The appears that much of the mainstream media is focused on a few goals:
Minimize the reputational damage to Barack Obama and his fellow travelers over his failed domestic and foreign policy.
Denigrate those GOP candidates who offer a significant chance of beating Obama in the upcoming 2012 election cycles.
Promote those GOP candidates who represent progressive values and would fracture the GOP into splinter groups.
Therefore, it appears we owe thanks to Donovan Slack writing in the Boston Globe who has discovered what appears to be “crony capitalism” in Mitt Romney’s midst. Or did he?
Romney, who portrays himself as a hard-headed businessman, certainly “looks” presidential – but questions remain.
Is he really a RINO (Republican In Name Only), having led the uber-liberal State of Massachusetts into costly and failing public policies such as RomneyCare – the template, according to Obama, for ObamaCare?
Can he really be trusted to say what he means and mean what he says – because the records indicates he is a “flip-flopper” of the first magnitude? As you can see in this video, it’s all on the record for everyone to see. <Link to Video>
Like another George Bush, does Romney represent crony capitalism and laissez-faire regulatory actions when it comes to detecting, deterring and prosecuting corporate and political fraud?
Is Romney a “get along to go along” type of guy who is willing to concede major points to the opposition and call it a win? Especially when everybody can see that his “win” is just a “slower” victory for the opposition.
But most importantly, who are his associates and advisors and do they pass the smell test?
Is the a matter of concern?
As reported in the Boston Globe …
“Romney aide trades on political ties -- Turned to donors when starting firm”
“As national finance director for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2008, Spencer Zwick frequently called big-money supporters looking for contributions.”
“After Romney dropped out of the race, Zwick did not stop calling.”
“Diving for the first time into the other sphere of the Romney universe - private-equity investing - the trusted aide began asking Romney’s backers to invest at least $10 million each in a financial partnership Zwick launched with Romney’s oldest son, Taggart.”
“Using their close ties to Romney and a hefty political Rolodex, the partners raised more than $200 million for the startup business, Solamere Capital, despite brutal market conditions and their limited experience in the world of high finance. In their prospectus, they said they expected to reinvest the money in an array of equity funds, each of them also managed by Romney political supporters.”
One would assume that one would capitalize on their connections and do everything in their power to raise money for a private venture. After, all it’s the American way. And to this point – there is nothing illegal or even a whiff of any “quid pro quo” deals.
Is this really a hedge against an uncertain future?
“The story of Solamere offers a rare glimpse into the intersecting worlds of Romney’s business and political operation, which continues to employ Zwick as chief fund-raiser for the 2012 campaign. Although campaign finance specialists say his overlapping missions are permitted by law, some ethics watchdogs say the arrangement presents an appearance that key political contributors could be rewarded with business opportunities.”
Watchdogs or political partisans?
I always get nervous when I see some group hold themselves out as watchdogs because they almost always have an agenda of their own – something far different from what the public may assume.
“’This setup screams what’s wrong with our broken system,’’ said Bob Edgar, chief executive of Common Cause, a national nonprofit advocacy group that frequently speaks out against the influence of money and lobbying in politics. ‘This is a business deal, and Romney is the investment. If he’s elected, they will have access and influence at the White House. If he’s not the next president, they’ll still make a bundle on the deal. Either way, they will be rewarded.’’’
What is wrong with this statement?
First, there have been no allegations of wrongdoing or even a hint of impropriety and yet here is this so-called watchdog group associating the actions of a Romney son and associate with “what’s wrong with our broken system.”
And who is “Common Cause?”
“Common Cause is a self-described nonpartisan, nonprofit lobby and advocacy organization. Common Cause's current president and chief executive officer is Robert W. Edgar, a former Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania. Its chairman is former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich.” <Source>
Hoist the RED Flags …
To my way of thinking, Robert Reich is a hyperpartisan Marxist troll.
“In an interview with The New York Times, he explained that ‘I don't believe in redistribution of wealth for the sake of redistributing wealth. But I am concerned about how we can afford to pay for what we as a nation need to do.’"
About Reich’s 2007 book, Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life … “In it he argued turbo-charged corporate competition, fueled by consumers and investors seeking the best possible deals from anywhere in the world, was generating severe social problems. But governments were failing to address them because big corporations and Wall Street firms were also seeking competitive advantage over one another through politics, thereby drowning out the voices of ordinary citizens.” <Source>
Reich appears to be wary of both capitalism and the free markets. In fact, an article in American Spectator, itself a rightwing publication, notes …
“Isn't It Reich? --Obama backer says there can be no stimulus without affirmative action.”
A hatchet job on Romney by the progressives …
“Mitt Romney and Solamere’s principals declined through representatives to be interviewed.”
Why would one consent to be interviewed for an article that has no real probative value and appears to be a political hit piece? Of course, there were the obligatory statements.
“Solamere said in a statement that there was no consideration given to political connections or support in Solamere’s business strategies and that the firm ‘adhered to the highest ethical standards.’’’
Why would one consent to have their “private” business affairs examined by a reporter who is seeking to make unsavory connections between your clients and a politician?
“’Solamere does not disclose the identities of its investors. Although the prospectus obtained by the Globe lists equity and venture firms that would be potential investment targets, the company would not confirm where it has placed its money. The lack of transparency makes it difficult to verify whether Zwick is appropriately managing his overlapping roles, critics say.’”
Lack of transparency? What the hell are they talking about? The progressive mainstream media such as the Boston Globe failed to adequately vet candidate Obama and his fellow Marxist and Communist travelers – even with open sources and now they want to play the “lack of transparency card?” They are not a regulatory agency. They have no right to demand information from a private company. And they certainly do not have a right to smear a candidate based on nothing more than their partisan suspicions.
