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Former Gov. Mitt Romney is conceding he's got "an uphill climb" in South Carolina, where he finished fourth in 2008, despite season-opening victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.
But Romney tells CBS's "This Morning" he's confident about South Carolina, saying "I know we're going to push forward."
Romney voiced regret that his fellow Republicans are making an issue of his record as a venture capitalist, but said it isn't gaining any traction. He said, "They tried the same line here in New Hampshire and it fell extremely flat."
Romney said he has a record of starting businesses and creating tens of thousands of jobs. And he said that if elected, he wouldn't hesitate to apply his business experience in an all-out campaign to shrink the size of the federal government.
In an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," he said, "I don't know if we can win South Carolina,"
With respect to his former firm, Bain Capital, Romney told ABC he feels that people want someone with business experience in the Oval Office. "It's working for my benefit," he said.
Asked about comments by Vice President Joe Biden suggesting that venture capitalists care more about making money than the employees left behind in business reorganizations, Romney noted that Biden and President Barack Obama oversaw the federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler and that plants were closed down in the process, as well as automobile dealerships.
Speaking about his own company, Romney said, "Every time we had a reduction in employment it was designed to try and make the business more successful and, ultimately, to grow it."
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"Every time we had a reduction in employment it was designed to make the business more successful and to grow it." Then obviously he is a lousy CEO. Many many of the companies his company purchased fell flat after reducing, can you say firing, so many workers. He didn't turn them around he just took the cash and closed them. And the American people want this kind of man for their president? I don't think so.
LL
That's the part they do not want you to know about, the 70% of the businesses that Bain Capitol bought were destroyed. They only want to talk about the successes.
...........................................Mitt ! "I fired my mouth"
Egilman, I would be interested in knowing what your source is rebarding 70% of Bain Capital. From what I found trying to check your number, it is nothing near 70%.
Master Q - If Romney were to put say he wanted to go to business, businesses would line up to get him. They won't be asking for you. Not only that but I won't be asking for you either.
The new buzz with the media is what we are calling the Veracity Gap with Romney. He has trouble telling the truth, and consistently, almost pathologically lies at debate performances. Willard "Mitt" Romney won't even be truthful about his first name! Less than 5 % of Americans know his real name is Willard.
It's gone beyond the liberal blogs, and the conversation has spread to the "mainstream" press. This will be an issue in the election, and look for an expose soon on the Bain Capital scandal from one of the big three networks.
@egilman: your numbers are upside down. 30% of the businesses they invested in did not work. 70% did work. Anybody who understand VC knows that most VC companies make there money off just a small portion of the companies they invest in. For Romney to have a 70% success rate is not just good, it's un heard of. The man is a genius. I should also point out that most of the companies that failed ended up losing maybe a few hundred jobs. But when Romney succeeded, which as we just pointed out was most of the time, he did so in grand fashion. Staples, 90,000 jobs today, Dominos Pizza, tens of thousands of employees, Monsanto has 205,000 employees today, Steel Dynamics was a start up company that now employs over 6,000 people.
Romney is the real deal. It's time to get on board America. If not for the defense of the free market then at least in your own self interest. Romney will get America working again.
It's funny to read liberals trying to understand capitalism.
These same dimwits are absolutely fine with the government wasting 10% of Medicare payments due to fraud - what is that, $56 billion annually or so? That one f-up would provide more jobs than every company Bain closed and every job lost x several 100 percent.
These kindergarten arguments may play well on these silly posts, but come voting time, the grown ups are going to send all of these worthless liberals into retirement. We've all had enough of the social engineering and the Solyndra's of the world.
Yeah, Solyndra - and how many other failed businesses with hundreds of thousands of jobs lost, not to mention the MILLIONS of jobs lost due to the President's complete lack of experience, and his theories that simply do not translate into success.
Was pocketing the retirement funds of employees at the companies Mittens "helped" part of the deal too? Is that how successful capitalism works?
