The Romney File

I speak as a Brit, and therefore as someone who has not always been knowledgeable of American politics, but I speak also as someone who's looking at the big picture.
Between Obama and Romney are aesthetic differences (admittedly aesthetic differences that would affect the course of people's entire lives) but in the scheme of things aesthetic nevertheless. What is required is not something from the options currently provided but a big change. A very big change. The entire system being implemented is empty of all but gain for those at the top and has been for a long time. What is required is not anything that is currently being offered but something new and something that will have to be fought for.
 
Romney´s Bain Capital just paid 1.3 billion to Telephonica for Atento, mainly a call center whose Brazilian branch generates 54% of Atento´s revenue. As I recall, Telephonica had ~9 billion in debt and terminated generous dividends about a year ago and is now paying debt down (off ?) via asset sales. Telephonica´s annual profits are down to 2.6 billion from 4.0 billions dollars, but unlike typically done in US, all the executives took a 20% pay cut. Telephonica is still holding on to main revenue source ( I think) - the Brazilian telephone company, VIVO, which has some other non-Brazilain business too. I think VIVO is the jewel in the crown, generates more revenue than the Spanish part of telephonica.

Here are some other recent buys by Brain Capital:
August 2012, MYBO an Australian software house for1.3 Billion
November 2011, Physio-Control, a medical instruments house, for 487 million
And 250 others including:Toys-R-Us and Domino Pizza, bringing total buys in last few years to 66 billion!
Interestingly Brain does not directly buy any firm in S. America (but indirectly, like in the buy of Atento from Spanish Telephonica, does own here.)

Economically one must wonder how Romney can even consider putting his Bain Capital shares in blind trust to become POTUS.

NY state is investigating documents that appeared in internet in August 2012,concerning 1 billion that escaped taxation of 35% in some investment deal, which my source for this and all above (local Brazilian news paper) does not make very clear. (Something got lost as they copied and translated from NYTimes, probably.)

Again, I´ll note that Sao Paulo has two of the best news papers in the world, certainly both are in the top 10, IF you don´t mind part of the "news" being a day or two late. They copy from many dozen of the world´s best as well as have dozens of their own reporters, or at least "stringers" paid by the articles used on permanent stations all over the world. They have staff fluent in more than a dozen of world´s main languages. (An aside: SP area has more Japanese residents than any other city/area except Tokyo!) They are fearless investigators of corruption and making it slowly die out in Brazil. They and an aroused people marching in the streets with painted faces (I was one) peacefully forced a corrupt president of Brazil to resign!

In some ways, Brazil now has a more direct democracy than the US does! Partly, I think, because there are many, not just two, parties with representation in Congress, so they pay more attention to the clearly expressed demands of the people. US has, by and large, political choice between twiddle dum and twiddle dee. What did Obama "change"? US is still run by the rich and their corporations, especially now that the Supreme Court made unlimited contributions via PACs legal. In the week before the elections, you will never, in "prime time" be more than 30 minutes from one of Romney´s TV ads, I predict. The ill educated US sheep will vote as TV tells them. - Thus, Romney is, IMHO, the more likely winner as his PACs have more than twice what Obama´s do to spend on TV.

Again this old civil rights leader hopes he does so at least the Republicans, not a black man, will get blamed for GWB´s depression - If Romney, as POTUS, can even kick the coming GWB depression down the road past November 2016, end of next POTUS´s first term, I´ll eat two crows.
 
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Xenophobia Alive and Well Among Romney Voters: Pennsylvania Edition

Xenophobia Alive and Well Among Romney Voters: Pennsylvania Edition

Reason #6,537,271,912,102 why one is well-advised to be suspicious of those who identify as Republicans or conservatives: There is nothing to see in western Pennsylvania:

​

And, you know, making excuses doesn't help. Because, after all, the dysfunctional illiteracy of being terminally stupid is no less discouraging.

