AI
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:58:41 AM
Mitt Romney’s Thirst
By CHARLES M. BLOW
February 15, 2012, 10:37 pm
Thirsty.
When I was younger, that’s what we used to call people who were so wantonly driven to get something that they would do anything, no matter how desperate and unseemly they looked in the doing.
So that’s the only word that I can think of for Mitt Romney, whom MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has dubbed Thurston Howell III [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BVIkajw8RQ ],
Thurston is thirsty.
Last week, Mitt Romney, the “Massachusetts Moderate,” as Newt Gingrich likes to call him, was bending over backward to prove himself conservative enough for the Conservative Political Action Committee [ http://cpac2012.conservative.org/ ].
It was painful [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI8PlTtM7DU (embedded)].
My conservatism did not come so much from reading the writings of great conservative scholars as it did from living my life, my family, my faith, my business. Conservative values were also part of my business experience, because in business you don’t have a choice about balancing your budget, you either balance your budget or you go bankrupt. So I learned time and again the principles of conservatism.
This was in part a response to the rise [ http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/14/1064743/-Santorum-s-very-real-surge-in-poll-numbers ] of Rick “The Theocrat” Santorum. And Santorum realizes that Romney is weakest when he moves to the right. That’s why Santorum has been quick to take shots at Romney’s conservative credentials.
Politico reported that after Romney’s “severely conservative” gaffe, Santorum sent out an e-mail [ http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/02/santorum-fundraises-off-romneys-severely-conservative-114268.html ] that said:
At yesterday’s CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney tried hard to convince the conservative audience that he also was a conservative. Romney even described himself as being “severely conservative.” A quick look at Romney’s record reveals he is severely mistaken.
Furthermore, Santorum’s communications director, Hogan Gidley, told Talking Points Memo (T.P.M.) on Tuesday [ http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/santorum-campaign-literally-scoffs-at-romneys-attempt-to-cast-himself-as-a-culture-warrior.php ]:
Gov. Romney going toe to toe with Rick Santorum on social issues is like Ryan Seacrest going toe to toe with Mike Tyson.
T.P.M. went on to quote Gidley as saying:
Rick Santorum fought to end partial birth abortions – Mitt Romney’s healthcare law allowed for $50 dollar abortions…. Rick Santorum fought to protect marriage as one man and one woman – Mitt Romney singed [sic] marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples. With a track record like that, it’s no wonder Mitt Romney is still having to try [to] sell himself as a social conservative.
Santorum is right on this front. Not only is Romney hardly coming across as more consistently conservative, according to a Pew Research Center poll [ http://www.people-press.org/2012/02/13/santorum-catches-romney-in-gop-race/ ] released on Monday, Romney is actually coming across as less so:
Three months ago, a slim majority (53%) of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said Mitt Romney was a strong conservative. Today, 42% see him this way, while the number who say he is not a strong conservative has jumped from 33% to 50%.
This growing skepticism about Romney’s conservatism is most pronounced among Tea Party Republicans. Among Republican and Republican-leaning voters who agree with the Tea Party, just 29% say Romney is a strong conservative, down from 51% three months ago. Fully 68% of Tea Party Republicans say Romney is not a strong conservative.
Fewer Republican voters today think Romney has been consistent as well. By a 48% to 39% margin, more Republicans say Romney does not take consistent positions on the issues. In November, 47% felt he was consistent and just 33% said he was not.
Someone get the “Massachusetts Moderate [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9xTIDB106g ]”
© 2012 The New York Times Company
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/mitt-romneys-thirst/ [with comments]
===
Romney says Obama has 'fought against religion'
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a town hall meeting at Eagle Manufacturing Corporation in Shelby Township, Mich., Tuesday, Mich., Feb. 21, 2012.
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
By KASIE HUNT The Associated Press
Updated: 8:19 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012
Posted: 1:41 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Tuesday that President Barack Obama's administration has "fought against religion" and sought to substitute a "secular" agenda for one grounded in faith.