Oh, and about Solyndra - sometimes, businesses fail due to poor management. It's sort of how the free market works. There are plenty of green energy companies doing well, despite the competition from China and India. I think the growth of private sector jobs in the past two years and the fact that GM is posting record profits speak to the President's experience just fine. Americans will think so too, come November. :)
Pedestrian - Yes pensions were looted - and the Federal Government steps in to compensate - however retirement funds are paid $.40 on the $1.00 Plus no compensation is given for years served - try 32 years and good-bye
Here Mitt; the GOP will help you out by lowering a rope to you. Now. Just make a loop, and slip it over your arms and hang on and we'll pull... no, Mitt! Under your arms! Under! You have it looped around your neck...!
Yeah, please explain it to Warren Buffet (2nd richest man in the US) and the rest of us liberals.
Egilman, according to the WSJ study, you have it backwards. 70% of Bain's business succeeded and 30% failed.
Let me help you out willard...start denying your black love child and your cult now...stay on your most recent message of bashing abortion, gays and minorities...that always plays well in the backwards arse state of SC...
................................................"Romney keeps his focus on the 1%"
Rhino - The four companies you mentioned were invested in after Willard left Bain His partner was quoted as saying "we didn't buy companies to create jobs, we bought them to make money"
We have a retail store here that has been bought and sold three times - the 1st buyer came in and took all of the merchandise, the 2nd stripped the interior clean and the 3rd - who knows - meanwhile all of the sales staff were let go and the building sits empty - a blight
Purchasing businesses, selling off any additional assets like real estate is common amongst these raiders
Sears has been bought by an Equity firm and they have done no upgrades, that's why you hear about customers complaining about poor merchandise and service , meanwhile sales staff have been put on commission and turn over is rampant
@Barbara, ummm no, He was there for all 4 of these companies. He helped stock the shelves for the first Staples store. This story is well documented. As to your other examples, what have they got to do with Mitt Romney?
As to your comment about making money; how is that a bad thing? Do you have a retirement fund? When you put your money in that fund, do you hope it grows? If you do then you have the exact same attitude of the Bain executive you just referred to. By the way, if your retirement funds have grown, there is a good chance Bain Capital was responsible for it. That is where a lot of there investment money came from.
You're welcome.
Wake up America - Will your family be one of those casualties of the GOP Tea-ReTards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I read this on caffeinated thoughts. I did not write it, "guest" did, but I thought it was very well-written and astute:
"As any campaign expert will tell you, short of the economy tanking, carving off chunks of Obama's support is the best way to guarantee Republicans beat Obama. Ron Paul is the only candidate positioned to do this.
THE YOUTH VOTE
The youth vote which Obama won by 34% in 2008 is abandoning him. Ron Paul has proven strong appeal with the young voters. He is by far the best candidate capable of not only appealing to this demographic but energizing it towards defeating Obama. Anyone who thinks the youth vote will abandon Obama for one of the other candidates is kidding themselves. This is one of Obama's Achilles heals and ONLY Ron Paul can not only exploit it - but use it against Obama.
MILITARY
Most Americans think that with Bin Laden dead, our job is done and we should bring the troops home. Obama is vulnerable on this issue against Ron Paul. Any other GOP candidate will galvanize these supporters to Obama. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who appeals to these voters disenchanted with Obama - carving away votes.
DRUG WAR
76% of Americans agree with RP that the federal war on drugs is a failure, in fact, only 8% think it has been a success. 89% of the people who voted for Obama 4 years ago believe the war on drugs is a failure. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who is positioned to cleave off a chunk of these Obama supporters. Any other GOP candidate will galvanize these supporters to Obama.
POLITICIANS
A record number of Americans do not trust politicians. Obama is a status qua politician, Romney is the poster child of insider politician. Ron Paul is the anti-politician and a doctor - and Americans have a high level of trust in doctors. The media and elites hate him. Ron Paul is the candidate who can appeal to these voters.
ENERGIZED ARMY OF SUPPORTERS
Obama is not going to be defeated by a slick DC Beltway campaign alone. It is going to take a nationwide passionate, energized army of supporters. Ron Paul has clearly demonstrated that he can energize his base of supporters like no other candidate can. We all know that if Ron Paul isn't the nominee, this army of energy disappears. But with Paul as the nominee, this army will mushroom.