Either way, it simply reminds us of what drives the Republican Party.
 
Aide to George Romney: Mitt "Erratic and Startling"

George Romney Aide: Mitt "Erratic and Startling"

October rain has arrived for the Romney/Ryan campaign. Michael Barbaro explains:

A longtime aide to George W. Romney issued a harshly worded critique of Mitt Romney, accusing him of shifting political positions in "erratic and startling ways" and failing to live up to the distinguished record of his father, the former governor of Michigan.

Walter De Vries, who worked for the senior Mr. Romney throughout the 1960s, wrote that Mitt Romney's bid for the White House was "a far cry from the kind of campaign and conduct, as a public servant, I saw during the seven years I worked in George Romney's campaigns and served him as governor."

"While it seems that Mitt would say and do anything to close a deal – or an election," he wrote, "George Romney's strength as a politician and public officeholder was his ability and determination to develop and hold consistent policy positions over his life."

Mr. De Vries's stinging assessment was contained in a nearly 700-word essay that he distributed to a small group of journalists with whom he has spoken over the past year. He said it was an outline for a book that may or may not be published. A spokeswoman for the Romney campaign declined to comment.​

De Vries, apparently, voted for Barack Obama in 2008; the former campaign strategist for Mitt Romney's father would have us believe he is something near to horrified by the son's presidential effort. He opens by suggesting that someone on the Romney campaign will invoke the late father's name:

After the first debate it was wife Ann who said that Mitt had written "Dad" on paper he had at the lectern. Mrs. Romney, described as choking up during a post-debate interview with CNN, said it signified that Mitt respected what his father "taught me and what kind of person you are and I'm going to honor that."

While that might make for some good post-debate spin, perhaps exploitatioon of his late father's memory and dramatic television, the conduct of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is a far cry from the kind of campaign and conduct, as a public servant, I saw during the seven years I worked in George Romney's campaigns and served him as governor.​

While praising the younger Romney for "energy and hard work", as well as faith in church and family, "it is Mitt's behavior during this presidential campaign that is distinguishing—and not ... his father at all.

"Since 2005, when he first decided to seek the presidency, his political posture and positions have shifted in erratic and startling ways, to the right, to the middle, to the right and shifting still."

Consistency, according to De Vries, defined George Romney's strength as a politician and public servant. There was a strong translation and application, De Vries writes, between George Romney's political positions and living outlook. "As you campaign," De Vries writes, "so shall you govern. That lesson from father to son, seems to be lost in the win-at-any-cost fog of politics in the 21st century."

It's the kind of thing that makes one wince.

I've tried to track Mitt Romney's shifts—some 180 degrees others 360—on key issues during the campaign. I've stopped at 30: abortion; stem-cell research; climate change and global warming; campaign finance; and equal pay for women are just a few.​

It's a curious quandary for Mitt. To the one, it is easy enough to point out that the critique reads like a rough draft of a book that will never be published. To the other, well, this one comes from close to home. After all, according to De Vries, it was the campaign's frequent invocations of George Romney's memory that moved him to release this critique: "I just don't see it," he said of the idea that the late Mr. Romney inspired and influences his son's political campaign. "Where is it? Is it on the issues? No. On the way he campaigns? No."

In the end, the best thing for the campaign is probably to let it slide. The last thing Mitt Romney should be seen doing is dueling with his father's ghost.
____________________

Notes:

Barbaro, Michael. "Romney Is Attacked by His Father's Longtime Aide". The Caucus. October 15, 2012. TheCaucus.NYTimes.com. August 16, 2012. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/romney-is-attacked-by-his-fathers-longtime-aide/
 
QUESTION: The outsourcing of American jobs overseas has taken a toll on our economy. What plans do you have to put back and keep jobs here in the United States?

ROMNEY: Boy, great question and important question, because you're absolutely right. The place where we've seen manufacturing go has been China. China is now the largest manufacturer in the world. It used to be the United States of America. A lot of good people have lost jobs. A half a million manufacturing jobs have been lost in the last four years. That's total over the last four years.

