Former Bain Executive Said Romney Was Directly Responsible for Ampad Layoffs

“You can’t be CEO of Bain Capital and say, ‘I really don’t know’”
Politics • Views: 33,202

Andrew Kaczynski discovered a 2002 interview that sheds more light on the situation with Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital and the Ampad paper company, and it doesn’t make Romney look any better: Former Bain Executive: Romney Bears Blame for Ampad Layoffs.

According to a 2002 interview with former managing director of Bain Capital Marc Wolpow, Romney was directly responsible for Ampad’s layoffs. Wopow and a fellow Bain partner sat on the board of directors of Ampad, and were responsible with carrying out the Bain business plan that caused the layoffs.

“My job was to maximize the profits to Bain Capital’s partners from the Ampad transaction,” Wolpow told the Globe in 2002.

Wolpow said Romney was responsible for the business plan carried out by Bain in Indiana.”Mitt’s employees executed that transaction,” he said. “We carried out the business plan. He was CEO of the firm.”

”I reported directly to Mitt Romney … You can’t be CEO of Bain Capital and say, `I really don’t know what my guys were doing.”

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197 comments
1 HappyWarrior  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:45:19pm

But Cory Booker said...... Anyhow, interesting to hear this from a Bain executive.

2 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:45:58pm

None of this changes that Obama is a sekrit muslim from Kenya who was mentored by Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers to become a communist and destroy America.

Silly Liberals with their facts and context are trying to hide the real story.

3 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:54:11pm

re: #1 HappyWarrior

I have to hope Booker is hosed when he tries to run for National Office.

4 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:56:05pm

Bankruptcy report on Bain-owned Ampad: Creditors repaid $.002 for every dollar owed

The company went into bankruptcy in 2000, holding a debt load of more than $400 million. Bain's return on its $5 million investment was $100 million.

But a final bankruptcy filing on the firm in last December also shows what happened to Ampad creditors. Out of a debt load of $170 million owed to unsecured creditors, Ampad ended up paying out less than $330,000, the filings show.

That amounts to two-tenths of a cent for every dollar owed in that case.

Among those owed money was the pension fund for Niagara Envelope, a New York-based company that Ampad picked up during Bain's tenure, and where there were a number of job losses. It was owed over $700,000, but was on track to get back under $1,500, the records show.

Ampad also owed more than $240,000 to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., but it was granted a recoup of only $458.07.

"Equity firms" parasites on a cosmic scale

5 darthstar  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:56:43pm

Please tell me this is someone he suggested as a personal reference.

6 HappyWarrior  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:57:10pm

re: #3 ProGunLiberal

I have to hope Booker is hosed when he tries to run for National Office.

Eh? Let's see how he does if he becomes governor of New Jersey. I thought he overreacted but I am not going to wish for him never to become president over this. I didn't want Clinton anywhere near Obama's administration because I hated the way she acted during the campaign but she's been a fine SoS. one of hte best in recent memory.

7 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:57:32pm

Real Strong Stand against Hate Crimes there, New Jersey:

Dharun Ravi sentenced to 30 days in webcam hate crime

8 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:57:58pm

So in addition to fucking over the actual workers


They fucked over all the businesses doing business with Ampad


These guys should be in prison for life, but when you're a rich republican with daddy's money, theft on a cosmic scale is legal and encouraged

9 jaunte  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:58:36pm

Fraudsters

Romney was a director and part owner of Damon Clinical Laboratories, a Needham-based medical testing company that in 1996 incurred what was then the biggest criminal penalty for health care fraud in US history. The company pleaded guilty to billing Medicare for more than $25 million worth of patient lab tests that were not medically necessary. When Romney sold his interest in Damon, he personally made $473,000; his company made a $7.4 million profit. But what specifically did he know about the fraud, when did he know it, and what did he and the board do to stop it?
[Link: www.boston.com...]

10 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:59:04pm

Ampad is a good angle for the election, because it's a perfect example of an evil greedy fuck destroying lives

hopefully the Democrats actually make use of it

11 HappyWarrior  Mon, May 21, 2012 1:59:24pm

re: #9 jaunte

Fraudsters

Agh.

12 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:01:27pm

Greed is not good.

13 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:02:08pm

Romney running for president may just be the visibility america needs of what criminal maggots these "businessmen" actually are

15 Decatur Deb  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:02:36pm

re: #8 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

So in addition to fucking over the actual workers

They fucked over all the businesses doing business with Ampad

These guys should be in prison for life, but when you're a rich republican with daddy's money, theft on a cosmic scale is legal and encouraged

Looks like they were putting the companies' retirement accounts into each other's equity before they tanked them.

16 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:04:37pm

re: #14 Kragar

Obama On Bain: As President ‘Your Job Is Not Simply To Maximize Profits’

cripple the country, sell it off, leave it ruined


That's how Bain runs companies, and that's how we should expect romney to run America

17 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:04:40pm

re: #6 HappyWarrior

We've had enough "Free Marketeers." Seeing what they are doing all over the place is disturbing me. I admit, my opinion of Greece has flipped. They have suffered enough that I can forgive them for the collaboration with the Serbians in the 90's.

This quote I found (and articles associatied with it) have flipped me.

Jesus loving Christ, have you've not read the news about how pensioners literally cannot afford both medicine and food or raising their children? Have you've heard about how illicit drug use is skyrocketing from depression and AIDS rates are going up due to that and health cuts? Have you've heard about Malaria making a comeback and the aforementioned AIDS increasing by 1,250% in central Athens? Have you've seen the emergency volunteer medical center that catered initially to undocumented immigrants go treating mostly Greeks due to the collapsing state?

At what point do we say, enough is enough? They are literally dismantling a country to nothing! For what? A morally bankrupt ideology? Time to remember the markets serve the people, not the people serve the markets.

re: #5 darthstar

What was AMPAD? I am not familiar with it.

18 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:04:57pm

LOOTING

that's what this is


modern day rapists and raiders, the "smartest guys in the room"

19 Interesting Times  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:05:40pm

re: #10 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

Ampad is a good angle for the election, because it's a perfect example of an evil greedy fuck destroying lives

hopefully the Democrats actually make use of it

Is this a good start? :)

20 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:07:02pm

re: #18 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

LOOTING

that's what this is

modern day rapists and raiders, the "smartest guys in the room"

Makes you think the Romans had the right idea with the whole seizure of goods and banishment thing they had going on.
.5/

21 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:07:05pm

re: #19 Interesting Times

yay :D

22 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:07:55pm

re: #19 Interesting Times


nice and succinct, reverse robin hood, love it

23 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:09:36pm

Their link to the 2002 interview is broken. I googled a bit and it seems most of this is recycled stuff from a Newt sponsored film
Pro-Gingrich super PAC offers one-sided, distorted view of Romney’s years at Bain Capital
Scroll down to the section titled "AmPad: Bain’s Big Payoff". It's worth reading the whole thing because it seems to be the template for Obama's campaign ads.
BTW, the harshest criticism of Center for Public Integrity seems to be from wingnuts that they're left wing biased with connections to Soros and Bill Moyers. It seems a well sourced and reasonable fact checking.

