Thread: Mitt Romney

what we know:

when romney was being vetted for vice president in 2008, he gave 23 years of his tax returrns to the mccain campaign. presumably 1985 - 2008. mccain staffers have recently said that there were no obvious red flags in the returns.

this year romney has released his 2010 return to the public and has promised his 2011 return soon.

so the only year missing is 2009.

in 2009 the IRS offered amnesty to those who had undisclosed foreign bank accounts. essentially if account holders came clean, the IRS would impose fines but wouldn't prosecute.

the romney campaign has already stated that he had swiss bank account with UBS that was closed in 2010.


what we don't know:

did romney take advantage of the amnesty program in 2009 to avoid prosecution for not paying his US taxes?

Romney is just another big money puppet like nearly all the Presidents since and including Woodrow Wilson.
Acually the USA began to go horribly wrong as far back as when Thomas Jefferson was president.

The current federal government is so bloated and out control it has everyone terrified.

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

The current federal government is so bloated and out control it has everyone terrified.

everyone is terrified?


i think most rational observers would agree it's just the kooks riled up by AM talkradio/ the blogosphere and the opportunists in the GOP.

and if romney were to win, i think they would miraculously get over that sense of being terrified.

take rep. paul ryan for example: he's created quite an image for himself in the last four years for trying to cut federal spending.

yet during the bush administration he voted for:
two wars that weren't paid for.
the prescription drug plan that wasn't paid for.

these account for trillions of dollars in deficit spending.

who wants to guess whether or not he would change his tune if romney needed votes to get a federal spending bill passed.

Originally Posted by raycarey

everyone is terrified?

.

Sure enough, you can bet most people are afraid of the worlds largest terror organization: The IRS.

Originally Posted by sabang

But really, why on earth did Mitt run, what point is he trying to prove beyond feeding a bloated ego, or something to do with Mormonism? He was stupid to run, really. There is yet a minority chance he may win, too.

Dim Mitt's slim chance of winning (17.1%)

where are the returns?

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

Originally Posted by raycarey

everyone is terrified?

.

Sure enough, you can bet most people are afraid of the worlds largest terror organization: The IRS.

If anyone has a fear of the IRS it might because they’ve done something against the law. Hell I was audited by the IRS and during the three year process I was just giggling at them. You live the one of freest countries in the world, pay your dues! If any US citizen doesn’t like it,.leave your passport at the desk when you fuck off. You will not be missed.

I have to say, if the IRS gets on your arse they are brutal. I know more than one 'forced expatriate' from the US, in one case entirely because of things her ex husband had done.

romney has been getting hammered the last several weeks over not releasing his taxes....democrats, republicans, the media, late night comedians have all weighed in....nearly everyone agrees he needs to release them ASAP.

but he continues to stonewall like nixon.

romney is nothing if not a calculating, political animal.

that leaves me to believe he's come to the conclusion that the hammering he'll take over what's in his hidden tax returns will be worse than the hammering he's taking now.

and i think the press knows this too....and that's why they're not letting go.

if he thinks this issue is somehow going to disappear as an issue after he gets back from his overseas fundraising trip, i think he's sadly mistaken.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

If anyone has a fear of the IRS it might because they’ve done something against the law. Hell I was audited by the IRS and during the three year process I was just giggling at them. You live the one of freest countries in the world, pay your dues! If any US citizen doesn’t like it, leave your passport at the desk when you fuck off. You will not be missed.

Such charming patriotic platitudes. Pray tell, where did you learn that?

Clearly you haven't a clue to what is going on.

If you wish to be illuminated visit, http://www.givemeliberty.org/

Originally Posted by robuzo

The McCain campaign got the others. It may very well have nothing to do with illegality, but simply a case of that one year post-crash turning out to have been one in which this very wealthy man paid no tax at all.

that he may have paid no taxes in '09 has been shot down (on the record) by the romney campaign....so, he definitely paid something. the question is, was it such a miniscule amount that it is going to be a political embarrassment?

or, as asked in a post above, in '09 did he take the amnesty package offered by the IRS to avoid prosecution for tax evasion on his now closed swiss bank account.

he's crazy if he thinks this is going away.