One of the reasons for that is that people think it's more attractive in some cases to go offshore than to stay here. We have made it less attractive for enterprises to stay here than to go offshore from time to time. What I will do as president is make sure it's more attractive to come to America again.

http://skydancingblog.com/2012/10/13/why-isnt-romney-getting-hammered-on-the-bain-sensata-story/
 
Zeno said:
QUESTION: The outsourcing of American jobs overseas has taken a toll on our economy. What plans do you have to put back and keep jobs here in the United States?

ROMNEY: Boy, great question and important question, because you're absolutely right. The place where we've seen manufacturing go has been China. China is now the largest manufacturer in the world. It used to be the United States of America. A lot of good people have lost jobs. A half a million manufacturing jobs have been lost in the last four years. That's total over the last four years.

One of the reasons for that is that people think it's more attractive in some cases to go offshore than to stay here. We have made it less attractive for enterprises to stay here than to go offshore from time to time. What I will do as president is make sure it's more attractive to come to America again.

http://skydancingblog.com/2012/10/13/why-isnt-romney-getting-hammered-on-the-bain-sensata-story/
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Romney is getting a pass on an number of issues including his budget that doesn't add up, his daily flip-flops, etc.
 
Tiassa said:
"While it seems that Mitt would say and do anything to close a deal – or an election," he wrote, "George Romney's strength as a politician and public officeholder was his ability and determination to develop and hold consistent policy positions over his life."
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This irks me. Not because it isn't true--it very much is--but because we're supposed to believe that maintaining consistent policy positions over the course of one's life is an ideal. It's precisely that kind of inflexibility that leads to a 21st-century nation still clinging to some 19th-century laws and practices. I know this is beside the point, but it bothered me.
 
Balerion said:
This irks me. Not because it isn't true--it very much is--but because we're supposed to believe that maintaining consistent policy positions over the course of one's life is an ideal. It's precisely that kind of inflexibility that leads to a 21st-century nation still clinging to some 19th-century laws and practices. I know this is beside the point, but it bothered me.
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No one is saying or even inferring that people cannot or should not evolve their positions over time as their subject matter knowledge improves. No one is arguing for inflexibility. What is being argued for is sincerity and honesty.

Romney has repeatedly flipped flopped on the same issues within hours and sometimes days. For example, in the first debate Romney told the audience that he would provide health insurance for individuals with preexisting conditions. According to Romney, he had a plan for people with preexisting conditions. But as soon as the TV cameras were turned off his campaign retracted Romney’s healthcare statements on preexisting conditions, and the same thing happened in the preceding week during a TV interview – same topic, same issues. In another instance, Romney issued his famous 47% comments, after double downing on his 47% statements for three weeks. Then Romney had an epiphany and rejected his 47% comments. And the list goes on and on. Romney has a long history of saying one thing when the cameras are on him and another when the cameras are off.

Last evening Romney said he reached out to feminist groups as governor of Massachusetts, today we find out that was not true either. The issue is Romney’s credibility.
 
joepistole said:
Romney has repeatedly flipped flopped on the same issues within hours and sometimes days.
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Seems to work for him. Do you care to evaluate your stance on lying? :)

An almost done race went to a head to head one, due to lies....
 
TPC´s POV on 12Oct12 is quoted here: http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?109176-The-Romney-File&p=2995308&viewfull=1#post2995308 Romney claims it supports him, but I think not and now even less so with TCP text below, but blue end text is spin by supporter.

[url said:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-17/cap-of-25-000-on-deductions-would-cover-32-of-tax-cuts.html][/url] “.. Romney and Obama have been sparring over whether the Republican’s tax plan would fall substantially short of offsetting the revenue cuts it calls for.