Obama's campaign seized on the characterization, calling Romney's comments "disgraceful."
Romney rarely ventures into social issues in his campaign speeches, but people participating in a town hall-style meeting one week before the Michigan primary asked how he would protect religious liberty.
"Unfortunately, possibly because of the people the president hangs around with, and their agenda, their secular agenda — they have fought against religion," Romney said.
The Obama campaign linked Romney's remarks to recent comments by rival Rick Santorum, who has referred to Obama holding a "phony theology" only to say later that he wasn't attacking Obama's faith but the president's environmental views.
"These ugly and misleading attacks have no place in the campaign and they provide a very clear contrast with what President Obama is talking about: how to restore economic security for the middle class and create jobs," said Lis Smith, an Obama campaign spokeswoman.
Religious liberty has been a leading topic in recent weeks because of the Obama administration's mandate that insurance companies provide free birth control even to people employed by church-affiliated organizations, including schools and hospitals. Opponents frame the debate as one of religious liberty while proponents of the mandate say it's about women's health and access to contraception.
Romney hasn't faced voters or reporters very often since Santorum's surge and the rise of social issues in the campaign, largely avoiding questions on the subject. But he's clearly focused on the conservative Republican base that's still skeptical of him, calling himself "severely conservative" during a speech to activists in Washington earlier this month. And his lengthy, detailed answer Tuesday on religious liberty showed clear attention to the issue.
Romney implicitly invoked his own Mormon faith, also rare for the former Massachusetts governor. He said Tuesday that he cares about the issue because he is "someone who has understood very personally the significance of religious tolerance."
He also took questions on gay marriage, Supreme Court appointments and abortion — and when asked about whom he might select as his vice presidential running mate, he listed "pro-life" as the first credential he would look for.
Romney has found himself in an unexpectedly difficult fight in Michigan, his native state and a place where his advisers had long assumed he could do well. He's facing a tough challenge from Santorum, who has excited the GOP base with strong anti-abortion rhetoric and appeals to blue-collar voters.
"I care about Michigan. This is personal for me," Romney said.
The campaign's fundraising has slowed in recent weeks. The multimillionaire former venture capitalist has yet to tap his own fortune, campaign spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said Tuesday.
Romney has stepped his attacks on Santorum in recent days. On Tuesday he argued that tea party voters should prefer him over the former Pennsylvania senator — a renewed focus on the fiscally conservative voters who identify with those groups.
"I think the tea party would find it very interesting that Rick Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling five times without getting compensating reductions in spending," Romney said, echoing the negative campaign ads his campaign and their wealthy allies are airing in the state.
Michigan's GOP primary electorate has grown increasingly conservative in recent years. Tea party voters played a key role in the 2010 midterm elections, and local tea party groups are still active.
When one questioner at Romney's town hall stood and introduced himself as someone from the tea party, the crowd cheered.
Romney's focus on those voters shows in his schedule. He's set to address a coalition of tea party groups Thursday in Milford — a rarity for the former venture capitalist, who normally holds events at local businesses. Romney has scheduled just one or two public events per day in recent weeks.
Organizers said Romney, who accepted the invitation last week, will take questions from the crowd. Wes Nakagiri, the chairman of the tea party group, RetakeOurGov, that is hosting the event, said many of the group's members want to "root for the hometown boy" but that most would "prefer somebody else."
"The favored son helps if you are a longtime establishment Republican, knew his father," Nakagiri said. "But it's not going to be the same with people that are newly motivated to get into the process. Tea party people that have gotten into the process in the last two years don't have those relationships and are focused on policy."
There are signs that Romney's campaign has stepped up its outreach to the GOP establishment in the state, a group that he's counting on in the Feb. 28 primary.
After Santorum won contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, tickets for the Oakland County Lincoln Day Dinner — he was already booked as the keynote speaker — skyrocketed, according to Jim Thienel, the chairman. Romney's campaign hadn't responded to the party's earlier request to have him address the dinner.
