In violating the 11th Commandment of Republican politics, the egoists Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have written the rough draft for at least one prong of the general election attack on Mitt Romney. During a news year dominated by OWS, the ultimate Wall Street candidate is running for President -- the real-life Gordon Gekko. Romney's timing couldn't be worse, and Newt's couldn't be better!
With their attacks on Romney's "I like firing" line, Gingrich and Perry have placed Romney's "crony capitalism" at the center of the debate. I'm sure most everyone is aware of the plot from the movie "Wall Street" starring Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen and Daryl Hannah. Michael Douglas plays the role of Gordon Gekko -- the ultimate '80's me-decade Wall Street insider corporate vulture -- who famously said, "Greed is good." During the Republican primary, Romney has played up his slickster Gekko-appeal. Now, that move looks like it's really gonna cost him.
With the cannons first fired by Republican candidates, President Obama can now broach the subject in any debate or any press release with, "Even Newt Gingrich said ..." or "One of the most conservative Republicans in the country, Rick Perry, noted that ...." Every moderator of every Presidential debate will have to start off with a question about Romney's Gekko-like past. It has been highlighted that much.
His actions even disgust "Great Americans" like Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. On top of it all is the undercurrent that Mitt Romney "just doesn't get it." His complete and utter tone-deafness is evidenced every day, and this instance happened to coincide with, and incorporate, the Wall Street bailout, the OWS Movement and the Second Great Depression. Additionally, it only provides more incentive for journalists and others to poke through the dirty laundry at Bain Capital.
That linked article from CNNMoney asks an important question: "Is private equity an acceptable form of capitalism?" You can tell the slant used by CNNMoney as they don't reference Gordon Gekko or call it "Corporate Vulturism." Rather, they use the polite term: "private equity." Personally, I'm not against capitalism as long as it is well- and heavily-regulated capitalism, and allowing vultures to swoop in to fire every Joe Sixpack working for the Acme Company in order for the vultures to make millions or tens of millions of dollars has always rankled me. Isn't capitalism about making and selling a product or service? In this era of outing Wall Street greed and this time of high unemployment -- caused by Republican malfeasance -- I think that I'm not alone.