Mitt Romney doesn't know where all his foreign investments are
Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 05:19 PM
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Yesterday, facing relentless criticism from the Obama camp about his offshore investments, Romney spluttered that they are managed by a blind trust and he has no knowledge of their whereabouts.
Really? If you owned untold millions in investments abroad wouldn't you want to know where they were and how they were performing? Wouldn't you want to have their telephone number at least so you could cal them up if you were feeling anxious?
Imagine being so mind numbingly rich that you don't even have to trouble yourself worrying with those details. No wonder Romney's own conservative chums winced so much when he was photographed jet-sking at his private summer mansion last week.
'I don’t manage them,' Romney told Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson, referring to his foreign investments. 'I don’t even know where they are. That trustee follows all U.S. laws. All the taxes are paid, as appropriate. All of them have been reported to the government. There’s nothing hidden there.'
Move along.
Except the portrait that's emerging of Romney is of a human weather vane who will turn with every political wind that blows. Another portrait is of a man so rich and so cossetted that he need never concern himself about where his untold millions are stuffed. Imagine being so rich you don't need wonder where the money that makes you rich actually is? This is the man who feels the pain of America's middle class?
Voters are unenthusiastic about him polls say, and he looks decidedly unenthusiastic himself. Even Republican House Speaker John Boehner said recently that voters 'probably aren’t going to fall in love' with him, adding that only 'some friends, relatives and Mormons' have his back.
Ouch.
I'm not even sure at this point why Mitt Romney wants to be president. I mean, I suppose for the access to all that power, that must be attractive to him, but when I look a him I still strongly get the feeling his heart just isn't in it.
Looking at him, I get the inescapable feeling that his best days are probably all behind him. Like a lot of men from his generation I believe he was probably happiest in the days when he could lead a bunch of bullying frat boys into the unpopular gay kids room and hold him down and humiliate him for life.
In those days you could do things like that safe in the knowledge that kind of treatment would never happen to you. In those days he was a king and he acted like one. I bet he misses those days.
Nowadays I get the feeling that what he really wants, at this stage in his life, is a jet ski vacation and some nice comfy slippers. He has that hangdog look that makes me think he's been put up to this presidential run against his will, he has that look even more than George W. Bush did.
That's why conservative outlets went nuts when those photographs of Romney on his jet ski looking like he was actually enjoying himself for once hit the web.
They told the truth about him, for once. The truth is he's happiest goofing off with his family. I wonder if he knows it himself? I really wonder if he'll throw in the towel before the election even starts?
64 comments
EphraimKibbey | Jul 12, 2012, 06:10 PM EDT
@BrianO - I LOVE ABBA!!! My wife and I saw Mama Mia twice and Abba Gold has a permanent slot in my car's CD changer. You can knock Obama all you want but don't mess with my Music! @hollabackgurl - Mother Jones reported a week ago and The Boston Globe just confirmed today that Romney's signature is on Bain SEC filings as CEO as late as 2002, three years after he was theoretically gone. In one of Romney's speechs he says that he held the same job at Bain for 25 years. Bain started in 1977. Twenty five years later would be 2002 not 1999. Maybe Eric Holder will have something else to investigate. Oh Ron, your star seems to be rising faster yet!
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BrianO | Jul 12, 2012, 04:13 PM EDT
Hollaback, ABBA really, try some old school tunes, loosen up with some Ramones, try some Gary US bonds, and maybe some South Side Johnny. Then you can try to enjoy yourself with some Leonayrd Skynard, Alman Brothers, Aerosnith, or maybe a little Bruce. Since this is Irish central you could try some Thin Lizzy, Hot House Flowers, or some Rory Gallagher, Of course these are oldies groups if you want some more current groups try some Dave Mattews, or heck even Taylor Swift is better than ABBA. Try a little good music maybe you will be less crabby, cheers and i hope you feel better.
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peterson | Jul 12, 2012, 02:34 PM EDT
They can say what they want---/Romney is the only man who can save the U.S. from the disaster created by Obama and his gangsters !!
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Cranleigh | Jul 12, 2012, 01:20 PM EDT
Fair enough comment except for the jet-ski stuff. What is so ultra-elitist about jet-skiing? It's a middle class activity, like wind-surfing. Remember how the press skewered poor old Kerry for that? What matters is the set of policies the candidate brings and his record in office, not what he does in his spare time.
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hollabackgurl | Jul 12, 2012, 11:49 AM EDT
1. Sarah Palin did say that proximity to Russia's tundra gave her foreign policy experience. 2. Your parties suck if you don't know Americans who love Abba. 3. Romney transferred his offshore company in Bermuda to his wife's trust one day before he was sworn in as governor of Massachusetts. But we don't know when if ever he actually left Bain Capital. If he didn't leave in 1999 he would be guilty of a federal felony by certifying on federal financial disclosure forms that he left active management of Bain Capital in February 1999. So much much about his wealth is unknown and hard to check, given that so many of his assets are held in foreign offshore accounts.