Capping itemized tax deductions at $25,000 would generate $1.3 trillion, covering about 32 percent of the cost of Mitt Romney’s proposed income tax cuts for individuals, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center said today. The Republican presidential nominee has suggested a deduction cap as one option to offset the effect of his proposal to cut tax rates by 20 percent and repeal the estate tax and alternative minimum tax. During a debate last night with President Barack Obama, Romney suggested a $25,000 limit, which he said would apply to deductions and credits.

About $1 trillion of Romney’s tax cuts come from cutting the corporate tax rate to 25 percent from 35 percent. That’s separate from the tax cuts for individuals. The analysis doesn’t provide a complete estimate of Romney’s tax plan because he hasn’t fully detailed it. The analysis also doesn’t address credits, which would be considered in some unspecified way under Romney’s suggested cap. The deduction cap would be part of a three-pronged approach that would include separate limits on personal exemptions and the exclusion of employer-provided health insurance from income. The largest itemized deductions are those for charitable contributions, mortgage interest and state and local taxes.

“Nothing in the TPC’s brief note changes the conclusions of the seven independent studies that have concluded that Governor Romney’s tax reform proposals are both achievable and likely to lead to stronger economic growth,” Amanda Henneberg, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said in an e-mailed statement. “The choice is clear between $2 trillion in higher taxes under President Obama or a pro-growth tax reform under Governor Romney that will lead to 7 million new jobs over the next 10 years,” she said.
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But Amanda, Romney said not long ago 12 million new jobs in 8 years. From where do these flexible numbers come? BTW, the only the TCP of the "7 studies" is other than a blog or OP piece in a right-wing newspaper.
 
The Salt Lake Tribune, a solidly Republican rag in a solidly Republican state, endorses Obama citing Romney’s pandering. The Tribune calls Romney out, calling Romney “shameless” and “shape shifting”’

“Who is this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?’ ”, the editorial states….

The Tribune, published by MediaNews Group, criticized Romney’s “servile courtship of the Tea Party” to win his party’s nomination and called him “shameless” in pandering to various constituencies, terming him the GOP’s “shape-shifting nominee.”” – Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/politicalinte...ty-olympics/VD1ab7itK336ULZ5qsqaXM/story.html
 
Billy T said:
TPC´s POV on 12Oct12 is quoted here: http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?109176-The-Romney-File&p=2995308&viewfull=1#post2995308 Romney claims it supports him, but I think not and now even less so with TCP text below, but blue end text is spin by supporter.

[/color]But Amanda, Romney said not long ago 12 million new jobs in 8 years. From where do these flexible numbers come? BTW, the only the TCP of the "7 studies" is other than a blog or OP piece in a right-wing newspaper.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/16/fact-check-romneys-12-million-jobs/
 
Spidergoat said:
Reputable news sources state Chipz is "evil" saying, "This man is the most dangerous, most divisive, most evil – I’ll use the word evil – Sciforums member in the history of America.". More and more members seem to be referring to Chipz as "evil" as the election nears.
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There I fixed it.
 
Is Anyone Actually Surprised?

Is Anyone Actually Surprised?

Reason #6,537,271,912,102(a)(1) why one is well-advised to be suspicious of those who identify as Republicans or conservatives: There is nothing to see in New York City.

​

Once upon a time, a conservative explained to me, "Race is absolutely not the motivation for opposition to Obama, but it is used by some as a tool in the fight against him."

Wise words that we must remember.
 
Chipz said:
You guys are denying that there's a growing national consensus that Obama is evil?
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If evil is being progressive and thwarting conservatives' efforts to drag the US back into the dark ages...then yeah, I guess so. There's no doubt that the fringe groups of the Republican party hate him for a lot of reasons. We'll see how growing it is on the 6th.
 
Romnesia: Surrogates Struggle to Keep Up

Romnesia: Surrogates Struggle to Keep Up

Julie Borcer of The Advocate:

Bay Buchanan, a Romney surrogate, said the debate spoke to LGBT voters in terms of her candidate's promise of a "a strong economy."