After the Santorum victories, Romney's campaign called to say his wife, Ann, would be glad to attend. She spoke, too. Romney grew up in Bloomfield Hills, which is in Oakland County.
Romney himself has shown confidence that he'll win in Michigan. When asked in interviews earlier this week what would happened if he lost, Romney said, "That won't happen."
Still, supporters are trying to scale back expectations. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette introduced Romney at his Tuesday town hall as "The Comeback Kid."
"We've got a barn burner of a campaign right now here in Michigan," Schuette said, "and Mitt Romney is fighting like an underdog."
Romney left Michigan for Arizona, where he's set to debate his GOP rivals Wednesday night. Arizona also holds its primary Feb. 28. Then he will return to Michigan on Friday to deliver a major economic speech at Ford Field, the NFL football stadium in downtown Detroit.
Romney said Tuesday he'll use the speech to outline his economic plan. He said he will have details on a plan for tax policy, cutting spending and adjusting entitlement programs.
Copyright 2012, The Associated Press
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/nation/romney-says-obama-has-fought-against-religion-2190366.html [ http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/nation/romney-says-obama-has-fought-against-religion-2190366.html?viewAsSinglePage=true ] [no comments yet]
===
Mitt Romney Loves Cars, Lakes, & Trees...
*
Mitt Romney Loves Lamp
===
AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson: Mitt Romney’s Auto Bailout Op-Ed is Reckless and Dishonest
By: Lori Ann LaRocco
Published: Thursday, 16 Feb 2012 | 1:32 PM ET
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s latest blast against the auto bailout has one auto exec seeing red.
CNBC has learned Romney’s anti-automaker bailout op-ed [ http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120214/OPINION01/202140336/1008/opinion01/Romney-op-ed-U-S-autos-bailout-crony-capitalism-grand-scale ] in the Detroit News compelled Mike Jackson, Chairman and CEO of AutoNation (ticker: AN), the country’s largest auto dealer, to write a letter to the Editor.
NetNet exclusively obtained a copy of the letter in advance of publication.
Dear Editor:
As far as Mitt piece in yesterday’s Detroit News it was truly reckless, detached from reality, and dishonest. I also think it’s very bad politics, especially in Michigan.
It was Bush that stepped in with the “Bailout” of GM & Chrysler in the fall of ’08, not Obama. So that is just dishonest and W just said it at NADA; “he would do it again.” That circumstance trumped philosophy and he prevented a depression and 20% unemployment.
Secondly, Mitt’s assertion that private financing “DIP” was available in fall of ’08 into ’09 is fantasy. Everyone knows we were in the midst of the greatest financial meltdown since the 1930’s.
Finally, Obama’s Auto Taskforce did do a good job killing all the sacred cows. There was dramatic pain for all.
What more can I say, it is very disappointing.
Mike Jackson
Chairman & CEO
AutoNation
So why did the Romney’s latest comments drive Jackson to write such a response? Jackson answered C-Suite’s questions candidly.
LL: This is not the first time Gov. Romney has blasted the auto bailout. Some say this is a tactic for his image—that he is an experienced businessman who understands that sometimes companies need to feel the pain in order to turnaround. As a CEO, what do you think of this tactic?
MJ: We share a belief in free enterprise and the importance of the consequences of failure, risk and reward. I think 90% of America agrees that government bailouts are in principle wrong and against free enterprise. Unfortunately, the catastrophe in ’08 was so calamitous that government actions were necessary to avoid a great depression. Sometimes reality trumps principle and a courageous leader will understand that and will take the leap even when it is dramatically unpopular.
LL: You were in numerous discussions during the crisis with the Auto Czar. We all know we were on the edge of a cliff and the cliff was crumbling. If Romney was President during that time and let the autos fail where would the US economy be right now?