24 Mocking Jay  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:09:54pm

re: #22 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

nice and succinct, reverse robin hood, love it

Ayn Rand had a pirate character just like that in Atlas Shrugged, iirc.

25 Decatur Deb  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:11:02pm

re: #24 It's a cookbook!

Ayn Rand had a pirate character just like that in Atlas Shrugged, iirc.

Was she fur 'im or again' 'im?

26 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:15:31pm

Nice to see how Trailer Trash campaigns:

Missouri Senate Candidate: ‘Ready To Punch Claire McCaskill Out’

27 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:17:35pm

re: #23 Killgore Trout
From the article...

AmPad emerged from bankruptcy in 2003 under the ownership of Crescent Capital Investments. The company had 3,198 full-time employees when it went public and 3,834 full-time employeeswhen it filed for bankruptcy, SEC documents show. It is now owned by Esselte, a privately owned company headquartered in Connecticut. We tried to obtain current employment figures for AmPad from Esselte, but have yet to hear back from the company. If we do, we will update this item.

No update. the best info from a quick search: [Link: www.google.com...]

Type: Privately Held; Company Size: 1001-5000 employees

28 jaunte  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:17:42pm
29 Lidane  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:20:03pm

re: #18 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

modern day rapists and raiders, the "smartest guys in the room"

Modern day robber barons.

30 Charles Johnson  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:21:51pm

re: #23 Killgore Trout

Their link to the 2002 interview is broken.

It was fixed in my post - here it is again: [Link: www.boston.com...]

31 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:22:44pm

re: #30 Charles Johnson

It was fixed in my post - here it is again: [Link: www.boston.com...]

Ah, thanks.

32 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:24:42pm

re: #27 Killgore Trout

Yeah, yeah Free Markets work all the time.

Tell that to the homeless in Athens. I'm sure they will be fascinated by your theory of "Markets solve all"

33 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:26:38pm

re: #30 Charles Johnson

Hmmm, they provide some snippets but not really the interview. The editorializing is pretty heavy handed...

In January 2000, Ampad declared bankruptcy. Wolpow says he has no problem with the ending, because he served only one master - the investors, who profited royally. Romney, he says, is trying serve two masters: the investors and ''public opinion.''

34 allegro  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:29:32pm

re: #33 Killgore Trout

Hmmm, they provide some snippets but not really the interview. The editorializing is pretty heavy handed...

...and maybe he's holding back, showing considerable restraint over what he really thinks. One argument is just as likely as the other.

35 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:31:12pm

Based on Romney's logic, a burglar who successfully break into a house and makes off with all the valuables while burning the house down on the way out is an admirable businessman because he made sure his people earned a profit on the deal.

36 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:32:54pm

re: #35 Kragar

And considering that KT is defending this, we can safely say that KT thinks the same.

Classical Liberalism is obsolete, and believing in it now shows moral bankruptcy.

37 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:33:40pm

re: #33 Killgore Trout

Hmmm, they provide some snippets but not really the interview. The editorializing is pretty heavy handed...

[Link: www.bloomberg.com...]

Entrepreneurs and corporate founders “create the bulk of the jobs, not the financiers,” said Marc Wolpow, a former Bain managing director who left in 1999 and is now co-chief executive officer of Audax Group, which manages more than $4.8 billion.

“That is not necessarily a good political story for a candidate with a buyout background,” said Wolpow, a Democrat- leaning independent who said he would consider backing Romney in 2012.

38 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:38:34pm

Now presenting... The Breitbart Awards brought to you by the Heritage Foundation and the Franklin Center.

Andrew Breitbart pioneered a new media revolution that transformed journalism and the political landscape. As we continue to morn his tragic passing, we also seek to ensure that his legacy is honored and that the movement he spawned continues on with the army of citizen activists that he cultivated and inspired.

39 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:39:14pm

re: #35 Kragar

Based on Romney's logic, a burglar who successfully break into a house and makes off with all the valuables while burning the house down on the way out is an admirable businessman because he made sure his people earned a profit on the deal.

Legal in America! Where stealing millions is fine and smoking a joint can get you tossed in jail

40 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:40:49pm

re: #34 allegro

...and maybe he's holding back, showing considerable restraint over what he really thinks. One argument is just as likely as the other.

Yeah, it's hard to tell from such small quotes. He might have a grudge, he might not have agreed with the way the deal went down, he might have thought it was the greatest deal ever. There's no way to tell from the article.
Either way I think the CPI fact check is pretty thorough and seems pretty honest. I'm guessing politifact will rate this one as half true when they get around to rating it. But that's not really the point. Will the low information rubes that the ad is targeting believe it? Maybe but I'm guessing they left enough wiggle room for Mitt to respond/spin with a retort. Probably not a devastating ad but I guess it's part of a larger campaign to paint Mitt as a Gordon Gecko type villain. It could work in the long run.

41 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:42:32pm

re: #38 Kragar


Whenever a BB commentor calls Obama the n-word, HIS LEGACY IS HONORED

Whenever a black person tries to vote and finds out they've been made ineligible, HIS LEGACY IS HONORED

Wherever pasty old white men congregate in Uncle Sam hats to kick gay people, HIS LEGACY IS HONORED


BREITBART: good night sweet prince, he sleeps with angels in white heaven now

42 Charles Johnson  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:42:35pm

re: #27 Killgore Trout

Ampad is the shell company that was used by Bain to take over SCM Office Supplies. The layoffs that destroyed a lot of people's lives happened when Ampad bought out SCM; it was the first thing they did.

43 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:43:11pm

OH FUCK POLITIFACT MAY RATE IT ONE HALF TRUE

pull my other dick, I'm waiting

44 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:44:14pm

re: #43 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

OH FUCK POLITIFACT MAY RATE IT ONE HALF TRUE

pull my other dick, I'm waiting

You've got two?

Youtube Video
45 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:44:51pm

re: #38 Kragar

As we continue to morn his tragic passing

They still mourn?

46 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:44:58pm

re: #44 Kragar

You've got two?

