As we wait for the New Hampshire vote to come in (last polls closed a few minutes ago, early count showing Romney under 40%, Huntsmann in a commanding third), I think we should all take a moment to reflect on the incredible explosion of people attacking Mitt Romney for his history with Bain Capital.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, was expecting that the main thrust against Romney from his fellow Republican candidates would be the Massachusetts healthcare mandate, and his relatively moderate history in the one office he's held. In the last few days, it's been his career as a venture capitalist, culminating in what could be two of the defining creations of this election. One is the
half-hour video produced by a pro-Gingrich PAC interviewing people who worked at companies Bain Capital bought, who were subsequently laid off. It could be a production by MoveOn for the tenor.
And the other was Romney's response to it. Speaking to the local Chamber of Commerce (businessmen all), Romney was trying to make an argument against state-ist economics, and the virtues of the free market, about how business thrives when you have the power to refuse a supplier and take your business elsewhere (specifically insurance providers). And in the middle of this, the section of Romney's brain that wants him to sound agreeable and ingratiating at all times no matter how inappropriate made him glibly blurt out,
"I like being able to fire people." He meant "fire" an insurance company from supplying a business, but all context disappears when you hear it said, and Google already relables it "I like firing people".
What makes it significant is how the rest of the Republican field has reacted to it. Rick Perry's campaign released a ringtone of the line on repeat, labeling him a "vulture capitalist"; Santorum said nobody wants to vote a guy who reminds you of your boss; fake "Pink Slips" being handed out around the state, and the rest of the field have been bashing away in time, especially Gingrich. For anyone who's had the slightest conception of American politics prior to
Wednesday, this is jawdropping. It makes sense in the moment of course, since especially in a bad economy no candidate wants to sound they're in favor of firing people; talk job-creation job-creation all day long (whatever it may be code for that day). But firing people is inherent to the process of management, especially venture capitalism. In any other time, any of these same candidates, if they weren't running against Romney, would be lauding him for his appreciation of the hard realities of running a business, declaring it a fine mark of executive experience and that America needs a realistic President like that. Objection would be met with the reminder that you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, and calling into question any element of venture capitalism, down to its philosophical underpinnings of efficiency, would be called singing the praises of Chairman Mao.
In this of all years, in this of all races, we're seeing Republican candidates piling onto one of their own for, essentially, being
too business savvy. Somewhere in Zuccotti Park, there's a shiftless art-major reading the story on his iPhone and thinking, "Are we winning?" This is going to be a wild race, especially if this becomes Romney's Dean-Scream.
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Topic: American Election Megathread - It's Over (Read 763381 times)