MJ: My belief is that if he was the President at that moment, he would have lead and acted as Bush and Obama did. However, if he had let GM and Chrysler liquidate—which would have dominoed and crushed the entire supplier system—we would have had a systemic shutdown of the entire US auto industry, millions of jobs lost, a depression and 20% unemployment.
LL: What do you think of Mitt’s assertion that private financing “DIP” was available in fall of ’08 into ’09?
MJ: That is pure fantasy and you have to ask, what he was doing in ’08 and ’09 that he did not see this.
LL: Based on this op-ed do you think Romney has what it takes to be President and turn this economy around?
MJ: I struggle with this question. He is a bright, astute, successful businessman. That leads me to say yes. Then I read this Op-Ed piece and just scratch my head. That leaves me ambivalent.
LL: Romney has called this bailout "crony capitalism on a grand scale" and said Obama saved the automakers because of the labor unions. Is the Governor desperately trying to make this a Dem vs. GOP issue?
MJ: There are plenty of examples of crony capitalism that must end. It is incompatible with free enterprise. The auto bailout is not one of them.
LL: As CEO of the nation's largest car dealer, what is your message to Governor Romney?
MJ: Sometimes when leaders get it right, like Bush and Obama—who were in the midst of a crisis and had the courage to act—you have to acknowledge it.
© 2012 CNBC LLC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/46416340 [with comments]
*
Industry Insiders And Reporters Slam Romney’s Auto Rescue Editorial As ‘Reckless,’ ‘Dishonest,’ And ‘Pure Fantasy’
Feb 17, 2012
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/02/17/427489/insiders-slam-romney-autos/ [with comments]
===
Mitt Romney's Pink Nail Polish Prank Woah! That's some crazy stunt
===
(linked in):
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=72353464 and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=72348318 and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=72329497 and following
By CHARLES M. BLOW
February 15, 2012, 10:37 pm
Thirsty.
When I was younger, that’s what we used to call people who were so wantonly driven to get something that they would do anything, no matter how desperate and unseemly they looked in the doing.
So that’s the only word that I can think of for Mitt Romney, whom MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has dubbed Thurston Howell III [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BVIkajw8RQ ],
the millionaire from “Gilligan’s Island.”
Thurston is thirsty.
Last week, Mitt Romney, the “Massachusetts Moderate,” as Newt Gingrich likes to call him, was bending over backward to prove himself conservative enough for the Conservative Political Action Committee [ http://cpac2012.conservative.org/ ].
It was painful [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI8PlTtM7DU (embedded)].
In his speech at the organization’s annual conference, he said that he was a “severely conservative Republican governor,” and tried to suggest that he had been a consistent conservative [ http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/as-santorum-rises-romney-boasts-conservative-credentials-and-warns-of-infection-by-washington-disease/ ]:
My conservatism did not come so much from reading the writings of great conservative scholars as it did from living my life, my family, my faith, my business. Conservative values were also part of my business experience, because in business you don’t have a choice about balancing your budget, you either balance your budget or you go bankrupt. So I learned time and again the principles of conservatism.
This was in part a response to the rise [ http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/14/1064743/-Santorum-s-very-real-surge-in-poll-numbers ] of Rick “The Theocrat” Santorum. And Santorum realizes that Romney is weakest when he moves to the right. That’s why Santorum has been quick to take shots at Romney’s conservative credentials.
Politico reported that after Romney’s “severely conservative” gaffe, Santorum sent out an e-mail [ http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/02/santorum-fundraises-off-romneys-severely-conservative-114268.html ] that said:
At yesterday’s CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney tried hard to convince the conservative audience that he also was a conservative. Romney even described himself as being “severely conservative.” A quick look at Romney’s record reveals he is severely mistaken.
Furthermore, Santorum’s communications director, Hogan Gidley, told Talking Points Memo (T.P.M.) on Tuesday [ http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/santorum-campaign-literally-scoffs-at-romneys-attempt-to-cast-himself-as-a-culture-warrior.php ]:
Gov. Romney going toe to toe with Rick Santorum on social issues is like Ryan Seacrest going toe to toe with Mike Tyson.