THE "PAUL or NOBODY" Problem
If Paul is not the nominee and just stays home, the Republicans lose a significant part of his supporters. He has a large "Paul or Nobody" base. If Paul grows weary of the Republican assaults and runs 3rd party, it is game over for them."
I wish that the MSM would give Ron Paul a fair hearing... THEY should be giving us this analysis.
What are you drinking today ? .........."Obama / 2012 That's Guaranteed"
Ron Paul is a novelty ~ that is why he appeals to young voters. In the last election, Obama was the novelty and captured the young vote. Everyone agrees the war on drugs is a miserable yet highly expensive failure but the majority is still hesitant to advocate for any legalization as Paul suggests. Trying to paint Ron Paul as something other than a politician would gain more traction if he had not been a politician in his own right for the past 30 years. In all likelihood, if Paul continues to poll as #2 or #3 in primaries, he will take his own "energized army of supporters" into an independent campaign when it becomes obvious he will not get the GOP nomination. If that happens, it will ensure the re-election of Obama. Frankly, I believe Paul thinks he can actually prevail as an independent but should that fail, I firmly believe he would prefer Obama to any of the other GOP candidates seeking the nomination.
Today, Ron Paul did something Romney did in 2008. He wants everyone else to drop out so he wins.
Um - didn't work to well for Romney or Huckabee. Romney had better number than Huckabee and dropped out rather than spend his personal wealth, dropped out and endorsed McCain. Huckabee thought that he would win a number of southern states because of the evangelicals and that the bulk of Romney's support would swing behind him.
Over half of Romney's support went to McCain and many of the remaining voted for Romney anyhow.
Ron Paul is like Huckabee. The support is not going to swing to him, worse yet his supporters may actually be the wing of the Republican party that stays home, if they don't get their own way.
Ron has no chance of winning. He is a DC insider, simply a really lousy insider. He has passed nothing of import in 20+ years, so by any measure he is a failure.
I agree with much of what he talks about, but between him proving he cannot negotiate with Conservatives and Liberals, and his racist background, he's just not Presidential material.
ralleyforreason - Ron Paul attends many John Birch Society meetings and is often a guest speaker - you might try and read up on them - the Koch Brothers father was I believe one of the founders , plus Ron Paul's son Rand is named after Ayn Rand - theory of objectivism - you might want to look into that and see where you fit into her Utopia
And you might want to look for a charming picture of Ron Paul posing with the force behind Stormfront.org - Don Black. (Search on both names on any search engine you choose.)
He is a former Nazi and current KKK member. Yeah, Ron Paul is not racist!!!!! Just check out his buddy's website and see how tolerant they are. Stormfront.org should have a little color chart so you can tell if you qualify as 'white' or not.
I still expect Romney to win in South Carolina. He will come across the evangelical voters to be sure, but so did JFK as he was Catholic. The South isn't quite so polorized as it was 50 years ago. And Florida is more Northern than New Hampshire.
Overall, Mitt Romney has the experience and credentials to turn this ailing economy around and make America prosperous again.
Obama has the credentials to go on another luxury vacation. Play yet another round of golf while America starves.
President Romney for eight years.
Obama shelved in 2012.
Willard Romney has the credentials to outsource jobs overseas while destroying the middle class.
Didn't bother you when bush made hundreds of trips to crawford and to raise money while his two wars raged? Or when his daughters were filmed writhing on the floor in some bar in Rio while fine Americans died in their daddys faux war in iraq..That didn't bother you either I'll bet?
Mitts will cause goobers like you to lose their jobs...he's never actually created a new job, just rearranged the deck chairs on whatever company he was raping to death...
"W's" war games-playing Rambo killed 4,500 America soldiers and lied to Congress to do it, than dumped two unfunded wars on the incoming President and 10.7 trillion of debt. The GOP and their T-Tards + "W" put this Country in a Depression.
You have to understand that the purpose of Bain was to make money not jobs and if they needed to gut companies for a higher profit margin then thyey would do it.