Originally Posted by raycarey

Originally Posted by robuzo

The McCain campaign got the others. It may very well have nothing to do with illegality, but simply a case of that one year post-crash turning out to have been one in which this very wealthy man paid no tax at all.

that he may have paid no taxes in '09 has been shot down (on the record) by the romney campaign....so, he definitely paid something. . .he's crazy if he thinks this is going away.

Not really shooting anything down until he releases the records.

If the Romney campaign crashes maybe the Republicans will consider giving Buddy Roemer a shot. They could do worse: Thank You for Your Support | Buddy Roemer for President

We can turn all these problems into opportunities, but we must begin our battle with the special interests who are content with the status quo. They don’t want change. They spend billions to keep their control. They own our political system. They bought it with their fundraisers for incumbents, and with jobs for the already powerful. They bought it with special favors and inside information for those who can return the gesture in amendments and legislation and earmarks. They finance the elections. They hire the politicians upon their retirement. And they own the two major political parties. It’s un-democratic and it’s simply un-American.

Originally Posted by robuzo

Not really shooting anything down until he releases the records.

i guess my point is that they wouldn't have come out and flatly denied the rumor of zero if it was, in fact, zero.
but yeah, you're right.....we won't know for sure until he stops stonewalling like nixon.

Originally Posted by robuzo

maybe the Republicans will consider giving Buddy Roemer a shot

god, wouldn't it be amazing if the shit really did hit the fan to such a degree that romney was forced to bow out? that would be amazing.
not that i think it will happen, but that would be an amazing political event to witness.

and yeah, roemer is an interesting guy. i personally wouldn't vote for him, but he's certainly not your average politician.

For somebody who has been campaigning since ~2006 and proclaims himself to be a great business leader Rmoney either needs to get better staff or 'fess up.

Behaving like Mitt Louis XVI and having Ann go all Marie Antoinette on the networks seems like another clumsy move. They are really screwing up the tax issue.

Originally Posted by quimbian corholla

a great business leader

He's certainly been a much better manager/ investor than a politician. On the basis of his previous positions, he should be running on a Democrat ticket actually. So he's flipflopped to get the GOP nomination (against a pathetically weak field)- who knows what his positions would actually end up to be if he occupies the Oval office? He certainly knows how fiscally loonie the current Republican propositions are, although of course he doesn't want you to know that.

^
Doesn't matter. A new GAllup Poll:

By more than 2-1, Americans think Romney would be better at handling the economy and restoring prosperity.

“A record number of Americans express skepticism about the activist role of government Obama espouses; 61% say the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. That’s the highest number since Gallup began asking the question in 1992.”

Indeed...

And, w/regard to America a 'free' country? You're joking, right?

Poor Dim Mitt and (his) history. He’s got no chance except for the old deranged knuckle draggers who support the anyonebutObama ticket. That will not cut it. Where the returns?

Romney Invested Millions in Firms That Pioneered High-Tech Outsourcing

In March 1999, shortly after Romney left Bain to take over the troubled Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Brookside Capital Investors Inc., a Bain-related entity wholly owned by Romney, filed a report with the Securities and Exchange Commission that listed dozens of companies in which Brookside held a stake the previous quarter. The roster included investments in Singapore-based Flextronics International ($13 million) and Florida-headquartered Jabil Circuit Inc. ($41 million), two companies that were leaders in the fast-growing field of outsourcing electronics manufacturing and offshoring production to low-wage countries. Together, these two investments represented almost 10 percent of Brookside's $559 million portfolio.

Snip

Such was the case with Flextronics and Jabil Circuit. They were two of a handful of companies that, according to the Los Angeles Times, "exploited the boon in high-tech outsourcing, or 'stealth' manufacturing," producing components or products for American businesses including Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft. When Romney was acquiring stakes in these two companies, they were hot tickets for investors. During the second half of 1998, the leading electronics manufacturing contractors—including Flextronics and Jabil Circuit—averaged an 85 percent boost in stock prices. That year, Flextronics doubled its revenues.