[Embedded content]

one for each of the two universes

47 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:46:05pm

I wonder what the folks at Breitbart Awards would do if we nominate Charles for blogger of the year? Anyone got those Ron Paul online voting scripts handy?
/

48 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:47:11pm

re: #45 I'm back in the USSR (sigh)

They still mourn?

Nope, Morn.

49 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:48:10pm

It's mourning again in America?

50 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:48:17pm

re: #42 Charles Johnson

Ampad is the shell company that was used by Bain to take over SCM Office Supplies. The layoffs that destroyed a lot of people's lives happened when Ampad bought out SCM; it was the first thing they did.

It seems it was a labor dispute stemming from the terms of the sale....

AmPad bought SCM Office Supplies Inc., a subsidiary of Smith Corona, in July 1994. The labor problems started almost immediately after the sale.

Under the terms of the sale agreement on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, AmPad did not have to honor the “bargaining agreement with the Union.” The Boston Globereported that “within hours [AmPad] released some 250 plant workers” at the Indiana plant. The workers had to reapply for jobs, the Globe reported, and all but 58 returned. But not for long. The plant closed seven months after the sale and five months after the strike began.

51 Charles Johnson  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:50:29pm

re: #50 Killgore Trout

Well, yeah, a labor dispute because Ampad wanted to break the union contracts and fire everybody.

52 smashin grab  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:51:35pm

keep the heat on, there johnson!!! and what about bain crapital and clear channel, seems the fcc or ftc should look into a HUGE conflict of interest. no?

53 Eventual Carrion  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:52:41pm

re: #38 Kragar

Now presenting... The Breitbart Awards brought to you by the Heritage Foundation and the Franklin Center.

What did Breitbart "pioneer" exactly? I say this kinda tongue in cheek, but I really want to know if he actually did "pioneer" something other than using the new medium of The Tubes to do the same old smear/propaganda that had been using the old medium of print and television. What true advancements did he "pioneer"? What standard(s) did he create/improve? What technology did he create/advance?

54 Decatur Deb  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:53:46pm

re: #53 RayFerd

What did Breitbart "pioneer" exactly? I say this kinda tongue in cheek, but I really want to know if he actually did "pioneer" something other than using the new medium of The Tubes to do the same old smear/propaganda that had been using the old medium of print and television. What true advancements did he "pioneer"? What standard(s) did he create/improve? What technology did he create/advance?

I think he introduced faux fur to pimp fashion.

55 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:54:31pm

re: #53 RayFerd

What did Breitbart "pioneer" exactly? I say this kinda tongue in cheek, but I really want to know if he actually did "pioneer" something other than using the new medium of The Tubes to do the same old smear/propaganda that had been using the old medium of print and television. What true advancements did he "pioneer"? What standard(s) did he create/improve? What technology did he create/advance?

Does making sure documented frauds and criminals like James O'Keefe can make a living off of pandering to idiots count?

56 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 2:55:22pm

re: #51 Charles Johnson

Well, yeah, a labor dispute because Ampad wanted to break the union contracts and fire everybody.

...and even with the renegotiated salaries the company couldn't stay afloat with mounting debt and competition from larger companies like Staples. They restructured and are part of a larger parent company today. Still no definitive word on their employee count today. Somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000.

57 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:00:30pm

re: #56 Killgore Trout

...and even with the renegotiated salaries the company couldn't stay afloat with mounting debt and competition from larger companies like Staples. They restructured and are part of a larger parent company today. Still no definitive word on their employee count today. Somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000.

Mounting debt imposed by Bain Capital.

58 Charles Johnson  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:00:34pm

re: #56 Killgore Trout

It's pretty clear from what Wolpow said that Bain's intention was never to help this company stay afloat. Their goal was to extract as much profit as possible; he says this outright. And that's exactly what they did.

It wasn't about keeping this company in business, or keeping anyone employed. It was about profits for Bain Capital.

59 Charles Johnson  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:05:51pm

Except for the fact that it was legal, this is pretty much exactly what Tony Soprano did to that sporting goods store in the first season of The Sopranos.

60 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:07:51pm

re: #56 Killgore Trout

...and even with the renegotiated salaries the company couldn't stay afloat with mounting debt and competition from larger companies like Staples. They restructured and are part of a larger parent company today. Still no definitive word on their employee count today. Somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000.

[Link: articles.latimes.com...]

When Ampad permanently shut the Marion plant several months later, Romney, then back at Bain Capital, expressed his regrets in a letter to Johnson. Romney wrote that he had tried to end the strike "privately without fanfare. It included communicating my strong personal desire that the strike be settled and that the plant remain open, offering my ideas for a possible settlement, and relaying the sentiments of the workers I met with in Boston."

That's not how Wolpow, the former managing director at Bain Capital, remembers Romney's role, however. Wolpow had been installed on Ampad's board of directors as part of the leveraged buyout, and he reported directly to Romney before and after the Senate race.

"He was in charge," recalled Wolpow, now co-director of the Audax Group, another private equity group. "He could have ordered me to settle with the union. He didn't order me to do that. He let me make decisions that would maximize the value of the investment. That was the right business decision as CEO of Bain Capital. But let's not pretend it was something else."

61 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:07:55pm

So I can go out, convince some people to give me their power of attorney, sign them up for credit cards, buy myself a bunch of stuff, then leave them with the debt as I take a vacation to Tahiti and its all good right?

62 Eventual Carrion  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:08:18pm

re: #55 Kragar

Does making sure documented frauds and criminals like James O'Keefe can make a living off of pandering to idiots count?

And that is all I see he had done. They can actually try to make like he did something awesome while doing nothing but agitation, yet they dig on Gore for being instrumental in the creation of the internet (by pushing for funding and keeping the initiative alive from the vultures in government that wanted to shut the project down). These people are fucking deranged.

63 Lidane  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:10:21pm

I apologize for the early OT, but this is hilarious. TPM got their hands on the e-mail chain between the Arizona Secretary of State and Hawaiian officials:

Emails Show How Hawaii Stiffed Arizona Secretary Of State’s Birther Investigation

Looks like the Deputy AG in Hawaii just wasn't going to play along. Heh.

64 goddamnedfrank  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:10:31pm

re: #57 blueraven

Mounting debt imposed by Bain Capital.

Yep, Bain places it's own officers on the takeover's corporate board, has them use the existing pension fund as collateral to take out millions in loans used to pay Bain "consulting fees" on how to properly run a business. If the acquisition goes bankrupt Bain walk away with it's fees, the creditors scavenge what remains of the already looted corpse and the State is left with a legal obligation to step in and cover the pension claims. All risk is socialized, the profits privatized.