T.P.M. went on to quote Gidley as saying:
Rick Santorum fought to end partial birth abortions – Mitt Romney’s healthcare law allowed for $50 dollar abortions…. Rick Santorum fought to protect marriage as one man and one woman – Mitt Romney singed [sic] marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples. With a track record like that, it’s no wonder Mitt Romney is still having to try [to] sell himself as a social conservative.
Santorum is right on this front. Not only is Romney hardly coming across as more consistently conservative, according to a Pew Research Center poll [ http://www.people-press.org/2012/02/13/santorum-catches-romney-in-gop-race/ ] released on Monday, Romney is actually coming across as less so:
Three months ago, a slim majority (53%) of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said Mitt Romney was a strong conservative. Today, 42% see him this way, while the number who say he is not a strong conservative has jumped from 33% to 50%.
This growing skepticism about Romney’s conservatism is most pronounced among Tea Party Republicans. Among Republican and Republican-leaning voters who agree with the Tea Party, just 29% say Romney is a strong conservative, down from 51% three months ago. Fully 68% of Tea Party Republicans say Romney is not a strong conservative.
Fewer Republican voters today think Romney has been consistent as well. By a 48% to 39% margin, more Republicans say Romney does not take consistent positions on the issues. In November, 47% felt he was consistent and just 33% said he was not.
Someone get the “Massachusetts Moderate [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9xTIDB106g ]”
something else to drink, not the Kool-Aid he’s trying to serve the Republican base.
© 2012 The New York Times Company
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/mitt-romneys-thirst/ [with comments]
===
Romney says Obama has 'fought against religion'
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a town hall meeting at Eagle Manufacturing Corporation in Shelby Township, Mich., Tuesday, Mich., Feb. 21, 2012.
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
By KASIE HUNT The Associated Press
Updated: 8:19 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012
Posted: 1:41 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Tuesday that President Barack Obama's administration has "fought against religion" and sought to substitute a "secular" agenda for one grounded in faith.
Obama's campaign seized on the characterization, calling Romney's comments "disgraceful."
Romney rarely ventures into social issues in his campaign speeches, but people participating in a town hall-style meeting one week before the Michigan primary asked how he would protect religious liberty.
"Unfortunately, possibly because of the people the president hangs around with, and their agenda, their secular agenda — they have fought against religion," Romney said.
The Obama campaign linked Romney's remarks to recent comments by rival Rick Santorum, who has referred to Obama holding a "phony theology" only to say later that he wasn't attacking Obama's faith but the president's environmental views.
"These ugly and misleading attacks have no place in the campaign and they provide a very clear contrast with what President Obama is talking about: how to restore economic security for the middle class and create jobs," said Lis Smith, an Obama campaign spokeswoman.
Religious liberty has been a leading topic in recent weeks because of the Obama administration's mandate that insurance companies provide free birth control even to people employed by church-affiliated organizations, including schools and hospitals. Opponents frame the debate as one of religious liberty while proponents of the mandate say it's about women's health and access to contraception.
Romney hasn't faced voters or reporters very often since Santorum's surge and the rise of social issues in the campaign, largely avoiding questions on the subject. But he's clearly focused on the conservative Republican base that's still skeptical of him, calling himself "severely conservative" during a speech to activists in Washington earlier this month. And his lengthy, detailed answer Tuesday on religious liberty showed clear attention to the issue.
Romney implicitly invoked his own Mormon faith, also rare for the former Massachusetts governor. He said Tuesday that he cares about the issue because he is "someone who has understood very personally the significance of religious tolerance."
He also took questions on gay marriage, Supreme Court appointments and abortion — and when asked about whom he might select as his vice presidential running mate, he listed "pro-life" as the first credential he would look for.
Romney has found himself in an unexpectedly difficult fight in Michigan, his native state and a place where his advisers had long assumed he could do well. He's facing a tough challenge from Santorum, who has excited the GOP base with strong anti-abortion rhetoric and appeals to blue-collar voters.
