"Romney Derangement Syndrome" and the Battle of Bain Capital

[Green Monstah]

Here is the thing about Bain Capital...

... every job comes with perceptions that are independent from the reasons a person might choose to work in a field. For example:

A stripper might love her work because it keeps her in shape and allows her to earn money from her athletic creativity. These good reasons why a person might enjoy being a stripper stand in stark contrast to the public's moral perceptions about the profession.

A dentist might love to make money by doing the same boring routine things, day after day, and hiring cute dental hygienists that flirt with him and treat him like a god. These good reasons why a person might enjoy being a dentist stand in stark contrast to the public's perception that dentists are perverted libertarians with elaborate fetish dungeons.

The GOP has got to face the fact that no matter how hard they try to spin Mitt's professional choices in a positive light, he chose the political career equivalent of daytime stripper who drills teeth at night to pay for college. Maybe he loved the intellectual challenge of the job, but as Jon Stewart says, he looks and sounds like 'everyone who ever fired your dad.'

That's a gross oversimplification from someone who probably has zero experience with private equity or venture capital.

[falafel]

That's a gross oversimplification from someone who probably has zero experience with private equity or venture capital.

But apparently lots of experience with strippers and fetish dungeons.

[RobinFinderson]

A dentist might love to make money by doing the same boring routine things, day after day, and hiring cute dental hygienists that flirt with him and treat him like a god. These good reasons why a person might enjoy being a dentist stand in stark contrast to the public's perception that dentists are perverted libertarians with elaborate fetish dungeons.

WTF?

:anger:

To be fair, that is also the public's perception of chiropractors, minus the cute dental hygienists (which is probably why chiropractors are way too flirty with their clientele).

[filsdepac]

I agree with DDD that Mitt's work at Bain doesn't really make him a job creator. For me, his work at Bain is a testament to his problem-solving skills and leading an organization. I guess I don't really care what he did at Bain, but he did it really well, so I'm impressed.

I love how Newt wants him to explain why some companies went bankrupt. I think I saw something like 10% went under, depending on the fund's focus, that is fantastic.

[RobinFinderson]

That's a gross oversimplification from someone who probably has zero experience with private equity or venture capital.

I'm glad you seem to understand my point. Most of the country has no experience with private equity or venture capital, so public perception vs. reality is going to matter a lot. It is going to be far easier to turn Bain experience against Mitt than it was to turn Kerry's purple heart into a liability.

[oxcoug]

The Petraeus speculation is interesting.

Given that Romney is perceived as having a backbone problem (which I don't think is accurate but it's a perception) the steel Petraeus backbone might be a nice compliment.

Petraeus is pretty widely respected outside the Republican Party as well.....

I think it's not likely to happen but it merits some consideration.

[oxcoug]

In response to the insistence of some that Bain's work isn't really about jobs....

when I unpack all those things that bain actually DID, other than creating jobs (finding previously unrealized revenue streams, providing seed/bridge capital, dismantling a company whose component parts are worth more than the whole and rebuilding or selling off in more efficient parts)

what you see is ... creating jobs.

How can you do any of it well without creating jobs?

They went in on companies that were already struggling, many of them edging close to collapse. Only 22% ultimately did collapse, with Romney and co sticking with many of them for 7-8 years.

The exercise is to take a business that wasn't efficient or sustainable and make it efficient, sustainable and profitable.

What's that translate to? Jobs.

[TripletDaddy]

In response to the insistence of some that Bain's work isn't really about jobs....

when I unpack all those things that bain actually DID, other than creating jobs (finding previously unrealized revenue streams, providing seed/bridge capital, dismantling a company whose component parts are worth more than the whole and rebuilding or selling off in more efficient parts)

what you see is ... creating jobs.

How can you do any of it well without creating jobs?

They went in on companies that were already struggling, many of them edging close to collapse. Only 22% ultimately did collapse, with Romney and co sticking with many of them for 7-8 years.

The exercise is to take a business that wasn't efficient or sustainable and make it efficient, sustainable and profitable.

What's that translate to? Jobs.

please stop. you are good at interviewing cool and interesting people. stick to that.

[oxcoug]

stick to that.

stop telling me what to stick where and when

[oxcoug]

Ron Paul gets in the ring

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...t-his-critics/

and my theory on the secret Paul/Romney backseat love begins to prove out

http://cougaruteforum.com/showthread.php?t=53963

[Uncle Ted]

Ron Paul gets in the ring

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...t-his-critics/

and my theory on the secret Paul/Romney backseat love begins to prove out

http://cougaruteforum.com/showthread.php?t=53963

Paul/Romney 2012

[byu71]

Besides the Bain thing a common attack on him now is he doesn't come from a "common" upbringing. The press loves Santorum's coal mining grandfather story. Of course Obama is supposedly a product of the common man.

Romney was born into wealth.

However, if you were to ask the liberal media and dems who their favorite Presidents were, it would probably be Roosevelt, Kennedy and Clinton. Two of those definitely did not grow up with the common man experience.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...r-davis-hanson

As for the race as of now: On the one hand, we have a president, who is the largest recipient of Wall Street cash in election history (a favorite in particular of Goldman Sachs and BP), the first to renounce public financing in presidential general elections since the progressive law was established almost 40 years ago, whose three chiefs of staff (Emanuel, Daley, Lew) have made millions on Wall Street as fat-cat bankers (JP Morgan/Citigroup), much of it from the Fannie/Freddie housing bubble and collapse, who just hired another OMB/Citigroup revolving door retread in Lew, who is a a golf/Martha’s Vineyard aficionado — and who is now advancing the populist argument that the 1 Percent have rigged the game and have money and lifestyles the rest of us are denied; on the other hand, arch-conservative Newt Gingrich, who has created a lucrative multimedia empire in D.C,, is trumping that argument by portraying Bain capital as a capitalist cancer.

Stranger than fiction

[oxcoug]

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/20...erot_on_romney

Newt has accomplished something that was beginning to seem impossible: Energizing conservatives around Romney.

He might actually have done an unimaginably huge favor for Romney.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/20...erot_on_romney

Newt has accomplished something that was beginning to seem impossible: Energizing conservatives around Romney.

He might actually have done an unimaginably huge favor for Romney.

Romney is all of a sudden the conservative while everyone else, besides Paul and to a lesser extent Santorum, are the moderates. Lol, good job Newt.

Rush has been saying (idiotically, I might add) that the Democrats are trying to bait the Republicans to nominate Romney because they think he'd be so weak. Now all of a sudden when the media is saying that Bain may be a millstone around Romney's neck, reactionary Rush begins to think that Romney may not be so squishy afterall.

So, now Romney is left to argue in favor of free markets, venture capitalism, etc. against the likes of Newt Gingrich and he's establishing cred with conservatives in the process. This whole thing with Newt is quite ridiculous. Newt bitches about Romney and Paul lying about his record but fails to defend it. Newt goes negative on Romney by resorting to OWS talking points and provides an opening to Romney to defend himself using arguments that are eminently appealing to both full spectrum conservatives and fiscal conservatives that happen to be socially moderate.