The famous English historian, William Maitland, reportedly did not speak until a lady spilled hot tea on him at the age of 5. He reassured her saying, "It is all right madam, the pain has somewhat abated." When asked why he had never spoken he replied, "Everything had been had been fine until now."
The media has missed the point about Bain. Romney did not object to Bain investments after February of 1999 because he thought everything was fine. As the sole shareholder, the CEO and President, he certainly received updates on the company he founded and, which, was the primary source of his wealth. He was mute as a matter of choice, not because of the lack of a voice in company affairs. If, as his titles suggest, he had veto authority, he remains responsible for the actions of Bain Capital until 2002 when he resigned.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Soon we will know if Romney's tax returns are a mere false start, or a full disqualification from the presidential race. While America is watching this year's dream team shoot, he should be passing ten years of tax returns to the press corp.
The political game plan always calls for a dump of embarrassing data when the public focus is elsewhere. If the campaign ignores the unique opportunity afforded by the Olympics, the tax returns, if released, would be a game changer.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
As I discussed in an earlier post, someone who gives ten dollars to a campaign is a contributor, someone who gives ten million is an investor. Gambling mogul, Sheldon Adelson, is a case in point. He is currently under investigation for bribery and other possible violations of the Federal Corrupt Practices Act.
Forum shopping is the use of any legal means at a litigant’s disposal to have a matter heard in a jurisdiction, or court, most likely to produce a favorable outcome. Forum shopping, does not guarantee the result, it improves the odds.
Choosing the prosecutor is far more helpful, because a prosecutor can decide not to pursue a matter or enter into a favorable plea bargain. Giving up to a hundred million dollars to Romney and other Republicans has an obvious goal. A Romney controlled Justice Department may quietly drop the matter.
We can keep track of a high flyer, like Sheldon Adelson. Stealth investors flying below the radar are the real threat. As discussed in the post "Boycott!", contributors to 501(c)(4) advocacy groups, such as Karl Rowe's American Crossroads GPS, are not disclosed. Contributors could include investment bankers, fearing prosecution for the financial melt down, and oil barons, protecting favorable tax treatment, or seeking to reduce environmental safeguards.
We have a right to know. Please urge your Congressperson and Senator to support the Disclosure Act, which is currently blocked by a Republican filibuster. If passed, starting January 1, contributions at, or above, ten thousand dollars would be promptly disclosed.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Gun Lobby: Principled Paranoia
Gun ownership is enshrined in the Second Amendment. For women, the right to bear arms predates the right to bare arms.
Americans resoundingly, if not universally, agree that hunters should be able to purchase rifles, and that all, who believe the risk of criminal assault exceeds the danger of accidental discharge, may buy a pistol for self-protection.
Gun control legislation consistent with this consensus, would ban automatic and semi-automatic weapons, as well as custom magazines that may chamber as many as 90 rounds. James Holmes would not be able to purchase enough rounds online, to slaughter the entire deer population of North America. An efficient and interconnected federal, state and local database would track such purchases, as well as, multiple gun purchases. Better background checks would be possible through shared information.
But legislation is prevented by a fringe phalanx that is locked and loaded by the NRA. America is a longstanding democracy with an intricate system of checks and balances. But some believe that the federal government is, or about to become, a Gestapo trampling on their rights. They reason that only a well-armed citizen militia can protect freedom and liberty. Gun control is held hostage, by this well financed minority.
If the inmates are allowed to run the asylum, we should at least ensure that they do not have assault rifles.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Michele Bachmann turned her new McCarthyism into overdrive. She has accused Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's deputy chief of staff, and fellow Minnesota Representative, Keith Ellison of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Her only "evidence" is that they are Muslim. If she wants to go on a witch-hunt, why not go after Christine, I am not a witch, O'Donnell.
Playing against this phony patriotic blather, is the USA Today story that she became a Swiss Citizen shortly after the Iowa caucuses. When her dual citizenship became public, Michelle quickly surrendered her right to visit Mitt's money.
Two, of the ever dwindling, number of adults in the Republican party, Senator John McCain and Ed Rollins, her former campaign manager, denounced the xenophobic tirades. But where was Mitt? While demonstrating political flexibility that only a yoga instructor could love, he has yet to show a backbone.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Senator McCain Could Have Won for Losing
With the economic earthquake and the Bush backlash, 2008 was destined to be a Democratic deluge. If McCain lost the nomination to Romney in 2008, he quite likely would be the Republican nominee now. Economic stagnation and, at best, ambivalence to Obamacare, would have made 2012 McCain's to lose.
As have often been pointed out, most recently by Sean Trende at http://realclearpolitics.com, defeating an incumbent takes two steps. First, the public must be convinced to vote against the sitting President, as is presently the case. Second, the challenger must be an acceptable alternative, a combination of personality and biography. As an ever feisty, war hero, McCain would have easily cleared the second hurdle. Although Ms. Palin would no doubt have claimed that, "she could see the economy from her house," she would not have been the VP. Not needing a game changer, McCain would have picked someone to shore up his economic credentials.
Neither personality, not biography, are Romney strong suits. On camera he is insincere and appears smug. Romneycare prevents him from running as a former governor, and attacks on Bain fetter his emphasis on his business experience. Pictures of him with his dog saying, "Roof, roof'" would be over the top. As a Mormon, he has apparently determined that emphasizing his deep personal, financial and philosophical commitment to his church is too risky. As a Nowhere Man, he may indeed go nowhere in this election. His only advantage over McCain is that he can enumerate all of his houses.
Thursday, July 26, 2012