Still the lies about "lying to Congress" - you ding dongs do realize that many Democrats supported the war long after the "lies" argument was vetted. Add to that Hilary, who during the campaign with odingdong said that she personally investigated Bush's war reasoning and found it to be sound, and your little fairy tales fall flat.
Democrats have had since 2007 to de-fund the so-called false war - you libs are simply desperate and will say ANYTHING to get your fraud re-elected. If you were confident, you wouldn't need to rant about history as you continue to do, you could stand on Obama's record(just saying that made me laugh).
The Republicans could nominate Palin and Obama would lose in a landslide. Fact is the liberal way simply doesn't work in America, and trying to vilify the companies that all of us own stock in and are counting on continuing to grow so that we can retire will not work.
Hell, Steve Jobs sent way more American jobs to China than Bain and Romney, and Clinton sold the American worker out long before all of that.
Mitt it's not your success's I envy.It's your complet lack of morale's and ethics I don't like.I think the only thing in this world that motivates you is a dollar bill and how much of it you can beg barrow or steal
Really ?
Mitt Romney is a political opportunist. He will say anything to get elected, like it is is right of passage since dear old dad cme up short. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and you can tell by the debates and the way he rolls his eyes that he thinks he better than the other candidates on the stage.
This guy is a cold, calculating, ruthless individual. He has already made millions and continue to rake in millions from Bain capital so now he thinks he can buy the election. Back in 2008, he put 40 million of his own money in the election.
He uses his 5 sons like they are the picture perfect family...come on. They are probably affraid of the guy. It has been reported that Romney doesn't really connect that well with people and seems more robotic than anything. I wonder why? This ruthless parasite sits in a room of rich people and comes up with a way to get richer at the expense of the little people.
How in the world can he know anything about the middle class, when he hasn't had one day that he has had to worry about food or bills for that matter. When everyone else was being drafted for vietnam, my brother included, Romney ran to France to avoid service. Ever notice how he's quick to talk about military action in Iran while he has 5 sons who hasn't served on day in the military.
This guy doesn't care about this country, this guy cares about Romney. That's why he likes firing people...hey his words, not mine. I can see that he has alot of people in the country fooled though. I think they are allowing themselves to be fooled by this guy mainly because President Obama is African-American. Call me cynical but I think that is the reason people are willing to ignore what Romney really stands for, in order to tell themselves that his vulcher capitalism of gutting companies and firing people, is exactly what this country needs when we already have millions out of work because of one republican who shall remain nameless.
If Romeny is elected president, then those who voted for him deserves exactly what they will get and believe me, it won't even remotely look like the country back on track but rather a country taken back to the 1950's where there was the haves and the have nots. The rich and the peasants. If the American people sleep through this election believing the Romney hype and the become a President Romney, heave help us all!
Your post spoke to nearly exclusively things that you cannot possibly know. And your envy of his family is really weak. Add to that the bleating nonsense regarding the 1950's - is that really your argument?
All is lost for you folks if this is the liberal mindset. The truth is the pundits agree Americans are going to vote with their pocket book. The one thing going for Obama is that he shows no real loyalty. He will sell out any idea if he thinks it will help re-elect him. Now he's touting tax breaks again for business, a perfectly Republican idea, for companies bringing jobs to America. Yeah, 3 years ago that was a great idea, now it just reeks of political gamesmanship. Pathetic really.
Argue using reason - tell us why Obama will succeed (which so far, by any measure, he has not). Make a positive case, because character assassination is not going to work.
I fixed it for you.
Willard Romney hates America, and especially hates middle class Americans. He will do anything to destroy the middle class for the benefit of the super-rich like himself.
How is SC an uphill fight for Romney? Last poll I saw showed him having a pretty healthy lead. Is he really trying to court the underdog persona? Is he afraid people will turn on him if he looks like the inevitable candidate?
Unless people start to really look at his Bain career and see that he's a corporate raider, not a corporate leader, he's probably going to be running against Obama in 2012.
Willard Romney is a venture vulture.
Depends upon which poll which day and who did the polling. Granted, the situation is still very fluid, but some pollsters poll better than others.