The free market at work.

65 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:11:21pm

Former Navy chaplain insists gay demons can infect animals

“Let’s step back for a second, Gordon, and say okay, let’s assume you’re right that homosexuality among humans is only because of marketing,” Pakman countered. “What about in the 4,000 other species that have homosexuality? Because, as far as I know, they don’t have TV. They don’t have advertising. They don’t have the iTunes store to recruit people. How is it that humans are gay sometimes because of marketing, but 4,000 other species… Why? Is it something else?”

“It is entirely possible — we know from the Bible, for example, when Jesus cast the devil out of Legion, he went into a herd of pigs,” Klingenschmitt said. “So, it is possible for demons or the devil to inhabit or invade animals just the same way they invade humans, and that causes the sin of lust.”

“So, what you’re saying is, in humans it’s marketing that makes people gay; in animals, it’s the souls of gay humans who have invaded the animals,” Pakman replied. “That makes them gay?”

Klingenschmitt laughed and scratched his temple. “Well, I think you twisted what I’m saying there,” he said.

“No, I don’t think I did,” Pakman responded.

66 Obdicut  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:11:57pm

re: #64 goddamnedfrank

One of the largest problems we have in the financial market is that pension funds are allowed to be risked like that.

67 Eventual Carrion  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:16:20pm

re: #65 Kragar

Former Navy chaplain insists gay demons can infect animals

Well that explains why a male dog I had always wanted to hump my leg but not any of the girls in the house.

68 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:17:34pm

re: #67 RayFerd

Well that explains why a male dog I had always wanted to hump my leg but not any of the girls in the house.

HE'S GOT THE DEMON IN HIM!

69 Obdicut  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:18:50pm

re: #40 Killgore Trout

When they declared bankruptcy, creditors-- including pension funds-- didn't get paid, right? But Bain had already gotten large amounts of money out of the company, right-- money that could have instead funded the pensions?

70 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:19:36pm

re: #60 blueraven

He let me make decisions that would maximize the value of the investment. That was the right business decision as CEO of Bain Capital.

It doesn't sound like he's a Mitt hater with a grudge. He seems to agree it was the right business decision.

71 Eventual Carrion  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:19:40pm

re: #68 Kragar

HE'S GOT THE DEMON IN HIM!

But I used to EXERCISE him in the woods and around the neighborhood all the time. Maybe I should have called a priest so he could come over and let the dog hump his leg.

72 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:20:02pm

I really dont understand the defense of Bain here.

This is what they did. They are in it to make profit for the firm and for their investors. The plight of the workers was never their first concern. It was always about profit.

Now you can defend this practice as a part of capitalism, but not as some altruistic paragon of job creation.

73 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:20:06pm

re: #66 Obdicut

Solution here seems theoretically simple:

Ban parasites like Bain from using Pension Funds as collateral.

And shows why the "free market" is bullcrap.

74 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:20:26pm

HOW BANKS BOUGHT THE TEA PARTY: Cash Transforms Populist Insurgents To Reliable Vote For Financial Industry

The 15 freshmen Republican representatives in the House Tea Party Caucus each ran in 2010 on a populist anti-Wall Street message, highlighting their opposition to bank bailouts like the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and criticizing Washington for enabling the banking sector as it became “Too Big to Fail.” After winning, all fifteen received significant PAC contributions from the banking industry — and have become a reliable vote and mouthpiece for the financial industry, a ThinkProgress analysis of campaign contributions, voting records and public statements reveals.

Rather than campaigning on a typical pro-business platform, the Tea Party freshmen tapped into public resentment of big banks and bailouts. For example, then-candidate Sandy Adams (R-FL) said on her campaign website that she “opposes government bailouts” and “would have voted against TARP and the auto bailout.” Jeff Landry (R-LA) said bailouts of private businesses had “corrupted our free market system by rewarding the irresponsible and penalizing the responsible,” blasting “bank bailouts, which led to taxpayer money directly or indirectly going into multi-million dollar bonuses.”

But in Congress, the Tea Party has towed the line for big banks. Eleven of the 15 have become co-sponsors of H.R. 3461, a top priority for the ABA. According to Americans for Financial Reform, the legislation would “tilt the playing field further in the direction of excessive deference to industry interests and tie the hands of regulators attempting to protect the public interest.” The bill would make it harder for bank examiners to do their job, giving regulatory responsibilities to an industry that’s already shown it can’t police itself.

75 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:21:47pm

re: #70 Killgore Trout

It doesn't sound like he's a Mitt hater with a grudge. He seems to agree it was the right business decision.

I never said he was a hater.

Bain Capital was in existence to create wealth for themselves and their investors, not jobs. Period.

76 Obdicut  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:21:57pm

re: #74 Kragar

That really is a nutty disconnect on the part of Tea Partiers and the Randite cohort of the GOP. They hate 'bailouts' with a fiery passion, and yet they endorse wholesale deregulation that leads to the need for bailouts.

Cause and effect, what a concept.

77 goddamnedfrank  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:22:37pm

re: #66 Obdicut

One of the largest problems we have in the financial market is that pension funds are allowed to be risked like that.

I understand that in the real world pension funds have to be invested and that there's a nominal risk associated with that. What I don't understand is how they can be allowed to serve two masters at the same time, and how something that's insured by the State can be leveraged for the antithesis of an investment - debt.

78 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:23:14pm

re: #76 Obdicut

Cause and effect, what a concept.

That sound like suspiciously like science and we'll have none of that!

79 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:23:30pm

re: #75 blueraven

I never said he was a hater.

Bain Capital was in existence to create wealth for themselves and their investors, not jobs. Period.

I didn't mean to imply you said that. I was wondering what his deal was upthread.

80 Obdicut  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:23:35pm

re: #75 blueraven

And that's not illegal in our society, nor is it considered immoral by mostl, but it is not a good preparation for a job like the presidency. There is no choice the president makes that's related to making a profit-- except in long-term funding of basic science research, infrastructure, public education, etc., setting up the groundwork for profit, and Romney has already shown himself hostile to those.

81 Charles Johnson  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:25:22pm

Here we go again.

Would somebody give the wingnut blogosphere a lesson in how JPEG compression works, please?

[Link: www.punditpress.com...]

Dan Riehl tweeted this ridiculous BS:

82 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:25:37pm

re: #77 goddamnedfrank

What I don't understand is how they can be allowed to serve two masters at the same time, and how something that's insured by the State can be leveraged for the antithesis of an investment - debt.

