoys such ’successes’, willing to compromise for money, power or status isn’t worthy of running a country in which I live. Not exactly trustworthy…then again…are any of candidates worthy, this time? Hardly………..
January 29th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Disney was gay? Did you ever hear the one about Mickey wanting a divorce from Minnie?
January 29th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Well, I wouldn’t blame him…she’s always running around with that Goofy and Pluto is never far behind.