From Real Clear Politics
PPP (D) - Romney 30, Gingrich 23, Santorum 19, Paul 9, Perry 5, Huntsman 4
Rasmussen - Romney 27, Santorum 23, Gingrich 18, Paul 11, Perry 5, Huntsman 2
CNN/Time - Romney 37, Santorum 19, Gingrich 18, Paul 12, Perry 5, Huntsman 1
From National Polls.com
WeAskAmerica - Romney 26, Gingrich 21, Santorum 13, Paul 8, Perry 5, Huntsman 4
ARG - Romney 31, Gingrich 24, Santorum 24, Paul 9, Perry 2, Huntsman 2
The only ones who should consider dropping out is Perry and Huntsman. The numbers just aren't there for these two in Florida either. Paul has gotten to 10 in Florida and he won't drop out until the bitter end.
But when Huntsman and Perry drop out, where do their supporters go, Paul, Gingrich or Santorum?
The loss of jobs that occurred when Obama and Biden oversaw the automotive bailouts is NOT the same as what happened when Romney oversaw a failing business that had been taken over by Bain. Obama and Biden didn't somehow find a way to personally make huge money at the same time lifelong workers were having their retirements destroyed. Whenever one of these Bain businesses failed and the game was lost, Romney didn't just take his marbles and go home. He took everybody else's marbles too.
The majority of the companies Bain invested in did not fail. Some companies failed.
If I am the CEO and invested in companies that only failed, I would not gain from it. I would be fired. Romney made money off those successes not the failures.
I agree with Brent-329673. It is about indifference to others.
Uphill Battle? How? He's fighting against the new Occupy Movement in Newt and Perry. They and Huntsman are in the wrong election. They should be filing as Dems. The new atacks by Gingrich and Perry makes them standout as liberals. I think Obama needs some new campaign staff. They'll need a job here real soon.
ANY ONE of these morons faces an uphill battle, not only in South Carolina, but nationally this November.
They are all SERIAL LOSERS who are PROFESSIONAL CANDIDATES with closets full of moldy BAGGAGE that will soon be aired in a nationwide DIRTY LAUNDRY EXPOSE.
Comedy at it's best.....
Why is it that it is expected that all other candidates are suppose to just drop out of the race after merely two states' election days numbers? I mean Romney may be the GOP nominee or maybe not. I think it's just funny that we have 50 states in our Nation and so far Romney has received a grand total of approximately 128,782 votes.
There's still a lot of people out there who haven't voted yet and, to me, 128,000 people in all of America doesn't seem like a big definite woo hoo victory.
I would encourage every single candidate to remain in the race until the very end.
M-356362: It took me many years to realize that the media are paid servants of corporate interests who are manufacturing the results via name repetition. See how many stories there are on Romney each day. It is not the content that matters, but the name recognition. They announce Romney is the front runner and then do everything possible to get him the nomination.
And they want it to be Romney vs Obama as soon as possible, because it is cheaper to cover two candidates than a dozen. A more exciting horse race and bigger profits for the corporations.
We must find out who the media is pushing and vote against him.
Bookem'Danno - You obviously don't know how the game is played - You scout out companies that are doing farely well - put 20% down say $20 Million to purchase them - then you bring them public - pump them up - get concessions from employees - reduce salaries and whatever overhead you can - company is looking very profitable - next borrow say $50 Million - in the interim charging a hefty commission say 60% - company is left with a 7 year note which would take 15 years to pay off - go bankrupt - but not before you raid the pensions - employees left with nothing except a Federal Government Program which pays pension $.40 on the $1.00
Bain walks away with $30 Million plus commissions and whatever they got from the pensions
There a 4 ways to look at New Hampshire results.
The first way is the conventional once: Mitt Romney cruises to victory in a state he lost before, and now make 2 wins and no losses.
The second way to look at it is :Two Mormon candiates took 50% of the vote; Romney and Jon Hunstman.this disposes of the "mormon's can't win arguement, at least in the north.
The third way to approach it, is note that Ron Paul, without significant advertising did far better even though Paul spent almost the whole campaign in Iowa-and Paul won the areas not covered by Boston media outlets.