I think it's because pensions are technically a liability on the balance sheets. It's money the company is going to have to pay out in the future so it counts as debt.

83 goddamnedfrank  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:26:13pm

re: #69 Obdicut

When they declared bankruptcy, creditors-- including pension funds-- didn't get paid, right? But Bain had already gotten large amounts of money out of the company, right-- money that could have instead funded the pensions?

Right, the monetary value of Bain's consulting is independent of the quality. They get paid regardless, supplying even the worst possible advice is zero risk from their perspective.

84 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:26:41pm

re: #81 Charles Johnson

"I'm not one for conspiracy theories."

Then shut the fuck up right there.

Fucking tired of this stupid shit.

85 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:27:07pm

re: #76 Obdicut

Actually, that explains something else. Their inability to understand science.
Inability to understand cause or effect is probably a big part of this.

86 Obdicut  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:27:39pm

re: #81 Charles Johnson

I can tell that it is a photoshop from the pixels and seeing quite a few shops in my time.

/ just in case

87 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:28:11pm

re: #79 Killgore Trout

I didn't mean to imply you said that. I was wondering what his deal was upthread.

I think he was just being honest. The article was from 2007 when Mitt was running for the GOP nomination. Using the whole "job creation" rhetoric maybe didn't sit well with this guy, as it is disingenuous.

Mitt Romney may indeed be a fantastic business man and creator of wealth.
But he has a very mixed record on job creation. Not good as Governor and very questionable in private business.

It is fair game.

88 Lidane  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:28:53pm

re: #81 Charles Johnson

These troglodytes can't even deal with things like reality, the Age of Reason, and everything that's happened in America since 1860. How can we expect them to deal with JPEG compression?

89 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:29:27pm

re: #86 Obdicut

I can tell that it is a photoshop from the pixels and seeing quite a few shops in my time.

I've seen Britney Spears and Allyson Hannigan naked enough times to recognize a photoshop when I see one.

wait a sec...

90 dragonath  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:29:33pm

re: #81 Charles Johnson

Goddamn that is one sad blog

91 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:29:34pm

Mitt retorts
Big Bain Backfire

Youtube Video
92 Obdicut  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:29:36pm

re: #88 Lidane

I cannot zoom in infinitely into this photo, therefore it is a fake.

93 jaunte  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:30:02pm

JPEG compression; it's a series of mashed tubes.

94 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:30:55pm

re: #87 blueraven

I think he was just being honest. The article was from 2007 when Mitt was running for the GOP nomination. Using the whole "job creation" rhetoric maybe didn't sit well with this guy, as it is disingenuous.

Yeah, I think that makes sense.

95 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:33:22pm

re: #91 Killgore Trout

Lol, what nonsense.

96 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:33:44pm

re: #91 Killgore Trout

Mitt retorts
Big Bain Backfire

[Embedded content]

Don't think it will have the same impact as the Obama ad.
But not bad.

97 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:34:17pm

re: #91 Killgore Trout

Are you seriously going to believe that weasel?

Romney couldn't create jobs if his life depended on it. All he knows is how to be a parasite.

98 dragonath  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:34:43pm

re: #91 Killgore Trout

Whoa re they trying to convert? They even call Booker a "Democrat Mayor"

99 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:34:46pm

re: #91 Killgore Trout

Bonus for Mitt's ad: It's short and could run on TV. I don't think the average viewer is going to sit through Obama's 6 minute epic.

100 simoom  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:37:44pm

re: #81 Charles Johnson

Here we go again.

Would somebody give the wingnut blogosphere a lesson in how JPEG compression works, please?

[Link: www.punditpress.com...]

Dan Riehl tweeted this ridiculous BS:

[Embedded content]

Charles,

Here's the original uber-hires version of that photo from the White House Flickr feed if you want to make a post mocking Riehl's idiocy. Obviously the twitpic version was a tiny, compressed shadow of it:

[Link: www.flickr.com...]

101 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:38:29pm

re: #98 Be Zorch, Daddio

Whoa re they trying to convert? They even call Booker a "Democrat Mayor"

I think at this point the campaigns really aren't trying to convert anybody, they're playing to their respective bases. Painting Mitt as an evil heartless capitalist and portraying Obama as an evil socialist who hates free enterprise. I don't think there's a whole lot of appeal to moderates or swing voters in either ad campaign.

102 jamesfirecat  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:38:46pm

re: #99 Killgore Trout

Bonus for Mitt's ad: It's short and could run on TV. I don't think the average viewer is going to sit through Obama's 6 minute epic.

A lie can run round the world before the truth gets its boots on.

103 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:39:17pm

re: #101 Killgore Trout

I think at this point the campaigns really aren't trying to convert anybody, they're playing to their respective bases. Painting Mitt as an evil heartless capitalist and portraying Obama as an evil socialist who free enterprise. I don't think there's a whole lot of appeal to moderates or swing voters in either ad campaign.

You're just being silly.

104 Killgore Trout  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:39:40pm

re: #102 jamesfirecat

A lie can run round the world before the truth gets its boots on.

The shortest lie has less mass and moves easier.

105 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:39:41pm

The Oatmeal (a webcomic) takes apart Forbes magazine columnist regarding Nikola Tesla


seriously, forbes? You're arguing with a geek about Tesla? here's some ointment lol

106 jamesfirecat  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:39:46pm

re: #101 Killgore Trout

I think at this point the campaigns really aren't trying to convert anybody, they're playing to their respective bases. Painting Mitt as an evil heartless capitalist and portraying Obama as an evil socialist who free enterprise. I don't think there's a whole lot of appeal to moderates or swing voters in either ad campaign.

Shame one of those portrayals... well if it isn't safe to call it "true" yet, there's not a lot of strong evidence against it while the other is a complete fabrication.

107 jaunte  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:40:10pm

Private equity guys defending private equity doesn't appear to have broad appeal for the average voter.

108 Interesting Times  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:40:19pm

re: #103 Varek Raith

You're just being silly.

Image: bella.jpg

109 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:40:37pm

re: #101 Killgore Trout

I think at this point the campaigns really aren't trying to convert anybody, they're playing to their respective bases. Painting Mitt as an evil heartless capitalist and portraying Obama as an evil socialist who free enterprise. I don't think there's a whole lot of appeal to moderates or swing voters in either ad campaign.

The magical balance fairy would like to file a domestic assault charge

110 dragonath  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:41:19pm

That's it, I'm totally voting for Romney now. I've got a thing for commericals with foreboding, minor-key music and insider jargon.

