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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Anderson Cooper Does it Again and Exposes Obama Campaign Hypocrisy (Video)

I saw this great article on Mediaite.com floating around Facebook, so I naturally had to check it out (I don't watch much TV, and I certainly don't watch individual "news" shows like The O'Reilly Factor and AC360). Check it out: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/obama-campaign-spokesman-woefully-unprepared-for-anderson-cooper/

Did Anderson Cooper do it again? A few weeks ago I wrote about Anderson Cooper taking on a Moveon.org editor and their face claim that the GOP is waging a "war on women" (Link). This time Cooper takes on Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt about Team Obama using Mitt Romney's time at Bain capital against Romney while Obama accepts donations from private equity firms. I don't care what side you're on; truth is the most important thing. Regardless of Cooper's normal political platform (many claim he is left, but probably not as strong left as most), it is good to see him fighting the fight for truth. Watch the video, and see for yourself.

The article highlights:

          "One criticism of the Bain attack has been the notion that it’s hypocritical for the President to attack Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital, yet raise money from private equity donors like Blackstone Group president Tony James, and Obama bundler Jonathan Lavine, currently a managing director at Bain. It’s an obvious line of attack that’s been kicking around for a week now, and was the subject of Anderson Cooper‘s first question to Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt on tonight’s AC360."

It seems, as the write-up correctly states, that LaBolt's rebuttals are simple talking points that are hypocritical in nature and, well, frankly a large stretch of the truth. It seems the Obama campaign wants to hammer home the tie between Mitt Romney and this faux evil they have made out of Wall Street and private equity firms. They know the majority of American population has little knowledge of how private equity works, but they can paint a ridiculously scary and negative picture about the finance field as a whole. Obama does this with the whole "millionaires pay lower tax rates than their secretaries" lie, too (Link).

To expand the claim that Obama's campaign receives donations from private equity, check out this article highlighting that some of Obama's biggest donors in 2008 were private equity firms: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/228795-obama-raised-35m-from-private-equity-in-2008. Sure, it's 2012, but this article highlights just how strong Obama was then while the jury is out on private equity donations for this general election cycle.

Knowing the anti-private equity tirades might hurt him, Obama and the left have apparently changed their stance slightly. Just as The Hill's analysis states that private equity is a large Obama backer, I don't think Obama wants to bite the hand that feeds him. At first, the Obama campaign painted private equity as "vampires" and "corporate raiders." Now the argument seems to be that PE is essential and necessary, but in keeping with the negative attack on Mitt, the former governor's success in PE doesn't equate to success in the White House. It seems this is a classic case of trying to have it both ways.

Has anyone else noticed this? If not, here is a quick synopsis:

Obama's team (Obama for America) pushed out Romney Economics (http://www.romneyeconomics.com) - a scathing set (HUGE stretches with regards to truth, and chop video clips at best) of campaign websites and videos against Romney's time at Bain, but now it (and the Obama campaign in general) has softened its tone and claims basically, "oh, yah, private equity is just fine... Mitt Romney is just unqualified."

Check out Joe Biden's speech here: http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/05/biden-private-equity-is-no-more-of-a-wh-qualification-124217.html

He states:

          "Your job as president is to promote the common good. That doesn't mean the private equity guys are bad guys. They are not," he said in a campaign speech in Keene, N.H. "But that no more qualifies you to be president than being a plumber. And, by the way, there are a lot of awful smart plumbers."

This is coming from the "team" that made sure Mitt Romney was labeled a vampire in their recent campaign videos: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obama-ad-calls-mitt-romneys-bain-capital-firm-a-vampire/2012/05/14/gIQA25BdOU_blog.html?wprss=rss_campaigns

So which is it... is Romney a vampire and private equity is bad? Or is Romney a "good guy" and private equity is good... when Obama needs donations? If Team Obama wants us to believe that private equity is good, but a guy that did very, very well at it is bad, I'd seriously hope that Team Obama doesn't think Americans are really that easily pushed over. 

Is it okay, as Anderson Cooper points out, to "attack Mitt Romney on his time at Bain, highlighting only times when Bain cost companies jobs, and at the same time hold high priced fund raisers with the head of another private equity firm that’s done work with Bain, the Blackstone Group, there are people who have worked at other private equity firms in his own administration?”

What do YOU think?

10 comments:

  1. Perfect assessment, LME: So which is it... is Romney a vampire and private equity is bad? Or is Romney a "good guy" and private equity is good... when Obama needs donations? If Team Obama wants us to believe that private equity is good, but a guy that did very, very well at it is bad, I'd seriously hope that Team Obama doesn't think Americans are really that easily pushed over.

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  2. It's true, LME. By posting this, you're not really pointing out anything new (no offense). The democrats are usually pretty two-faced.

    "Private equity is bad" - Oh crap, we can't piss off our largest donors.

    "Private equity is good; Mitt Romney is bad" - Whew! Okay big PE firms, donate to us now!

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  3. Great post LME.

    Obama: 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain *that billionaire venture capitalist - who supports ME and who bundles other wealthy people to support ME* - focus on that other *b-a-d* venture capitalist - and oh, by the way, he's an e-e-e-vil RICH guy too, so he *couldn't possibly understand* your problems - like I DO.'

    This election cycle is turning into a bad horror flick -

    The Zombies (Obama and his Dem/Lib/OWS/Union army) vs. The Vampire (Romney)

    If it weren't so sad, stupid and unproductive, it might be funny as h*ll!

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  4. I typically LOVE Anderson Cooper and will excuse him for that mess of an interview yesterday. I believe he was attempting to be bipartisan but I still believe everyone is off the mark on this issue. NO ONE is attacking private equity. Mitt Romney's record while HE WAS at Bain Capital is being called into question. Why is everyone being so dense lately? The only things that seems to act as garlic or holy water to this particular "vampire" is Mass. and Bain Capital! So let's throw it and see if he melts or bursts into flames!

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    Replies
    1. You do realize that as this article correctly points out, the Obama admin DID attack private equity, right? It was only until the past week that they flipped, er, evolved their position.

      And, for those who do not know a thing about private equity but like to quote what they here in the MSM, Romney and Bain, are extremely ethical and successful at what they do. You can try to destroy it all you want. Facts are facts.

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    2. So is the obama campaign looking at the 22% of the deals that Mitt did while at Bain that weren't successful...that's a good batting record...that means 78% were successes.....I hope the Preezy keeps it up...it's defenitely a losing strategy.

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    3. Anonymous - Thank you for the comment. I'm not saying I disagree with you, but do you have a link or something that shows this? I'd love for everyone that reads this blog to see the proof behind this. That way, when their friends on the left want to say something bad about Mitt and Bain, they can use truth and fact to dispel their friends' positions. Thank you!

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  5. Wow, is Anderson trying to get fired from CNN or is he trying to get a job as a journalist somewhere? I thought maybe it was a fluke the first time.

    0bama likes to boast about how HE saved GM; didn't GM get rid of about 1,100 GM Dealers? That's a lot of sales, mechanic, body shop, and administrative jobs. So it's OK for 0bama to downsize GM but how dare Bain Capital downsize anything.


    http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1033203_gm-reveals-more-details-on-1124-dealer-cutback

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  6. Ok I couldn't even hear the guy over Cooper's interruptions. But that's beside the point sense we already know about the stupid paper factory in Indiana. I just want all of you to wake up and see that this is just more of the Clinton News Network doing what it does best! Anderson Cooper gets to pat himself on the back for his investments and then next week you tune in and he's convincing some slow Mormon to celebrate gay marriage or leading the NAACP in a prayer for some other item on the Obama agenda.

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