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Ready to do some investigating of Romney’s business success?
Take a look at this article in Salon (click on title to read it.)
How Mitt Romney’s Bain “harvested” Sealy mattress company
Sealy was America‘s No. 1 mattress brand — until Bain Capital got its hands on it.
As Josh Kosman says at the end of the article:
“I hope one of the debate moderators asks Romney how Bain helped Sealy.”
Related articles
- Romney At Bain: We “Harvest” Companies (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
- Mitt Romney in 1985 Video: Goal of Bain Capital was to “Harvest” Companies for Profit (themoderatevoice.com)
- In ’85 video, Romney says Bain will ‘harvest’ companies for profit (news.yahoo.com)
- Tempur_Pedic to Acquire Sealy (urethaneblog.typepad.com)
- NEW ROMNEY VIDEO: In 1985, He Said Bain Would “Harvest” Companies for Profits (motherjones.com)
- Bain Workers To Slam ‘Romney Economy’ Until Election Day (huffingtonpost.com)
So, did businessman Romney really create jobs…or destroy them for profit?
Mother Jones has obtained a video from 1985 in which Romney, describing Bain’s formation, showed how he viewed the firm’s mission. He explained that its goal was to identify potential and hidden value in companies, buy significant stakes in these businesses, and then “harvest them at a significant profit” within five to eight years.
The video was included in a CD-ROM created in 1998 to mark the 25th anniversary of Bain & Company, the consulting firm that gave birth to Bain Capital. Here is the full clip, as it appeared on that CD-ROM (the editing occurred within the original).
Read David Corn‘s story about this video: http://bit.ly/VKJL6L
Romney is Monsanto’s Candidate…there go our farms!
You know that this blog has a long history of exposing and criticizing Monsanto for the chemical destruction of what once was our fresh food products —Monsanto, whose dark history features scandals involving PCBs, Agent Orange, bovine growth hormone, NutraSweet, IUD, genetically modified (GM) seed and herbicides, reaching back to the 1970s and ’80s.
Those of us who support the remaining organic food growers, and who grow our own out of necessity, have set Monansto as the most evil of challenges.
If we go way back to Romney’s beginnings with Bain Capital when he was 30 years old, who do you think his largest client was, and who remains his friend today? You guessed it. Monsanto. This matters for a number of reasons: it sheds on Romney’s self-ballyhooed business experience; Romney helped create Monsanto corporate objectives that clash with planetary concerns; If Romney is elected, this enemy of environmentalists will have a very old friend in the White House.
Monsanto’s former CEO John W. Hanley is in fact the only business executive outside of the Bain founding family to so shape Romney’s career—jumpstarting the two companies, Bain & Company and Bain Capital, that account for all but two years of Romney’s much-ballyhooed business experience.
Monsanto, who currently produces Genetically Modified corn, soybean, alfalfa and other seeds, which are engineered to resist Roundup and increase yield, faces many global disputes, and has lost two recent, at least $2 billion, court decisions in Brazil – 5 million soy farmers sued them. The Brazilian farmers’ issue is also a source of frustration for US farmers—the contracts farmers are forced to sign pledging not to save seeds for future harvests, a common farm custom that resale-fixated Monsanto has hired a seed police army to stop.
“Roundup Ready” seeds, of course, are completely responsible to the success and safety of Roundup itself. However,“super-weeds” are developing a Roundup tolerance, requiring more and more spraying to work. This is 
harmful both ecologically and financially for farmers.The seeds, introduced in the Bain years with Bain boosting, Roundup’s supposedly “biodegradable” and “nontoxic” claims, have led to false advertising findings. This is part of Romney’s business trustworthiness and acumen.
In the presidential campaign, Romney is deliberately vague . He’s moved publicly in Monsanto’s direction on the company’s genetically engineered ethanol and farm subsidies, appears aligned with it on labeling (Monsanto wants to avoid labeling its fruits and vegetables with the 5 digit code, different for organic competitors), and his spokesman Shawn McCoy said this month that the candidate was “concerned by the effect that the Obama administration’s crushing onslaught of regulations is having on agriculture.” Read from this what effect the Obama administration will have on one of his largest campaign contributors.