The fourt h way is to say Romneey did not do well at all. He had a 45% lead going into the final days, and it all but collapsed just as it did in Iowa. The 35% is really not much to write home about after living in New Hampshire for 4 years and campaigning for 5-aand sewing up ednorsements of Judd Greg and Kelly Ayotte and almost eveyone else and polling the state down to the outhouse level.
Fort this you only get 35%-against a Senator who lost his re-elecvtion by a wide margin,a House speaker tainted by ethics violations and serial wives, and a congressman who not only want to end all foriegn aid but also want s to cut back the Portmouth Naval base in New Hampshire-plus go back to the gold standard.
That's a victory? Really?
Sorry but I opt for the last of the above.
I agree.
The real problem for Romney is that he wasn't born in America, he is actually Mexican and so he should be forced to show his long-form birth certificate, as well as his tax returns!
(Just kidding)
Well, we know that Romney, as CEO of Bain, was a predatory corporate raider and dismantled many companies. We also know that corporations are people, as both Romney and the Supreme Court have said. So does that therefore mean that Romney is a serial killer?
That's a good point. I would be interested to see some numbers on the divorce rate of people who are unemployed. By firing people, it's quite possible the Mittsy in an enemy of the sacred rite of marriage...
Romney's opponents need to point out that Americans don't despise wealth or the wealthy, they despise an indifference to the poverty of other Americans, and a willingness to continue an economic system that creates even more poor people while a few get ever richer. It is the truth, and a winning political approach.
Hope Romney keeps spending his money ,it is helping the economy. No matter how much he spends their isn't any chance that the United States voters will vote for him. He comes from UTAH and their lifes style and religion . Their is no way the country will stand or vote a President whose beliefs are different than 90% of Americas population and beliefs. It just won't happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Romneys own wealth and lifestyle is based on holding back and not sharing with the less fotunate.
It's true. He will be furhter exposed.
1. Mittens is a 1%'er.
2. He is a member of the largest sacrilegious cult in the world.
3. The jobs he 'created', at Staples, KB Toys and other businesses were mostly low wage.
If you were to create an statue of him it would need four faces, one facing in each direction. It would accurately depict his ever changing positions on major issues.
RUCK FOMNEY 2012
Romney is the same book as Obama with a different cover.
Obama gets his policies from the Romney camp.
Vote for Romney or Obama if you want to be a slave in the New World Order.
We need someone with "business experience" in the Oval Office
Is that not the oldest line in the book Mitt??
Come up with something original.
Let's see who brings forth more BS.
I just watched video of a romney event and he actually said the words, "middle class people like us."
WTF.
I wonder if Romney ran a business where the purpose was to give money away.
Look - the government may save some pennies turning off the lights when people get home, or shaving 10% of its workforce - but that isn't the main problem that is driving trillion dollar deficits.
The main problem is promised benefits - (and adding Romneycare turned Obamacare, doesn't help the government reduce its size) and huge military obligations. Since Romney refuses to engage on any of the major items - except frankly, to add more programs and to expand the military even more - his vapid promises about shrinking the deficit should be ignored.
Reagan promised balanced budgets. Bush Sr. promised that. George W. promised that. They all were Romney-style "borrow and spend" presidents that ballooned the national debt.
I'm supporting Ron Paul - and to be honest I'm a bit disappointed that anyone believes Romney - because his record is transparent. More spending = higher deficits, not less.
Romney keeps giving the rich, meaning himself tax breaks. This country will have no middle class, only the poor. Then I see you say no one is looking for a job. I just want to know one thing. Who is going to do the labor when all that is left is the rich and poor. and I don't understand how Romney and Republicans can attack medical = Social Security. most of us that worked hard labor and can't do no more work? I have worked 40 years and now on disability. If you take my S.S AND MEDICARE WHAT DO I DO ? WHO WOULD HIRE ME now I know I'm voting for President Obama
arnold jones - Romney also buys into Paul Ryan's plan - vouchers for Medicare - plus he has signed Grover Norquist's contract no new taxes - this man is a predator in more ways than one