He's gonna win with those crushing McCain majorities, ohhh yeahhh

111 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:44:03pm

Remember when 'Moderate' Mitt stood up the the crazies in the gop?
...
..
.
Neither did I.

112 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:44:42pm

re: #111 Varek Raith

Remember when 'Moderate' Mitt stood up the the crazies in the gop?
...
..
.
Neither did I.

The very moderate Mitt Romney speaking at Liberty University, a very moderate university founded by the very moderate Jerry Falwell

113 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:45:40pm

re: #74 Kragar

that didn't take long!

114 blueraven  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:45:59pm

re: #99 Killgore Trout

Bonus for Mitt's ad: It's short and could run on TV. I don't think the average viewer is going to sit through Obama's 6 minute epic.

I am sure the Obama people have a 60 second version for TV.

115 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:46:32pm

re: #105 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

Forbes is more or less defending Edison, who I would say is roughly equivalent to Romney or Steve Jobs today.

116 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:46:54pm

Iowa GOP Convention To Vote On Language Questioning Obama’s ‘Natural Born’ Citizenship

The Iowa Republican Party’s state platform committee has inserted “birther” language into its proposed draft for the state convention, Radio Iowa reports.

The proposed language, which will be voted on by delegates at the state GOP convention in June, states: “We believe candidates for President of the United States must show proof of being a ‘natural born citizen’ as required by Article II, Section I of the Constitution – beginning with the 2012 election.”

Don Racheter, chairman of the Iowa GOP’s 2012 platform committee, told Radio Iowa: “There are many Republicans who feel that Barack Obama is not a ‘natural born citizen’ because his father was not an American when he was born and, therefore, feel that according to the Constitution he’s not qualified to be president, should not have been allowed to be elected by the Electoral College or even nominated by the Democratic Party in 2008, so this is an election year. It’s a shot at him.”

Go fuck yourself, Iowa GOP.

117 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:46:58pm

re: #114 blueraven

I am sure the Obama people have a 60 second version for TV.

quiet! Socrates is talking!


Maybe later we'll get some updates on poop to go along with the magical balance fairy's deposition

118 palomino  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:47:03pm

re: #114 blueraven

I am sure the Obama people have a 60 second version for TV.

Facts, facts, facts...stop confusing the cranks with such things.

119 Interesting Times  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:47:12pm

re: #112 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

Liberty University, a very moderate university founded by the very moderate Jerry Falwell

Heh. Given their soul-crushing code of conduct, that place calling itself "Liberty" University is like a morgue being referred to as a wellness & recovery clinic.

120 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:48:53pm

re: #119 Interesting Times

Heh. Given their soul-crushing code of conduct, that place calling itself "Liberty" University is like a morgue being referred to as a wellness & recovery clinic.

It always makes me laugh that they're calling out witchcraft

It must be really something to be afraid of witches in 2012 :D

121 Aye Pod  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:49:00pm

re: #81 Charles Johnson

Here we go again.

Would somebody give the wingnut blogosphere a lesson in how JPEG compression works, please?

[Link: www.punditpress.com...]

Dan Riehl tweeted this ridiculous BS:

[Embedded content]

Like...WHY? Why fake something so mundane and easy to do? And what the FUCK was Obama doing in that picture if NOT holding a football? And how can these people lurch from one day to another without realising how ridiculous they look?

122 dragonath  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:50:16pm

re: #115 ProGunLiberal

Forbes! Of course they support the unscrupulous businessman over the eccentric engineer.

They'd probably support David Sarnoff over Edwin Armstrong, too

123 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:51:31pm

re: #121 Aye Pod

Like...WHY? Why fake something so mundane and easy to do? And what the FUCK was Obama doing in that picture if NOT holding a football? And ow can these people lurch from one day to another without realising how ridiculous they look?

Right wingers have slowly evolved into Wile E. Coyote only without the smarts.

124 Kragar  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:51:53pm

I'm looking at the Constitution and I'm failing to see where the definition of natural born citizen says anything about the father's citizenship being a deal breaker.

Actually, I'm not seeing any definition of natural born citizen at all.

125 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:52:44pm

re: #59 Charles Johnson

Except for the fact that it was legal, this is pretty much exactly what Tony Soprano did to that sporting goods store in the first season of The Sopranos.

This.

126 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:53:12pm

re: #122 Be Zorch, Daddio

Very true. Reading the quotes at the end of the picture (?), Edison most definitely was the past equivalent to Steve Jobs and Mitt Romney.

And Tesla had a sanity problem. Some geniuses do.

127 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:53:40pm

Oops.

Bain and Financial Industry Gave Over $565,000 To Newark Mayor Cory Booker For 2002 Campaign
By Josh Israel on May 21, 2012 at 6:13 pm

128 Interesting Times  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:54:56pm

re: #116 Kragar

Iowa GOP Convention To Vote On Language Questioning Obama’s ‘Natural Born’ Citizenship

Go fuck yourself, Iowa GOP.

Wingnuts of a feather derp together:

129 Targetpractice  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:55:03pm

re: #126 ProGunLiberal

Very true. Reading the quotes at the end of the picture (?), Edison most definitely was the past equivalent to Steve Jobs and Mitt Romney.

And Tesla had a sanity problem. Some geniuses do.

Tesla was eccentric, but truly one of the greatest geniuses of his day. Ultimately what it came down to was that he was a great inventor, but a poor publicist and businessman. And had a bit of a depressing tendency to invest time and energy into ideas that were simply too far ahead of the technology of the day.

130 jaunte  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:55:30pm

re: #127 Gus

Talk about some private equity!

131 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:55:38pm

re: #127 Gus

And Booker is finished. Because many Democrats will pile on him like you won't believe.

We can tolerate differences of opinion in the party. But when you try to knee-cap our Presidential Contender, you are right out.

132 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:55:38pm

re: #127 Gus

ahahahahah of course

follow the money! Cory Booker, bought and sold like so many companies, hope it was worth it to be a groveling tool of the hyperrich


dance dance dance dance for the equity

133 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:57:24pm

re: #129 Targetpractice

Tesla was eccentric, but truly one of the greatest geniuses of his day. Ultimately what it came down to was that he was a great inventor, but a poor publicist and businessman. And had a bit of a depressing tendency to invest time and energy into ideas that were simply too far ahead of the technology of the day.

It's kinda like art :) You have to follow your muse


Businessmen always win when it comes to money because their muse is money and exploitation

134 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:58:16pm

re: #129 Targetpractice

Very True on all counts.

Still, you have to admit he was having a sanity slippage at some point, probably by 30.