Related articles
- mitt is a monsanto man (thegreenhorns.wordpress.com)
- Protesters Blockade Monsanto Seed Facility in California (earthfirstnews.wordpress.com)
- Monsanto Allowed to Put Genetically Modified Food on Your Plate (blogs.lawyers.com)
- GMO Update: New Study Shows Increasing Rootworm Resistance to Monsanto’s Bt Corn (eatdrinkbetter.com)
- Walmart Signs Deal With Monsanto to Sell Un-Labeled GMO Corn (friendseat.com)
- Lisa Cerda – Monsanto: A Modern Day Plague (prn.fm)
- Sept 16: Global Week of Action Against Monsanto (occupyventura805.wordpress.com)
Quote of the Day – Romney had better wise up.
This from The Fix in the Washington Post:
“The truth — in politics and in life — is almost always less damaging than what the imagination can conjure. While the tax return debate is a no-win for Romney, he’d be better to lance this political boil once and for all. It’s not going away and if he doesn’t it’s only likely to grow.”
And grow is what Romney’s situation is doing. He has to be 
hiding something, and the longer he represses the truth the more obvious it becomes.
Related articles
- George Will: Romney hiding something bad in his tax returns (americablog.com)
- Romney’s Bain story unraveling quickly (maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com)
T J Walker : 35 Questions Mitt Romney Must Answer.
T. J. Walker has presented this on television (see video) and in print in Forbes magazine (read it here:T J Walker – 35 Questions for Romney).
If Romney is going to get past the Bain Capital involvement from 2000 to 2002 he will have to answer these. Otherwise this is going to grow.
Thanks, Mr. Walker. You have made Romney’s need to answer these quite clear.
Related articles
- 35 questions Mitt Romney will have to answer to concerning Bain Capital. (ireport.cnn.com)
- 35 Questions Mitt Romney Must Answer About Bain Capital Before The Issue Can Go Away (forbes.com)
- 35 Questions Mitt Romney Must Answer About Bain Capital Before The Issue Can Go Away (tjwalker.com)
- Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Brilliant Bain ad keeps Romney on defense (dailykos.com)
Two Quotes: What do Republicans think of Romney’s tax release stance?
“There is no whining in politics. Stop demanding an apology, release your tax returns.”
— GOP strategist John Weaver, calling on Mitt Romney to disclose his tax returns.
“If you have things to hide, then maybe you’re doing things wrong. I think you ought to be willing to release everything to the American people.”
— Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R), calling on Mitt Romney to release his tax returns.
Hey, Mitt… how about the returns for 2000, 2001 and 2002? Do they show your income from Bain Capital?
(Thanks to Taegan Goddard.)
Related articles
- Alabama’s GOP Governor Calls On Romney To Release More Tax Returns: ‘Release Everything To The American People’ (thinkprogress.org)
- GOP governor calls on Romney to release more tax returns (news.yahoo.com)
- Mitt Romney Says He’s Unlikely To Release More Than Two Tax Returns (lindaluke.newsvine.com)
- Romney says he’ll only release 2 tax returns (newsday.com)
- More GOP Calls for Romney to Release Tax Returns; Take a Look at His $77K Dancing Horse Tax Deduction (pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com)
- Romney says he’ll only release 2 tax returns (newsobserver.com)
- Romney: I had nothing to do with running Bain. I just owned it. Oh, and no more tax returns! (dailykos.com)
- MITT ROMNEY: I’m NOT Releasing Any More Tax Returns (investmentwatchblog.com)
Quote of the Day – A little peek at Romney’s finances…
Romney has said he will put out a big 2 years of his taxes – 2011 hen it is ready and 2010. No, he’s not going back far enough to show he had income from Bain Capital in 2000 and 2001 when he said he had left the company.
So here’s what he said:
“And that’s what we’re going to put out. People always want to get more and we’re putting out what is required plus more that is not required. And those are the two years that people are going to have and that’s all that’s necessary for people to understand something about my finances.”
See… that’s all we need to understand his finances, but not enough to see if he tells the truth about the lies he told about involvement with investments as CEO of Bain after 1999.
There’s nothing like a president who has proven his honesty. I’ll bet Republicans wish he’d release the tax statements that defend his position (like Santorum and others asked him to do during the primaries.)
