I must have fallen down a rabbit hole. The world is upside down.
Republican candidates who claim to be the "true conservatives" are taking a page from the "liberal" playbook. They're slamming another Republican for essentially being "a capitalist." What? Have they joined Occupy Wall Street?
A pro-Gingrich PAC put together a "hit documentary" about Mitt Romney's time as a venture capitalist. It is full of horrible stories about people who say their lives and livelihood were destroyed by the evil Romney. Yes, it is that over-the-top.
Just one problem. Several actually. Romney had nothing to do with some of their most egregious examples. Oops. They got their facts wrong. (Newt take note: I am refraining from calling the producers of the so-called documentary "liars.")
Before saving the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, Mitt Romney was in the business of saving companies. He was a turnaround specialist for Bain Capital, a private investment firm closely related to the "prestigious" management consultant Bain & Company of Boston.
This is over simplified, but Bain Capital essentially took over weak or failing companies and in many cases was able to salvage them to the benefit of customers and investors. (BTW: If you have a 401k or mutual fund-based retirement account, you probably are one of those investors. So you also benefited from Romney's work.)
Sure, it is a painful and even messy process. As an employee, I've been through it myself a few times. "Downsizing." "Restructuring." Not fun. I know.
Yes, jobs are often lost. I was laid off back in 1988 by a company that was being "reinvented." Absolutely hated it. Worst moment of my career.
Would it have been better if the company had been left to collapse and everyone lost their jobs? I think not.
What's more, many of those resurrected companies go on to create jobs. Lots of them. Funny, there was no mention of that in the pro-Gingrich documentary. Nope. Not one word about successful turnarounds such as Sports Authority, Staples and Dominos Pizza.
As for Rick Perry's play on words, referring to Romney as a "vulture" capitalist... errrrrr... Okay, I got nothing.
Well, maybe this: It's stupidity simply stuns me. I'm no expert, but my guess is that the vultures will soon enough be picking the carcass of his dead campaign.
... Or perhaps I'm just suffering from vertigo. The rabbit hole can be very disorienting.