The smear continues …
“If the campaign [fund-raiser] is on the one hand getting people to invest in the equity fund and then telling the recipients of the fund, ‘Hey why don’t you write a check to Mitt Romney?’, that’s an issue,’’ said Donald H. Schepers, director of the Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity at Baruch College in New York.”
This is the rankest type of third-party innuendo of wrongdoing because the third-party doesn’t have a clue to the actual facts of the matter.
“Another political analyst said there did not appear to be anything improper about the arrangement, chalking it up to typical coziness between a political organization and its friends.”
“’It’s really a story about back-scratching by influential people, money moving around,’’ said historian Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank, who served in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and advised presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.”
If anything, it’s really a non-story because nothing has been proven and it is all smear-style allegations.
“Hess said Solamere is an example of how such business and political elites operate ‘in the first-class compartment.’’’
One might ask if these are Marxist morons. Of course you turn to your friends and acquaintances – and their friends and acquaintances – to raise money for your venture. You don’t simply post an advertisement asking for people of wealth to invest in a speculative venture.
“It is well established that Romney’s business background and ties helped build his political power. In 2008, Zwick flipped that formula upside down, using political leverage to kick off a multimillion-dollar investment firm.”
So? You would assume that it perfectly normal to use the assets and connections at hand to propel yourself forward – whether in a commercial venture or a political one.
Let’s throw in a little Marxist class warfare while we are at it …
“Solamere Capital was named for a private community in Deer Valley, Utah, where Romney owned a ski mansion. It was launched just two weeks after Romney dropped out of the presidential race in February 2008 and incorporated at the same Boston address where the campaign headquarters had been, records show. It later shared an address with Romney’s political action committees in Lexington, before moving to its current Back Bay office.”
I have heard of “ski lodges” – no matter how grand and plush, but I have never heard the term “ski mansion.” As for the use of addresses – one would assume that the addresses used would be close to the principals and chosen for their convenience. After all, you do not want to delay business by having your mail shuttled across the nation.
The Romney connection …
“A key element in the initial sales pitch to investors was the Solamere connection to Romney, who cofounded Bain Capital in 1984 and helped turn it into a $66 billion giant in the world of equity investing.”
“Zwick told potential investors that Romney was the first to invest in Solamere with $10 million, according to three people Zwick pitched who spoke on condition of anonymity - a move that undoubtedly built immediate credibility for the enterprise. During the past two years, according to financial disclosures, Romney has received between $100,000 and $1 million from the investment.”
Of course Romney would invest in a good thing, especially one which was associated with his son. He is a man of means so his investment is not out of proportion to his total wealth. The big numbers are shocking only to those who do not have a similar perspective. And what organization does not attempt to gain credibility and respect by citing its largest, most important and well-know backers? Nothing here – move along.
Now they attempt to impugn the organization’s personnel …
“The founders - besides Zwick and Tagg Romney - also included Eric Scheuermann, the only one of the three who listed private equity experience on Solamere’s prospectus. Scheuermann, a lawyer who worked in a clerkship for the late Supreme Court chief justice William Rehnquist, was previously a partner in New York-based Jupiter Partners, Solamere’s website said.”
“Tagg Romney had worked at a half dozen different jobs after getting his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1998, including as a marketing executive for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Reebok. He was a senior aide on his father’s presidential campaign in 2008 and his gubernatorial campaign in 2002.”
“While Tagg had the Romney name, it was Zwick, according to the prospectus, who was ‘most responsible for building the Solamere network.’’’
It seems reasonable that the senior partner would do the heavy lifting. And it is not unknown for companies as well as non-profits to stack their boards with “names” to attract other participants. How else could you justify a young progressive like Chelsea Clinton serving on the Board of a major corporation – no matter what her schooling?
And so it goes, on and on, trying to make the case that there is something suspicious about how business is done in the stratified atmosphere of big money and important people. Something a Marxist would hate with a passion because there is no “social justice” or “fairness.” No affirmative action and carve-outs for the “little people” – the people who are portraying as victims. Victims you are seeking for your coalition so that you get the votes – because you are the one to redress the wrongs of those bully capitalists.
How I got the story …
I did not happen on this story, it was spoon-fed to me by an unknown “publicist.” Probably because I have been openly critical of former governor Romney.
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Good afternoon,
Boston Globe Washington Bureau Reporter Donovan Slack looks at the scandal surrounding Mitt Romney's national finance director and Romney’s oldest son using big money supporters to invest in a financial partnership. Slack provides a visual showing who exactly the money came from: Romney aide trades on political ties
If you are interested in speaking with Donovan about the story, I am happy to coordinate.
Best,
<Name and Title Withheld>
Elevate Communications
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Who is Elevate Communications?
“Elevate Communication is a full-service public relations agency. We provide strategic public relations counsel and results-driven communications programs that deliver on our clients' communications objectives.”
“We have great relationships with leading consumer, business, trade and sports print and broadcast journalists. We are constantly serving as trusted sources, providing value-added content that helps seed stories, shape trends and secure significant coverage for our clients.”
Bottom line …
So let’s turn the story around. Who is Elevate Communications’ client and how much are they paying for a social media attempt to smear a GOP candidate? Was this “outreach” paid for by another candidate? Was this outreach paid for by the opposition? What the hell is going on with an article which attempts to turn innocent connections into a suggestion of scandal and wrongdoing?
Who is paying for this smear job? Are they attempting to curtail a front-runner? The questions are endless?
But they took a chance in sending me the information. Perhaps thinking my distaste for candidate Romney would make me into one of their “useful idiots” to serve their corrupt cause.
Well guys: F*ck You! You stand exposed for what you are – paid whores in the cause of International Marxism.
-- steve
Reference Links …
Romney aide trades on political ties - Nation - The Boston Globe