Related articles
- “Romney’s Bain Secret Exposed” (goodolewoody.wordpress.com)
- In Primary Debate, Romney Suggested He Was At Bain Until 2002 (buzzfeed.com)
- Boston Globe repackages its 2002 Romney Bain CEO story as breaking news (legalinsurrection.com)
- Placing bets on which Romney Lie is the Felony Lie (skydancingblog.com)
- Obama Campaign: Romney A Liar, Potential Criminal (buzzfeed.com)
- Wait–Maybe THIS Is How Mitt Romney Got So Rich… (businessinsider.com)
- Why Romney’s Quit Date at Bain Matters (theatlanticwire.com)
- Romney campaign now lies about Mitt’s felony-lie (americablog.com)
How would you like to vote for a felon?
It looks like Mitt Romney told the SEC and the American people one thing about leaving Bain Capital, but actually did another. This seems to be a big deal.
Romney’s stated departure from the company in 1999 was convenient timing—supposedly absolving him of being responsible in any way for companies owned by Bain that went bankrupt or suffered massive layoffs afterward.
” Mitt Romney either lied in federal filings that show he worked at Bain Capital through 2002 and could be guilty of a felony, or has lied to the American people in saying he left the company in 1999. This is serious business.”
– Bob Bauer, the Obama campaign’s counsel
So, if Romney was still at Bain through 2002, he’d be politically responsible for the consequences of deals that the firm made through then… and this could include layoffs from companies Bain took over, or the exporting of jobs to China and India at a time Romney said he was not responsible for the company’s efforts.
The Boston Globe published a story Thursday that calls into question the timeline of Romney’s involvement of the firm that the Republican candidate has been promulgating for years. The Romney campaign ordered the Globe to retract the story. Today the Globe said it wouldn’t. A similar situation has occurred with the Washington Post.
Related articles (and this seems to be a big story all over the place):
- Romney: You Lie! Report: No, YOU Lie! (nymag.com)
- Obama team: Romney committed a felony or lied to voters (politico.com)
- Why Romney’s Quit Date at Bain Matters (theatlanticwire.com)
- In Primary Debate, Romney Suggested He Was At Bain Until 2002 (buzzfeed.com)
- Sorry, Mitt Romney, You Can’t Be Chairman, CEO, And President Of A Company And Not Be Responsible For What It Does… (businessinsider.com)
- Obama campaign: Romney either broke law or lied (washingtontimes.com)
- BOSTON GLOBE: Mitt Romney Left Bain Capital Three Years After He Said He Did (businessinsider.com)
- Obama campaign accuses Romney of lying about Bain tenure (nbcpolitics.msnbc.msn.com)
- Mitt Romney Responsible for Bain Lay-Offs and Bankruptcies – New Questions about His Bain Departure Date (aquariuschannelings.com)
- Obama Campaign: Romney A Liar, Potential Criminal (buzzfeed.com)
- Obama won’t apologize for staff on Bain (politico.com)
- Called a Liar, Obama Turns Tables on Romney, Bain Capital (usnews.com)
- Obama campaign hits Romney hard on questions over Bain Capital tenure – The Guardian (guardian.co.uk)
- Dems Raise Possibility That Romney Committed A Felony Over Bain Filings (politicker.com)
- Obama campaign: ‘Severe consequences’ if Romney committed felony with Bain lies (rawstory.com)
Paul Krugman did a fine evaluation of Romney today
Krugman‘s NY Times column, entitled “Off and Out With Mitt Romney” was a real winner this morning. Here’s a few paragraphs… but I urge you to read the whole thing:
In a better America, Mitt Romney would be running for president on the strength of his major achievement as governor of Massachusetts: a health reform that was identical in all important respects to the health reform enacted by President Obama. By the way, the Massachusetts reform is working pretty well and has overwhelming popular support.
In reality, however, Mr. Romney is doing no such thing, bitterly denouncing the Supreme Court for upholding the constitutionality of his own health care plan. His case for becoming president relies, instead, on his claim that, having been a successful businessman, he knows how to create jobs.
This, in turn, means that however much the Romney campaign may wish otherwise, the nature of that business career is fair game. How did Mr. Romney make all that money? Was it in ways suggesting that what was good for Bain Capital, the private equity firm that made him rich, would also be good for America?
And the answer is no.