"I care about Michigan. This is personal for me," Romney said.
The campaign's fundraising has slowed in recent weeks. The multimillionaire former venture capitalist has yet to tap his own fortune, campaign spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said Tuesday.
Romney has stepped his attacks on Santorum in recent days. On Tuesday he argued that tea party voters should prefer him over the former Pennsylvania senator — a renewed focus on the fiscally conservative voters who identify with those groups.
"I think the tea party would find it very interesting that Rick Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling five times without getting compensating reductions in spending," Romney said, echoing the negative campaign ads his campaign and their wealthy allies are airing in the state.
Michigan's GOP primary electorate has grown increasingly conservative in recent years. Tea party voters played a key role in the 2010 midterm elections, and local tea party groups are still active.
When one questioner at Romney's town hall stood and introduced himself as someone from the tea party, the crowd cheered.
Romney's focus on those voters shows in his schedule. He's set to address a coalition of tea party groups Thursday in Milford — a rarity for the former venture capitalist, who normally holds events at local businesses. Romney has scheduled just one or two public events per day in recent weeks.
Organizers said Romney, who accepted the invitation last week, will take questions from the crowd. Wes Nakagiri, the chairman of the tea party group, RetakeOurGov, that is hosting the event, said many of the group's members want to "root for the hometown boy" but that most would "prefer somebody else."
"The favored son helps if you are a longtime establishment Republican, knew his father," Nakagiri said. "But it's not going to be the same with people that are newly motivated to get into the process. Tea party people that have gotten into the process in the last two years don't have those relationships and are focused on policy."
There are signs that Romney's campaign has stepped up its outreach to the GOP establishment in the state, a group that he's counting on in the Feb. 28 primary.
After Santorum won contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, tickets for the Oakland County Lincoln Day Dinner — he was already booked as the keynote speaker — skyrocketed, according to Jim Thienel, the chairman. Romney's campaign hadn't responded to the party's earlier request to have him address the dinner.
After the Santorum victories, Romney's campaign called to say his wife, Ann, would be glad to attend. She spoke, too. Romney grew up in Bloomfield Hills, which is in Oakland County.
Romney himself has shown confidence that he'll win in Michigan. When asked in interviews earlier this week what would happened if he lost, Romney said, "That won't happen."
Still, supporters are trying to scale back expectations. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette introduced Romney at his Tuesday town hall as "The Comeback Kid."
"We've got a barn burner of a campaign right now here in Michigan," Schuette said, "and Mitt Romney is fighting like an underdog."
Romney left Michigan for Arizona, where he's set to debate his GOP rivals Wednesday night. Arizona also holds its primary Feb. 28. Then he will return to Michigan on Friday to deliver a major economic speech at Ford Field, the NFL football stadium in downtown Detroit.
Romney said Tuesday he'll use the speech to outline his economic plan. He said he will have details on a plan for tax policy, cutting spending and adjusting entitlement programs.
Copyright 2012, The Associated Press
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/nation/romney-says-obama-has-fought-against-religion-2190366.html [ http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/nation/romney-says-obama-has-fought-against-religion-2190366.html?viewAsSinglePage=true ] [no comments yet]
===
Mitt Romney Loves Cars, Lakes, & Trees...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHaMqHh5NZ4
*
Mitt Romney Loves Lamp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwR5XyvfJ28 [also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZbA5RM97DI ; original "Anchorman" clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CPwOOK4nEM ]
===
AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson: Mitt Romney’s Auto Bailout Op-Ed is Reckless and Dishonest
By: Lori Ann LaRocco
Published: Thursday, 16 Feb 2012 | 1:32 PM ET
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s latest blast against the auto bailout has one auto exec seeing red.
