Obama accuses Romney in a series of TV ads of being a “corporate raider” who “shipped jobs to China and Mexico,” asking if voters want to elect an “outsourcer in chief.” But some of the claims in the ads are untrue, and others are thinly supported.
Bain Capital, the venture capital firm founded by Romney in 1984, is the focus of the Obama campaign’s attacks. There is no question that Bain invested in some companies that helped other companies outsource work and that some of that work went overseas. That was the core business for Modus Media and SMTC Corp. — two outsource companies featured in a June 21 article in the Washington Post that has been the basis of recent Obama TV ads. Bain also invested in U.S.-based companies that sold goods manufactured here and abroad, and some of those companies closed U.S. facilities and eliminated U.S. jobs.
But after reviewing numerous corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, contemporary news accounts, company histories and press releases, and the
evidence offered by both the Obama and Romney campaigns, we found no evidence to support the claim that Romney — while he was still running Bain Capital — shipped American jobs overseas.
- One TV ad, called “Come and Go,” claims that Romney “shipped jobs to China and Mexico.” But two examples cited by the Obama campaign occurred after Romney left Bain. There’s no clear evidence that a third company shipped jobs to China under Romney.
- A second ad called “Revealed” mocks Romney’s tough talk about cracking down on China’s trade practices by saying “all he’s ever done is send them our jobs” and citing the Washington Post article. But the newspaper article contained no examples of U.S. jobs being shipped to China while Romney was working at Bain.
- The “Come and Go” ad casts Romney as a “corporate raider,” but that term, loaded with negative connotations, is simply inaccurate. Bain didn’t engage in hostile takeovers when Romney was at the helm.
- That ad also repeats the claim that as governor of Massachusetts, Romney was “outsourcing state jobs to India.” But it wasn’t the state that outsourced contracts. Rather, Romney vetoed a measure that would have prevented the state from doing business with a state contractor that was locating state customer-service calls in India.
Analysis
Ours was not a comprehensive review of every company Bain Capital invested in — there are hundreds — nor every one of the transactions the company undertook on behalf of those companies. It is incumbent upon the Obama campaign to back up its claims. Our conclusions are based on the examples provided by the Obama campaign and — because the Obama ads cited a Washington Post story — the examples cited in that newspaper’s account.
Representatives of the Romney campaign met with editors of the Washington Post this week and asked for a retraction of the story. The Post stood behind its story, but added that “the language in the [Obama campaign] commercials went beyond the Post article by calling Romney himself an ‘outsourcing pioneer’ and suggesting that the former Massachusetts governor would be the ‘outsourcer in chief’ if elected.”
Romney ‘Shipped Jobs to China’?
The first of these attack ads was titled “Come and Go” and began airing June 20. It starts by saying Romney campaigned as a “job creator” when running for governor in 2002. “But as a corporate raider, he shipped jobs to China and Mexico,” the ad goes on to say.
⬐ Click to expand/collapse the full transcript ⬏
Obama for America: “Come and Go”
Announcer: Running for governor, Mitt Romney campaigned as a job creator.
Romney: I know how jobs are created.
Announcer: But as a corporate raider, he shipped jobs to China and Mexico. As governor, he did the same thing, outsourcing state jobs to India. Now he’s making the exact same pitch:
Romney: I know why jobs come and why they go.
Announcer: Outsourcing jobs. Romney economics. It didn’t work then. And it won’t work now.
We will deal later with the false charge that he was a “corporate raider.” For now, we’ll focus on the claim about shipping U.S. jobs abroad.
The ad — in tiny type at the bottom of the screen — cites three sources for the statement that “he shipped jobs to China and Mexico.” But all of them fail to support the claim that Romney was personally responsible for sending U.S. jobs to those countries
In 1984???
What was Obama up to in 1984?
He had just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.
And he went to work for all of 1984 for the Business International Corporation.
Business International Corporation is a publishing and advisory firm dedicated to assisting American companies in operating abroad.
Business International Corporation has been known to be used as a CIA front company.
Business International Corporation offered to finance SDS demonstrations in Chicago.
Business International is described as ‘the left wing of the ruling class’ and as desiring a Gene McCarthy presidency.
Obama needs to be VETTED!
He is a LEFTY’s LEFTY.