Add Bain to list of things we cannot discuss

Legall Insurrection ^ | 1/11/2012 | William Jacobson

[Lakeshark]

Politico has a story about Newt agreeing not to go after Romney any more about Bain, and Newt was just on Hannity’s radio show on the issue. (I’ll post the audio if I can get it.)

Newt said there are three or four instances where the record is really bad and Romney needs to defend it. Newt said the challenge is not to the model but how Romney acted in specific instances, and how odd it is that Romney runs on his business record but doesn’t want to discuss the record.

Newt made the point that it is impossible to discuss the issue without being accused of class warfare by people trying to protect Romney, but the issue will come up if Romney is the nominee without knowing how much it would hurt Romney.

Newt did not back away from the issue, but said he is moving on.

You know my position. Newt is making a purely political decision to move on. Once he lost Rush and Hannity on the issue — wrongly I believe — it no longer was politically tenable.

So we will go through the primary process and possibly nominate someone with a potentially devastating electability problem. The electablility problem will not go away, we just will not find out how bad it is until September and October 2012.

So add Bain to the list of things we cannot discuss, for fear of being labeled anti-capitalist. Along with Jeremiah Wright, for fear of being called racist.

[Kansas58]

Wrong, entirely wrong.
Bain, and companies like Bain, get involved when a company is having trouble.
Bankruptcy or Bain? That is the question these companies asked themselves before getting involved with Bain.

This is what SHOULD happen.

Private Equity firms like Bain are CAPITALISM at work. The exact opposite of the Obama bailouts.

(Though Romney has done an AWFUL job, thus far, in explaining this point.)

[Jim from C-Town]

Rush is first and foremost about Rush. As he should be.

[demas415]

I recently joined this site because I heard it was solidly conservative. With Newt and half of the people here advancing Marxist arguments against venture capitalism, it appears as though conservatism has already lost, regardless of what happens in the election.

[Lakeshark]

Well, I disagree, the argument was quite winnable, if you saw Newt's discussion on Morning Joe yesterday, he had it nailed.

Not all capital endeavor is something to be applauded, Enron, the activity of the unions, and Larry Flint are just a few that are testimonials to that idea.

[dfwgator]

Rush is first and foremost about Rush. As he should be.

And yet his liberal detractors still believe he issues marching orders to his minions.

[Utmost Certainty]

Yawn. Your arguments are stinky platitudes. Sounds like a naive Capitalista demagogue who conflates government-rigged corporatism with free-market entrepreneurialism.

[Lakeshark]

Hey, who are you calling a minion?

**Looking up minion in dictionary**

[dfwgator]

I have a question for the Romney defenders, how did his Bain experience make him a better Governor of Massachusetts?

[bigbob]

And your source (with data to back it up) is....? Newt is also a hypocrite for raising this argument, as he also served on an advisory board for PE firm Forstmann Little from 1999-2001. This board that Gingrich served on met twice a year in Manhattan at either the “21″ Club or at the Four Seasons, and involved potential investments, principally in the health care industry. Gingrich made personal investments in some of the companies held by Forstmann Little.

[dfwgator]

[Kansas58]

Sure, I get it.
You are biased towards one personality and biased against another personality.
I do not like Mitt on gun rights.
I do not like Mitt on Romneycare.
I do not like Mitt on abortion.
Well, lets say I do not trust the man, since he seems to change with the wind.
However, “False witness against thy neighbor” is still a sin to me, and though I will not vote for Romney in this Primary, I will not allow stupid LEFTIST attacks against Romney to go unchallenged.
This election cycle is VERY important.
However, the conflict between Capitalism/Liberty vs Communism/Tyranny will continue no matter the vote in November.
Newt's stupid comments helped the Left.
I am upset with Newt.
I still support him, but I am mad at him.

[swampfox101]

OUCH....! That had to hurt...! Captialist want it both ways.

[Kansas58]

A true “Pump and Dump” is ILLEGAL!
Got any evidence?

Full disclosure, you are arguing with a Series 7 CFP.

That does not make me perfect, but I know more than the average bear.

[Kansas58]

Where does your logic end?
you would fit well in the Obama admin with logic like that! Another point: Where is the evidence that Bain every received government bail outs or government financing? Bain is the ALTERNATIVE to a government bail out!

[dfwgator]

Separation of Business and State!

[SVTCobra03]

Romney = Gordon Gekko.

[swampfox101]

Rush chose Mittens and savaged Newt.... Rush made his choice.....

[livius]

He was talking about the way Bain operated, which was not by doing the hard work of investing in a firm and either rebuilding it or taking it down and bringing something else out of it. Bain went after the quick, short term profit that came from stripping a company of its assets and dumping it, and also relied on government guarantees (bailouts) in some cases when it miscalculated and there wasn’t enough profit in its usual strategy.

The capitalism that has brought prosperity to our country is not the same thing as highway robbery or a bully snatching candy from a weaker kid. Declaring that it is, and that any way that somebody wants to get money out of somebody else is automatically good (in the bizarre Ayn Rand-ish way I am seeing here) does a great disservice to capitalism.

[Califreak]

Are those Ron Paul’s peeps?

[greyfoxx39]

Rush and Hannity are both looking out for number 1.

"Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomeratecompany headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.[3] It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and ken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008.[4] Clear Channel specializes in radio broadcasting, concert promotion and hosting, and fixed advertising in the United States through its subsidiaries. After 21 years, Mark Mays stepped down as President and CEO of Clear Channel on June 23, 2010.[5] Mays will remain as Chairman of the Board, a position he has held for a year prior. The Board has engaged Egon Zehnder International, a leading executive search firm, to lead the search for a new CEO"

Everybody has a price. Clear Channel Premier employs them.

Rush Limbaugh Renews Long-Term Contract With Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Radio as He Celebrates 20 Years On Air and KOMO 4 Television Wins National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence

Follow the money.....

Bain Capital, Founded by Romney, Buys Clear Channel By: Jane Hamsher Thursday December 13, 2007 4:11 pm

Mitt Romney founded Bain & Co. in 1984, and today its spinoff -- Bain Capital -- is the third largest private equity firm in the country. Today they bought ClearChannel, a company that owns over 1100 radio stations and 30 TV stations.

This is why media consolidation issues are so important. One rich guy who wants to be president can buy a media empire overnight. Now of course, Romney will argue that he didn’t buy Clear Channel, his private equity company Bain Capital did. And of course, there is no conflict of interest because Romney doesn’t tell Bain Capital what to do as he’s no longer officially with the company.

Still, seeing as how Clear Channel hosts Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity and controls over 1,000 TV and radio stations nationwide, does anyone here really think Romney won’t use this newfound pedestal to promote his candidacy, however subtly?