Romney’s Bain “Profiting from failure” bothers voters

Romney and Bain Capital

A campaign memo from Obama’s SuperPAC makes the case that criticisms of Romney’s record with Bain Capital, are “resonating with the actual voters who will decide this election.”

Based on focus groups and polling, a segment of voters is distressed by Romney’s involvement in Bain’s operations.

Why? Because, as the memo states, “For voters across the country, profiting from failure and breaking promises to employees illustrates that Romney would not stand up for the middle class as President.”

One McCain voter said:

That whole thing where factories have shut down, that concerns me. . . Little guys like us are like a gerbil on the wheel, OK? Where’s my break?

Governor Romney is politically vulnerable not because he made a lot of money, but because of the way the money was made.

In some cases, businesses were loaded up with debt, wages were cuts and, as the business failed, Bain Capital walked away with employees’ pension funds and millions in profits. Workers were left without jobs, health care, and retirement savings.

Gaining when a business fails is not what happens to Main Street small businesses — and it rankles workers who feel “like a gerbil on a wheel.”

As conservative Byron York, quoted in the memo, wrote, “The average independent voter in Ohio doesn’t live in a private equity world.”

Amy Fried

About Amy Fried

Amy Fried loves Maine's sense of community and the wonderful mix of culture and outdoor recreation. She loves politics in three ways: as an analytical political scientist, a devoted political junkie and a citizen who believes politics matters for people's lives. Fried is Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. Her views do not reflect those of her employer or any group to which she belongs.