DRIP DRIP DRIP - Bloomberg's title is spot on. It goes on to say, in essence, that Romney's type of business experience doesn't equate to the type of management skills needed to be President of the United States.
Mitt Romney touts his business acumen and job-creation record as a key qualification for being the next U.S. president.
What’s clear from a review of the public record during his management of the private-equity firm Bain Capital from 1985 to 1999 is that Romney was fabulously successful in generating high returns for its investors. He did so, in large part, through heavy use of tax-deductible debt, usually to finance outsized dividends for the firm’s partners and investors.
When some of the investments went bad, workers and creditors felt most of the pain.
Romney privatized the gains and socialized the losses.
Oh, Bloomberg isn't quite finished. Article author, Anthony Luzzatto Gardner spares no punches. He goes on to say
What’s less clear is how his skills are relevant to the job of overseeing the U.S. economy, strengthening competitiveness and looking out for the welfare of the general public, especially the middle class.
Thanks to leverage, 10 of roughly 67 major deals by Bain Capital during Romney’s watch produced about 70 percent of the firm’s profits. Four of those 10 deals, as well as others, later wound up in bankruptcy.
It’s worth examining some of them to understand Romney’s investment style at Bain Capital.
CASINO CAPITALISM
Enjoy the article. Gardner shares the details of these Bain deals:
Accuride
American Pad & Paper - Ampad
Dade Internationa
GS Industries
Stage Stores
(Anthony Luzzatto Gardner works at Palamon Capital Partners, a private equity fund based in London, and was director of European affairs in the U.S. National Security Council in 1994-95. The opinions expressed are his o
Some other articles to help others understand that Romney's "business background" is a far cry from the Colonel Sanders and Henry Fords.
Why Obama Should Be Attacking Casino Capitalism -- Both Romney's Bain and JPMorgan, Robert Reich
Casino Capitalism - How to Profit in our Casino Economy Careful, K?
From the Guardian: Casino capitalism must face its judgment day
It is interesting to note, for those who have studied Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine, that ROMNEY/BAIN's MODIS OPERANDI is very similar to that of the IMF's treatment, although Naomi calls the IMF method Disaster Capitalism. If you haven't read the book, Naomi covers the last century's US covert involvement in Cental, South American countries, exposing that much of the misery created there was to provide multi-national corporations to move in and profit.
Go to minute 13:00 for the real story about our history
Load a country up with debt, pressure country to socialize losses, and privatize gains by privatizing state owned and/or government regulated businesses.
The poor and middle class suffer misery, while the Oligarchs like Mitt make millions/billions for themselves and their "chosen ones"
Now Greece, Spain, Ireland, soon Italy, and the US are the IMF targets.
I prefer the phrase Vulture Capitalism.
If you want to dig into some of those deals in the Bloomberg article, you will find info/instructions on how to use the SEC Edgar to do so at a link in this diary:
A MUST READ: 2007 LA Times Broke the Romney/Tax Haven Story: Much Greater Depth
Speaking of Tax Havens, I Bet $10,000* Romney is a Billionaire - The Luxembourg Tax Haven Vanity Fair and LA Times Missed
For an Inside look Romney's Heart (bring a flashlight), here's his record taken directly FROM THE RECORDINGS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE, 2003:
Free Stuff Mitt? Like Funding for MS + Special Olympics? You tried to defund both, GOV. HEARTLESS!
And Romney's part in disposing of fetuses "all in a days work" will horrify many in the Conservative Christian base. Lasgalen Lothir's excellent diary spells out the details:
If Romney Wasn't at Bain from 1999 to 2002, He Forgot to Tell Stericycle
As of the close of business on March 2, 2001, the Brookside Fund owned 57,479 Shares of Common Stock outstanding of the Company. The Brookside Fund has the sole power to vote and dispose of the shares of Common Stock. The Brookside Fund acts by and through its general partner, Brookside Investors. Brookside Investors acts by and through its general partner, Brookside Inc. Mr. W. Mitt Romney is the sole shareholder, sole director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brookside Inc. and thus is the controlling person of Brookside Inc. No person other than the respective owner referred to herein of shares of Common Stock is known to have the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from or the proceeds from the sale of such shares of Common Stock.
In case you missed it, Bain owns a lot of radio stations, too:
Does BAIN Capital Still Own Rush, Sean, and Glenn? DOJ Anti-Trust Final Judgement
HOT OFF THE PRESS: Those Samsonite Jobs Mitt Brags About Bringing to Massachusetts? Bain Capital Was One of Owners
Back to the studio!
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