In the late 1990s, Flextronics built a facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, to serve its US clients, including Intel. A Wiredmagazine profile described the firm this way: "Incorporated in Singapore with its management offices in San Jose, Flextronics has factories worldwide. Its industrial parks, which house suppliers onsite, are concentrated in Brazil, China, Hungary, and Mexico. Workers earn from 70 cents per hour in China to $4.50 in Brazil…By manufacturing in low-cost regions, Flex can cut 75 percent of the price of labor."

Snip

The value of outsourcing manufacturing to cheap-labor regions is a matter of debate; it's a practice that can be beneficial for US consumers (though not workers) and bolster the competitiveness of US firms, and it might be partly inevitable in a globalized economy. But, if there's a question over which of the two presidential candidates sought to make millions of dollars by investing in outsourcing and offshoring, there's no debate. In the late 1990s, Romney and his Brookside Capital Investors Inc. believed it was right to bet on US and overseas firms that were capitalizing on outsourcing. Now his campaign says that was just a routine business decision—yet one with a political cost that has, as they say in the financial world, been carried over.


And on a side note,……..

“You Olympians, however, know you didn’t get here solely on your own power,” said Romney, who on Friday will attend the Opening Ceremonies of this year’s Summer Olympics. “For most of you, loving parents, sisters or brothers, encouraged your hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues in order to organize competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them. We’ve already cheered the Olympians, let’s also cheer the parents, coaches, and communities. All right!

Mitt Romney, “You Olympians, didn’t get here on your own”

Originally Posted by sabang

I have to say, if the IRS gets on your arse they are brutal. I know more than one 'forced expatriate' from the US, in one case entirely because of things her ex husband had done.

It’s awful the trouble a spouse can cause you, but if a portion of her assets are tied to the time/year(s) she was married to her ex that the IRS is questioning,.the IRS has every right to go after what they think she might (even if it was unknowingly) have gained (benefited from) because of him.

^Dang, SL, you should warn us when the link goes to teh crazee. . .apparently the writer at the site is unconvinced that Olympic athletes benefit from taxpayer largess. I think most taxpayers don't mind supporting Olympic athletes, but probably do mind fattening up the kind of pigs who showed up at Mittens' Salt Lake trough. Amazing how the Olympics in LDSland turned out to be among the most corrupt in history, despite the Mormons. Maybe I mean the opposite of "despite."

When Mittens said "You Olympians" get a lot of help I think he was talkin about his patrician self. When Mrs. Mittens said, "You people. . ." she meant the help.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Poor Dim Mitt and (his) history. He’s got no chance except for the old deranged knuckle draggers who support the anyonebutObama ticket. That will not cut it. Where the returns?

Heh...guess you missed the Memo, eh?

By more than 2-1, Americans think Romney would be better at handling the economy and restoring prosperity.

“A record number of Americans express skepticism about the activist role of government Obama espouses; 61% say the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. That’s the highest number since Gallup began asking the question in 1992.”

Sure whole lota 'knuckledraggers' out there, huh?

Obama’s Bain Bust: New Gallup Poll Finds 63% Say Romney’s Business Background Will Help Him Govern The Economy, Only 29% Disagree


Which means Obama flushed $100 million down the drain on attacks ads targeting Romney’s Bain record.


"Despite concerted Democratic attacks on his business record, Republican challenger Mitt Romney scores a significant advantage over President Obama when it comes to managing the economy, reducing the federal budget deficit and creating jobs, a national USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.
By more than 2-1, 63%-29%, those surveyed say Romney’s background in business, including his tenure at the private equity firm Bain Capital, would cause him to make good decisions, not bad ones, in dealing with the nation’s economic problems over the next four years.
The findings raise questions about Obama’s strategy of targeting Bain’s record in outsourcing jobs and hammering Romney for refusing to commit to releasing more than two years of his tax returns. Instead, Americans seem focused on the economy, where disappointment with the fragile recovery and the 8.2% unemployment rate are costing the president"

Get it all here

Originally Posted by sabang

On the basis of his previous positions, he should be running on a Democrat ticket actually. So he's flipflopped to get the GOP nomination (against a pathetically weak field)- who knows what his positions would actually end up to be if he occupies the Oval office?