"He is opposed to same-sex marriage. He's made that very clear," she said. "Nothing has changed. But he is very supportive of opportunity for everyone."

Asked how his positions, which include support for DOMA, would help families led by same-sex parents, Buchanan responded that Romney would not get in the way of what states decide to do on marriage and adoption.

"He very much supports traditional marriage, but he's also a very strong advocate for the Tenth Amendment," she said. "It's a state issue."​

And three days later, according to Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed:

A top Romney adviser disavowed remarks and a position reported this past week that appeared to be a reversal of the campaign's support of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would bar states from allowing same-sex couples to marry.

Although campaign officials did not respond to inquiries prior to publication, Bay Buchanan issued a clarification to BuzzFeed this afternoon following initial publication of this story, writing, "Governor Romney supports a federal marriage amendment to the Constitution that defines marriage as an institution between a man and a woman. Governor Romney also believes, consistent with the 10th Amendment, that it should be left to states to decide whether to grant same-sex couples certain benefits, such as hospital visitation rights and the ability to adopt children. I referred to the Tenth Amendment only when speaking about these kinds of benefits – not marriage."

In a little-noted comment in the spin room following this past week's presidential debate in New York, Romney campaign senior adviser Bay Buchanan, the sister of former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, told The Advocate's Julie Bolcer, "He very much supports traditional marriage, but he's also a very strong advocate for the Tenth Amendment. It's a state issue."

The report also stated that when asked about how Romney's opposition to same-sex couples' marriage rights, including his support for the Defense of Marriage Act, would help same-sex parents, "Buchanan responded that Romney would not get in the way of what states decide to do on marriage and adoption."​

Sometimes it seems as if Mitt Romney, his campaign, and their surrogates are just littering. Wandering all over town, tossing out scraps and bits so that, when some future need arises, they can always point back to one or another quote and say, "See? We told you way back then."

It's one of the eddies of our political currents; we heard in the Wisconsin labor fight how people were upset with Gov. Scott Walker for taking on an issue he hadn't campaigned on. Well, yeah, but he's a Republican. If a Republican managed to thread the needle and make it all the way to election day without saying a word about abortion, I would presume he is pro-life. Without saying a word about marijuana? Anti-drug. Without saying a word about unions? Well, it's not like union-busting is a new conservative cause that appeared out of nowhere.

Mitt Romney is an incredibly—perhaps dangerously—flexible politician insofar as he can move from one political posture to the next with blinding speed. Sometimes he and his campaign can be found taking three positions a day on an issue.

And as we saw in his debate gaffe about the Blunt Amendment, sometimes Romney himself has trouble keeping up with all the trash he and his cohorts are spreading around.

Buchanan, a former Treasurer of the United States, is also a senior advisor to the Romney campaign. Last month, she famously demanded on Meet the Press that Joe Scarborough drop any pretense of journalism and hop on the Republican bandwagon: "Which side are you on?" she asked.

And now she, like Mitt Romney, simply cannot keep up with the steady stream of contortion and contradiction coming from the Republican camp.
____________________

Notes:

Bolcer, Julie. "3 Debates, 0 Questions on LGBT Issues". The Advocate. October 17, 2012. Advocate.com. October 22, 2012. http://www.advocate.com/politics/election/2012/10/17/3-debates-0-questions-lgbt-issues

Geidner, Chris. "Romney Campaign Clarifies, Still Supports Federal Marriage Amendment". BuzzFeed. October 20, 2012. BuzzFeed.com. October 22, 2012. http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/romney-campaign-backs-off-federal-marraige-amendme

Poor, Jeff. "Bay Buchanan to Joe Scarborough: 'Which side are you on?'" The Daily Caller. September 23, 2012. DailyCaller.com. October 22, 2012. http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/23/bay-buchanan-to-joe-scarborough-which-side-are-you-on/
 
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