Edison, on the other hand, had a lifetime infection of Doucheritis.

135 Targetpractice  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:58:59pm

re: #133 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

It's kinda like art :) You have to follow your muse

Businessmen always win when it comes to money because their muse is money and exploitation

Tesla's ideas were just so far past even the bleeding edge of technology in his day that all his attempts to realize them did was burn up money and resources. Wireless energy is, even now, at best a laboratory curiosity.

136 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:59:08pm

re: #128 Interesting Times

Wingnuts of a feather derp together:

[Embedded content]

ONLY 18 percent think he was born in the USA.

Welcome to Texas.

[Banjo music.]

137 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:59:26pm

re: #134 ProGunLiberal

Very True on all counts.

Still, you have to admit he was having a sanity slippage at some point, probably by 30.

Edison, on the other hand, had a lifetime infection of Doucheritis.

Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix had a life slippage before then

But we still call them geniuses ;-)

138 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 3:59:43pm

Mind you I like the banjo so put the pen down. ;)

139 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:00:02pm

re: #135 Targetpractice

I have to think that will eventually change though.

Imagine if we could have found a way to keep Tesla alive to today.

140 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:00:13pm

re: #135 Targetpractice

Tesla's ideas were just so far past even the bleeding edge of technology in his day that all his attempts to realize them did was burn up money and resources. Wireless energy is, even now, at best a laboratory curiosity.

That's how it goes :D

I spent years of my life on projects that never went anywhere, I can relate

And thankfully, I'm still sane and in my 30's

141 Aye Pod  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:00:20pm

re: #123 Gus

Right wingers have slowly evolved into Wile E. Coyote only without the smarts.

I think the "hold on, what am I saying, this is just stupid" neuron is the first to die when someone becomes a wingnut.

142 William of Orange  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:00:23pm

CNN, MSNBC, ABC, for fu#k sake...


WHERE ARE YOU??!!

143 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:00:33pm

re: #137 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

Line between Genius and Insane is so very thin.

144 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:00:52pm

re: #142 William of Orange

CNN, MSNBC, ABC, for fu#k sake...

WHERE ARE YOU??!!

hiring more right wing wackos to sell their networks to idiot America

145 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:01:38pm

re: #141 Aye Pod

I think the "hold on, what am I saying, this is just stupid" neuron is the first to die when someone becomes a wingnut.

Each blog post of their's is like a stick of dynamite blowing up in Wilie's paw. BLAM! There they are with black powder on their face barely able to stand up and speak.

146 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:01:50pm

re: #143 ProGunLiberal

Line between Genius and Insane is so very thin.

imagine what music would be like without insane geniuses


it'd just be all Lee Greenwood and Darrell Worley

147 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:02:16pm

re: #146 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

imagine what music would be like without insane geniuses

it'd just be all Lee Greenwood and Darrell Worley

Awesome.
/

148 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:02:31pm

re: #141 Aye Pod

I think the "hold on, what am I saying, this is just stupid" neuron is the first to die when someone becomes a wingnut.

weak minds stick together, they desperately need the tribe, and the wingnut mind is a weak one

149 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:02:31pm

re: #146 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

imagine what music would be like without insane geniuses

it'd just be all Lee Greenwood and Darrell Worley

Nickelback

150 palomino  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:03:05pm

re: #128 Interesting Times

Wingnuts of a feather derp together:

[Embedded content]

You can no longer publicly say something like, "I hate the president because he's a ni**er." But you can say, "I don't believe the prez is a citizen...or a Christian or...a "real American." It doesn't take a linguist to figure out what that's code for.

151 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:03:16pm

The music selection at Walmart in Grand Junction, CO.

152 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:03:28pm

re: #147 Varek Raith

Awesome.
/

ERRRM PROOOOUD TRRR BERRR AN AMERRRRCAN

WRRRR AT LERRRST AH KNOOO AM FREEEEE


HURDY HURDY HURRRDY

153 Targetpractice  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:03:29pm

re: #139 ProGunLiberal

I have to think that will eventually change though.

Imagine if we could have found a way to keep Tesla alive to today.

Oh, time has a habit of proving men like Tesla right. It wasn't more than two generations prior to his that Charles Babbage drew up the plans for the Analytical Engine, which was the theoretical forebearer of all modern general-purpose computers. The only thing that prevented it from being reality was that metallurgy wasn't up to the task of producing the millions of tiny parts to the necessary strength for it all to work.

154 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:03:38pm

re: #149 Gus

Nickelback

*CRIES*

155 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:04:05pm

re: #149 Gus

Nickelback

Canada has so many great bands, but then they give us Nickleback, almost like a deal with the devil

156 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:04:25pm

re: #152 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

ERRRM PROOOUD TRRR BERRR AN AMERRRCAN

WRRR AT LERRRST AH KNOOO AM FREEE

HURDY HURDY HURRRDY

Threeeee tooth McGillicutty!

157 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:04:26pm

re: #91 Killgore Trout

Mitt retorts
Big Bain Backfire

[Embedded content]

No surprise about Ford.

158 Interesting Times  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:04:56pm

re: #146 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

imagine what music would be like without insane geniuses

it'd just be all Lee Greenwood and Darrell Worley

#lesserKnownEnhancedInterrogationTechniques

159 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:05:28pm

re: #151 Gus

The music selection at Walmart in Grand Junction, CO.

I wonder if there are any copies of Stevie Wonder's Innervisions there

160 dragonath  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:06:46pm

re: #126 ProGunLiberal

Tesla probably would have been a little more sane if he wasn't getting screwed by short sighted businessmen. I wonder how things might have turned out for him if he had been born a little bit later

History buffs will probably already know about how Edison fried a elephant with AC so he could argue DC was a "safer" type of electricity.

The Edison museum in NJ is pretty cool though

161 jaunte  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:06:50pm
162 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:06:59pm

re: #157 I'm back in the USSR (sigh)

No surprise about Ford.

Harold Ford has an opinion. That's nice....

Move along please we have a campaign to run.

163 jamesfirecat  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:11:22pm

re: #129 Targetpractice

Tesla was eccentric, but truly one of the greatest geniuses of his day. Ultimately what it came down to was that he was a great inventor, but a poor publicist and businessman. And had a bit of a depressing tendency to invest time and energy into ideas that were simply too far ahead of the technology of the day.

I still want my death ray!

164 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:11:55pm

re: #153 Targetpractice

Oh long do you think until Airwave Electricity becomes a reality?

That would help in Florida, where you can't put power lines underground due to the water table being just 5-6 feet underground.