Originally Posted by S Landreth

deranged knuckle draggers who support the anyonebutObama ticket

these posts sum up what i find particularly amusing about the romney nomination.

most conservatives don't really support romney......or believe in romney.......or even like romney.....they just dislike him less than they do obama.

and truth be told, they shouldn't believe or like romney, because he's not really one of them. i consider myself to be moderately left of center, and i don't think romney winning would be a complete disaster for the US. of course i strongly support the president's bid for re-election, and think he has a very good chance of winning, but this race is essentially between two moderates.

look at romney's record:

he personally gave money to planned parenthood.
he supported and signed gun control legislation
he ran to the left of ted kennedy of gay rights
he established the blue print for the universal health care


tea partiers and evangelicals---this is your candidate!

Did you know Ann Romney is a coal miner’s grand-daughter? Yeah… didn’t think so. The Democrat-media complex has done its best work in hiding this from the American people. Thank goodness for British news websites. Ann Romney, the grand-daughter o of a Welsh coal miner, will visit her cousins from the mining valleys this week while visiting England.

She calls herself the ‘coal miner’s granddaughter’ and is proud of her homespun wisdom and connection with the concerns of aspirational hard-working Americans.
But when Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, told voters recently: ‘I feel I am just one foot away from where that mine was and how close we all are to the sacrifices of our parents and grandparents who tried to make a better life for us,’ she wasn’t talking about the coalfields of Kentucky or West Virginia, but those in the Welsh valleys.
After the Romneys attend the Olympics opening ceremony in London this week, they will meet Ann’s cousins from the mining valleys; relatives who will no doubt add to her pride in their extraordinary family story.
That story includes grinding poverty, a wedding day betrayal and even a gunfight with Al Capone’s henchmen.
And Ann Romney’s Welsh family will be hoping that in November they will be able to write another chapter of the family history – about how she became First Lady of the United States of America.
amid all the electioneering, it is mother-of-five Ann who is being seen by his camp as his secret weapon in the race to the White House.
She will provide a dash of blonde glamour in front of the television cameras and the kind of human face that the Romney team hope will convince American voters that they are a run-of-the-mill family with everyday concerns.
America already knows about 63-year-old Ann’s battles with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, and her working-class background in the mining valleys of Wales.
Even her sons have been schooled in their Welsh roots. ‘Mom never lets us forget we’re Welsh,’ Craig, 30, has said, displaying a black shoulder bag with a red dragon logo.
Tagg, 41, added: ‘We all grew up very aware of our Welsh heritage. My mother can still speak some Welsh that she learned from her grandmother.’
Unlike many Americans who boast of their Irish, Scottish or English roots while having only the haziest idea of life in the ‘Old Country’, Ann Romney has a direct and vivid connection to her family past.
Her father, Edward Davies, known as Rod, was born in the mining village of Nantyffyllon, near Bridgend, and emigrated to America with his mother Annie, brother David and sister Margaret in 1929 as worldwide economic depression loomed.


Mitt Romney: US presidential candidate is facing controversy over his wealth and tax bills | Mail Online

The British Press gets it...

Originally Posted by raycarey

look at romney's record:

he personally gave money to planned parenthood.
he supported and signed gun control legislation
he ran to the left of ted kennedy of gay rights
he established the blue print for the universal health care


tea partiers and evangelicals---this is your candidate!

Rmoney wants us to forget everything he ever said or did as Guv of Taxachusetts. Maybe pleasing the "tea partiers and evangelicals" was why McCain chose Palin over Romney.