CNBC has learned Romney’s anti-automaker bailout op-ed [ http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120214/OPINION01/202140336/1008/opinion01/Romney-op-ed-U-S-autos-bailout-crony-capitalism-grand-scale ] in the Detroit News compelled Mike Jackson, Chairman and CEO of AutoNation (ticker: AN), the country’s largest auto dealer, to write a letter to the Editor.
NetNet exclusively obtained a copy of the letter in advance of publication.
Dear Editor:
As far as Mitt piece in yesterday’s Detroit News it was truly reckless, detached from reality, and dishonest. I also think it’s very bad politics, especially in Michigan.
It was Bush that stepped in with the “Bailout” of GM & Chrysler in the fall of ’08, not Obama. So that is just dishonest and W just said it at NADA; “he would do it again.” That circumstance trumped philosophy and he prevented a depression and 20% unemployment.
Secondly, Mitt’s assertion that private financing “DIP” was available in fall of ’08 into ’09 is fantasy. Everyone knows we were in the midst of the greatest financial meltdown since the 1930’s.
Finally, Obama’s Auto Taskforce did do a good job killing all the sacred cows. There was dramatic pain for all.
What more can I say, it is very disappointing.
Mike Jackson
Chairman & CEO
AutoNation
So why did the Romney’s latest comments drive Jackson to write such a response? Jackson answered C-Suite’s questions candidly.
LL: This is not the first time Gov. Romney has blasted the auto bailout. Some say this is a tactic for his image—that he is an experienced businessman who understands that sometimes companies need to feel the pain in order to turnaround. As a CEO, what do you think of this tactic?
MJ: We share a belief in free enterprise and the importance of the consequences of failure, risk and reward. I think 90% of America agrees that government bailouts are in principle wrong and against free enterprise. Unfortunately, the catastrophe in ’08 was so calamitous that government actions were necessary to avoid a great depression. Sometimes reality trumps principle and a courageous leader will understand that and will take the leap even when it is dramatically unpopular.
LL: You were in numerous discussions during the crisis with the Auto Czar. We all know we were on the edge of a cliff and the cliff was crumbling. If Romney was President during that time and let the autos fail where would the US economy be right now?
MJ: My belief is that if he was the President at that moment, he would have lead and acted as Bush and Obama did. However, if he had let GM and Chrysler liquidate—which would have dominoed and crushed the entire supplier system—we would have had a systemic shutdown of the entire US auto industry, millions of jobs lost, a depression and 20% unemployment.
LL: What do you think of Mitt’s assertion that private financing “DIP” was available in fall of ’08 into ’09?
MJ: That is pure fantasy and you have to ask, what he was doing in ’08 and ’09 that he did not see this.
LL: Based on this op-ed do you think Romney has what it takes to be President and turn this economy around?
MJ: I struggle with this question. He is a bright, astute, successful businessman. That leads me to say yes. Then I read this Op-Ed piece and just scratch my head. That leaves me ambivalent.
LL: Romney has called this bailout "crony capitalism on a grand scale" and said Obama saved the automakers because of the labor unions. Is the Governor desperately trying to make this a Dem vs. GOP issue?
MJ: There are plenty of examples of crony capitalism that must end. It is incompatible with free enterprise. The auto bailout is not one of them.
LL: As CEO of the nation's largest car dealer, what is your message to Governor Romney?
MJ: Sometimes when leaders get it right, like Bush and Obama—who were in the midst of a crisis and had the courage to act—you have to acknowledge it.
© 2012 CNBC LLC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/46416340 [with comments]
*
Industry Insiders And Reporters Slam Romney’s Auto Rescue Editorial As ‘Reckless,’ ‘Dishonest,’ And ‘Pure Fantasy’
Feb 17, 2012
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/02/17/427489/insiders-slam-romney-autos/ [with comments]
===
Mitt Romney's Pink Nail Polish Prank Woah! That's some crazy stunt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kou8fkpZZX0
===
(linked in):
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=72353464 and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=72348318 and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=72329497 and following
Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
Discover What Traders Are Watching
Explore small cap ideas before they hit the headlines.
