So while I believe that the revelations of Mitt Romney’s continued management relationship with Bain Capital post February of 1999 are damaging, I think that they are really somewhat beside the point: Mitt Romney created Bain to do exactly what Bain did and has done since its inception; before 1999 and after 1999. Whether or not Mitt Romney actively guided Bain’s activities from 1999 to 2002 misses the larger point; Mitt Romney created Bain Capital to do what Bain Capital does. To this day Bain Capital does what Mitt Romney created Bain Capital to do. Nobody has made a claim that Bain radically altered course in 1999 or since; Bain does what Bain does.
So let’s do a thought experiment under the orange squigglely bit:
Imagine that Genghis Khan assembles a Mongol army and then marauds around the Eurasian landmass for a number of years in the middle ages generally wreaking havoc while assembling great power and wealth for himself along the way. Now let’s say in the early days Genghis is proud of what he has accomplished and the wealth and power that it has brought him; that is all well and good.
Now let’s say that as time wears on Genghis decides that he has participated in enough marauding, having accumulated enough wealth and power, and so decides to step away from the Mongol army to pursue other opportunities. When he does this he retains his title as supreme commander of the Mongol army but he has moved onto other things and he no longer travels with the army. Are we to believe that Genghis is not in any way responsible for the Mongol armies continued activities; the army that he created in his vision and that he retains the title of supreme commander of? That would seem absurd to me, and I think it would to most reasonable people.
Mitt Romney has been proud to tout his accomplishments at Bain and has made them the foundation of his qualifications to be President of the United States. That is fine; he just needs to understand that he owns all what that brings with it.
I think that the Obama campaign’s ad that came out yesterday summarized the situation perfectly: Mitt Romney is not the solution. Mitt Romney is the problem.
That was true before 1999. That was true from 1999 to 2002. That is true today.
Mitt Romney and Genghis Khan; two peas in a pod. ;-)