(read the rest HERE.)
Related articles
- Paul Krugman: Dear Mitt Romney, A Country Is Not A Company (huffingtonpost.com)
- Paul Krugman: Off and Out With Mitt Romney (economistsview.typepad.com)
- A Fairy Tale from Paul Krugman… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
- The Hoover factor (prairieweather.typepad.com)
- If Paul Krugman Is Right and It’s 1931, What Happens Next? (washingtonmonthly.com)
- Paul Krugman’s Book “End This Depression Now” is available… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
Good article today over at PoliticusUSA.com (Updated):
Mitt Romney: The Economic Guru Who Specializes In Killing Jobs
(here’s a snip, but go read the whole article HERE.)
Romney has yet to offer any solutions to help the American people who are struggling because of Bush-era policies Willard promises to implement if he is elected president. One might be inclined to say Romney is a fool for promoting Bush’s failed economic policy that sent Americans into unemployment lines and nearly crashed the economy, but it is more that Romney could not care less about the American people. In fact, Willard has made it clear that he intends on creating hardship for the poor, elderly, Veterans, gays, women, and the middle class with his Draconian cuts to critical social safety nets, and the severity of his policies are only matched by his promise to eliminate unionized public sector jobs because they are earn more than $19,000 annually.
If Americans really want to know what a Romney presidency will look like, then look at his real field of expertise as a vulture capitalist. He earned millions shuttering businesses, relocating companies overseas, and eliminating jobs to increase profits for himself and Bain Capital, and although it worked out well for the rich, it was devastating to American workers who lost their jobs, retirement, healthcare, and their homes.
…….
Willard Romney’s focus is attacking President Obama for telling the American people the truth about the economy, and running away from his area of expertise which is creating wealth for a privileged few while eliminating jobs. It is interesting that President Obama does not tout himself as an acclaimed economist like Romney, but his policies saved America’s economy. There is a reason Romney wants to be president and it has nothing to do with helping the American people or growing the economy, and he is using his expertise as a liar to convince voters that eliminating police and firefighter jobs, giving more tax cuts to the wealthy, and portraying the government as destructive is a sound economic policy.
The only thing voters need to know about Romney is that he is not an economic guru. He is a wealthy investor who earned millions killing jobs, bankrupting companies, and shipping businesses overseas that qualifies him to be a vulture capitalist, but not the president.
So many people haven’t learned this yet. It is really depressing to think about it. Unfortunately, he not only doesn’t seem to know the economic implications of his statements, he certainly does know how to lie about them.
Romney seems to be taking the voters of this great nation for total fools. The facts are out there, and they are not pretty. Romney is a purebred vulture capitalist, the kind of multi-millionaire that snaps up family businesses and solid companies just to shut them down, kill good-paying jobs, and get a fat write-off to pad his own bottom line. His “business experience” is the kind of experience that America cannot afford to have in the White House. And the only instance where Mitt took the reins of government… ie: the State of Massachusetts… and tried his hand at “job creation,” he failed miserably.
Romney cannot be allowed to run away from the fact that he was literally the worst “job creator” in the nation over his four years in office.
Related articles
- Willard Romney’s Lies of the Week (theobamacrat.com)
- Willard Romney’s Lies of the Week (3chicspolitico.com)
- The Reason Why Bain is important. (3chicspolitico.com)
- Right Wing Uses Pre-Rally Pictures To Claim Obama Spoke To Empty Seats (alan.com)
- Willard Romney, Whiner (Cont’d.) (esquire.com)
- Romney: We Don’t Need More Firefighters, Police Officers Or Teachers (alan.com)
- 3 things Romney needs to get Right, and so far he only has 1 of them. (whitehouse12.com)
- Romney: “Is he really that out of touch?” (hotair.com)
- Mario Piperni Does Mittens (seniorsforademocraticsociety.wordpress.com)
- Obama starting week hitting Mitt on cops, fire fighters teachers remark (blogs.suntimes.com)
- Mitt Romney’s Sleazy Support of Ted Nugent Reveals His True Moral Character (kaystreet.wordpress.com)
Romney’s experience…
Romney uses his Bain Capital performance as the experience he needs to run the country.
Right.
Don’t buy it… the country will NOT come first.
Under The LobsterScope 