165 Targetpractice  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:14:20pm

re: #163 jamesfirecat

I still want my death ray!

Yeah? Well I want my hoverboard!

166 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:15:01pm

re: #165 Targetpractice

Yeah? Well I want my hoverboard!

Screw your hoverboard!
Where's my flying car?!?!

167 Targetpractice  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:15:40pm

re: #166 Varek Raith

Screw your hoverboard!
Where's my flying car?!?!

Why does a Sith Lord need a flying car?

168 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:16:12pm

re: #167 Targetpractice

Why does a Sith Lord need a flying car?

Because it was PROMISED!!!!

169 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:17:34pm

re: #127 Gus

Oops.

Bain and Financial Industry Gave Over $565,000 To Newark Mayor Cory Booker For 2002 Campaign
By Josh Israel on May 21, 2012 at 6:13 pm

Ha!
Romney ad down the tubes.

170 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:17:43pm

re: #168 Varek Raith

Because it was PROMISED!!!

Youtube Video
171 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:18:14pm

re: #164 ProGunLiberal

Okay, I should clarify I am talking ease of repairing the electric grid. Because we can't put the lines underground, power is knowcked out after a Hurricane, and takes some time to come back.

With Wireless Power, we can go straight to "Fuck you, Hurricane (insert name here)"

172 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:19:29pm

re: #170 Gus

[Embedded content]


Reminded me of this awesomeness.

173 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:20:09pm

re: #172 Varek Raith


Reminded me of this awesomeness.

Derp! BOOM!

174 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:21:02pm

OK I lost my decoder ring. Huh?

175 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:21:33pm

re: #174 Gus

OK I lost my decoder ring. Huh?

[Embedded content]

FIRE DOG POWERS ACTIVATE

176 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:21:53pm

re: #174 Gus

I understood the beginning and end of that.

The middle was pure ???

177 erik_t  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:21:58pm

re: #171 ProGunLiberal

Okay, I should clarify I am talking ease of repairing the electric grid. Because we can't put the lines underground, power is knowcked out after a Hurricane, and takes some time to come back.

With Wireless Power, we can go straight to "Fuck you, Hurricane (insert name here)"

Things you don't want to be antennas have a surprising tendency to be antennas anyway.

In other words, you should probably keep dreaming.

178 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:22:04pm

re: #175 Varek Raith

FIRE DOG POWERS ACTIVATE

That's some good weed he's smoking.

//

179 Varek Raith  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:22:35pm

re: #178 Gus

That's some good weed he's smoking.

//

He got it from KT!
/Bam!

180 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:23:07pm

re: #176 ProGunLiberal

I understood the beginning and end of that.

The middle was pure ???

I guess he thinks that Booker is helping his rich friends but then concludes that Democrats and Republicans "are all teh sames!!!!11ty."

181 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:23:31pm

re: #177 erik_t

Could you explain the first sentence? I'm a little confused.

182 compound_Idaho  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:23:36pm

General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, 2009. Before filing for bankruptcy, GM employs 91,000 employees in the United States. After the reorganization, General Motors trimmed down its employee base to 68,500 people.

Stuff happens

183 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:24:42pm

Looks like we've got ourselves a Democrat stampeded going on thanks to Mayor Booker. Now getting them all back together against for the ride to November might be like herding cats.

//

184 dragonath  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:24:57pm

re: #172 Varek Raith

Whoa, Fox News's crass stupidity put Weekly World News out of business

185 ProGunLiberal  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:25:24pm

re: #182 compound_Idaho

But the business is still there, and recovering.

Same cannot be said for many of the business that got infected with the Romney Parasite.

186 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:25:41pm

You guys that want to fact check these Bain ad really could care less about Obama winning in November. Frankly, go and join Booker or the the Romney camp.

187 Gus  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:26:05pm

You're either with Obama or you're for Romney. Thems the breaks.

188 erik_t  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:26:24pm

re: #181 ProGunLiberal

Could you explain the first sentence? I'm a little confused.

Maxwell's equations aren't just a suggestion. Combinations of antenna directionality and inverse-square are a pretty good indicator that you can't magically transmit energy through open space without either a point-to-point directional topology or truly immense losses.

In other words, don't assume that Cracked is the last word in, well, anything.

189 dragonath  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:27:43pm

I'd rather be on the side that doesn't have Bryan Fischer and Rush Limbaugh and Phyllis Schlafy as core allies, thank you velly much.

190 jamesfirecat  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:28:09pm

re: #182 compound_Idaho

General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, 2009. Before filing for bankruptcy, GM employs 91,000 employees in the United States. After the reorganization, General Motors trimmed down its employee base to 68,500 people.

Stuff happens

Funny how "stuff" kept "happening" to so many of the companies that Bain Capital invested in.

191 bubba zanetti  Mon, May 21, 2012 4:35:33pm

re: #175 Varek Raith

FIRE DOG POWERS ACTIVATE

Ooooh, that's my new band name. Though "Sickening Progs" sounds kinda cool too.

192 Lidane  Mon, May 21, 2012 5:09:57pm

re: #128 Interesting Times

Yet another reason why I would NEVER vote Republican here in Texas. This state is filled with religious nutjobs and birthers. Thanks but no.

193 Lidane  Mon, May 21, 2012 5:13:48pm

re: #155 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

Canada has so many great bands, but then they give us Nickleback, almost like a deal with the devil

Youtube Video
194 Kaessa  Mon, May 21, 2012 5:25:19pm

re: #151 Gus

The music selection at Walmart in Grand Junction, CO.

There's a reason why I buy my music online. At least we have a couple of halfway decent classic rock stations here.

195 Sheila Broflovski  Mon, May 21, 2012 5:54:38pm

re: #105 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]

The Oatmeal (a webcomic) takes apart Forbes magazine columnist regarding Nikola Tesla

seriously, forbes? You're arguing with a geek about Tesla? here's some ointment lol

They don't mention that Edison teamed up with Henry Ford as a supervillain duo.

196 MPH  Tue, May 22, 2012 8:55:57pm

So far in 2012, Bain Capital employees have donated $2.75mm to political candiates -- 72% of that money to Democrats.

[Link: www.opensecrets.org...]

197 Gus  Fri, May 25, 2012 1:50:29pm

re: #196 MPH

So far in 2012, Bain Capital employees have donated $2.75mm to political candiates -- 72% of that money to Democrats.

[Link: www.opensecrets.org...]

Actually that's 72 percent of $756,328 for Dems. That leaves a balance of $2,000,000 for "spending groups" and if you toggle "liberal/conservative" it indicates that the 2 million went to conservative groups.


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