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BrianO | Jul 12, 2012, 11:35 AM EDT
Where to start, 1. Tina Fey of saturday night live, comedienne, coined the phrase "I can see Russia from my house" 2. No one in America listens to ABBA. 3. Seeing a clip of how a "Blind trust" works you would think you would know how a Blind trust works and why they are set up, ie. they are set up to prevent conflicts in interest as the decisions on investments are made by a third party. 4. Thank you Seano again as I now know what a POTUS stands for, If you must bring on the race aspect of this, and you are from the left so you must, It is the man's destructive policies I object to, I would much rather have- Condy Rice, Alan west, Clarence Thomas, Walter Williams, Dr. Soul, Mr. Watts, as president , Thank you.
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bogsidebunny | Jul 12, 2012, 03:08 AM EDT
Maybe Mitt doesn't, but anyone would be better than the current Socialist/Commie dude in the White House. Democrats are either morons or fellow commies to believe Obama's a straight shootin genuine person.
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hollabackgurl | Jul 11, 2012, 09:58 PM EDT
In 2008 John McCain vetted Mitt Romney's taxes and dropped like a hot coal, picking Miss I Can See Russia From My House Sarah Palin instead. There's something in those taxes. Probably long term US tax avoidance, but we'll never know until he comes clean.
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seanomelb | Jul 11, 2012, 06:52 PM EDT
As the sun sets and after a hard day on the campaign trail "MONEY[R] sits down to a warm glass of milk listening to his favourite ABBA vinyl 'MONEY MONEY MONEY" and thanking all those poor middle class republicans for subsidizing his low tax rate and his ultra high standard of living. Such is the price the middle class teaparty fools are paying because they just cannot stand a black POTUS how sad.
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EphraimKibbey | Jul 11, 2012, 06:39 PM EDT
I saw an interesting clip of Romney yesterday from his time as Mass. Governer. He was explaining how a "Blind Trust" works. He said that it is not really all that blind as one personally sets up the rules under which the money is invested before hand. He obviously has some current control of it as he was able to transfer a Bermuda account to his wife's trust in time to keep it off his disclosure form. It seems politically naive of him not to have forseen the uproar over offshore accounts and repatriated his fortune before running for national office. Maybe he isn't really that interested in being President. Ron Paul has four of the five states needed to be nominated in Tampa and may get the fifth one Saturday. He also is suing the GOP to allow all delegates to vote their conscience on the first ballot. He has LOTS of shadow delegates that are theoretically supposed to vote for Romney on the first round. Is Romney a ruse to deflect attention for the real GOP nominee?
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jamthecat | Jul 11, 2012, 05:44 PM EDT
What else would you expect from a sociopath whose sole interest is life is making himself as rich as he can? He has all the moral capacity of a snake, and voting for him means turning this country's progress as a decent nation back 100 years.
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Scrivner | Jul 11, 2012, 04:39 PM EDT
Murph, why do you have to ruin Cahir's day with something like...THE TRUTH!
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Murph46 | Jul 11, 2012, 03:41 PM EDT
Hey Cillowen -John Corzine (I don't know where the 30 Billion went)is a Democrat,advisor to Clinton!
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lokionline | Jul 11, 2012, 02:38 PM EDT
You can say what you will about Cahir and his motivations but that is simply a red herring. Ad hominem arguments are a waste of everyone's time.
I've worked with the Chamber of Commerce. I know what is in the hearts of many small to mid-size business owners, how success and wealth is often the driver, not the business or service itself. It is as Eriamach has correctly lableled it, "plutolatry" -- lovely word...
Freebie 28... Kleptocracy is a new word to you? seriously..?
Well, welcome to an ancient Irish tradition. A delight in language and words, their meanings and origins. It is a true hall mark of the Celtic inheritance. Eriamach provided a lovely little lesson on the origins of the word Plutocracy.
There is a good reason that Dante's work is considered classic. While the fantastic environments described in the Inferno grab the attention of the reader,the real message is revealed in the description of the people and the reasons both banal and compelling for which they inhabit the various circles of hell. "Plutolatory" is an issue in this election and it is not going to go away.
I've worked with the Chamber of Commerce. I know what is in the hearts of many small to mid-size business owners, how success and wealth is often the driver, not the business or service itself. It is as Eriamach has correctly lableled it, "plutolatry" -- lovely word...
Freebie 28... Kleptocracy is a new word to you? seriously..?
Well, welcome to an ancient Irish tradition. A delight in language and words, their meanings and origins. It is a true hall mark of the Celtic inheritance. Eriamach provided a lovely little lesson on the origins of the word Plutocracy.
There is a good reason that Dante's work is considered classic. While the fantastic environments described in the Inferno grab the attention of the reader,the real message is revealed in the description of the people and the reasons both banal and compelling for which they inhabit the various circles of hell. "Plutolatory" is an issue in this election and it is not going to go away.
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