Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Why Romney Doesn’t Want A Canadian National Healthcare ID Card

Romney’s best line of the day was unscripted. A stray Canadian had driven from Ontario to ask Romney a question and in the process joked that Romney could not have his ID card for Canada’s national health-care system. The ball sat on the tee for a long second before Romney hit it. “I don’t want […]

Steven Rattner Cross-Examines Romney. Hooray.

Steven Rattner, the lead adviser on the Obama administration’s auto task force in 2009, has an op-ed titled “Delusions About the Detroit Bailout” in today’s New York Times.   Some highlights: As a presidential aspirant, Mr. Romney evidently hasn’t felt a need to be consistent or specific as to what should have been done to address […]

Stolen Valor and the First Amendment*

You don’t have to be a conservative who’s helped coopt the American flag as a rightwing Republican political symbol—replacing the Elephant, which no one under the age of 50 even recognizes anymore as the GOP’s official emblem—to be offended by someone’s false claim of having received a military honor, especially one awarded for extraordinary valor.  […]

The New York Times confirms that Bain Capital really, really REALLY did not want to lend GM and Chrysler money for their managed bankruptcies. Really.

According to an article in today’s New York Times, Bain Capital was asked to do so, but declined.  Well, actually it was asked to help GM out, and declined. The article recounts much of the controversy concerning Romney’s actual position on a government bailout for the companies back in 2008-09 and his current statements about […]

A final (for now) comment on Romney’s virulent hostility toward the UAW (and organized labor in general, and union members)

Late Tuesday night, a Washington-based blogger for The Economist who covers U.S. politics posted a several-paragraph takedown of Romney’s op-ed published that morning in the Detroit News.  I learned of the op-ed yesterday when I read a then-two—day-old entry about it by Matthew Yglesias (not a favorite of mine, but I’ll leave that subject for […]

Clarification (my final one, I hope)

I just want to clarify again that the title of my original post, “Breaking news: Bain Capital wanted to lend money to GM and Chrysler for managed bankruptcies,” was intended as facetious, and that I had no idea that there was a recent report, rescinded as it turns out, that Bain Capital had been involved […]

Mitt Romney Reads Angry Bear!*

After the Bain Existence controversy about my post about Bain Capital yesterday, and whether or not Bain Capital really wanted to lend Chrysler and GM money to fund their managed bankruptcies, and about whether or not Bain Capital’s PR agency understands the concept of sarcasm and can recognize it even when it’s wearing a red […]

BREAKING NEWS: Bain Capital Really, Really, REALLY Did Not Want to Lend GM and Chrysler Money For Their Managed Bankruptcies!”*

Oookaaaayyy.  Normally when I receive an email message that I want to forward or mention elsewhere, I first ask permission of the emailer.  Not this time, though. The following email was sent to Angry Bear last evening, and forwarded to me by Ken late last night: On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 6:27 PM, Charlyn […]

BREAKING NEWS: Bain Capital Wanted to Lend GM and Chrysler Money For Their Managed Bankruptcies!***

**This appears to be incorrect. It was based on a story that CNBC has now updated. It was “Bain Consulting,” not Bain & Co., that advised the government on re-financing the automobile companies. — klh Ah!  Mystery Solved! Yesterday,in my post, “Crony Capitalism On A Grand Scale“—the title of the post borrowed from an op-ed […]