2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumHow did Mitt "save" the financially teetering Olympics? With a massive increase in FEDERAL FUNDING.
Yeah, he's such a financial wizard that he was able to engineer the financial turnaround of the Olympics by arranging for the TRIPLING of federal funding.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/10-years-after-salt-lake-city-olympics-questions-about-romneys-contributions/2012/02/01/gIQABnCX9Q_story_2.html
Yet Romney also took steps that could come back to haunt him in the Republican presidential campaign: He worked extensively to secure more federal funding for the Salt Lake Games than for any U.S. Olympics in history.
In his book, Romney complained that the organizing committees previous leadership had anticipated federal financing for security, transportation and other key Olympic elements all of which fell outside the operating budget but hadnt actually secured the necessary appropriations from Congress.
Romney moved quickly, asking Gillespie, the Olympic committees lobbyist, to bring in more federal funding than had ever been appropriated for any Olympics, summer or winter, according to his book. He then personally made the case for that federal support with Utahs governor at the time, Mike Leavitt (R); with the White House; and with senior members of Congress, including his onetime political nemesis, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).
Despite opposition from Sen. John McCain and other Republican leaders, the Winter Games federal budget grew from $200 million to about $600 million on Romneys watch, according to his book. When various transportation and other works projects are included, the federal government spent an estimated $1.5 billion from the time the Games were awarded to Salt Lake City in 1995 until they took place in 2002.
Wilms
(26,795 posts)pnwmom
(109,024 posts)Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)spendthrift - this is the next hit - comes perfectly around the present Olympics.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)You can see why so many haven't been thrilled by his candidacy.
Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)patrice
(47,992 posts)Everyone else can just slave away, suffer, and then die as quickly as possible, to make room for more slaves.
tallahasseedem
(6,716 posts)That should be the next talking point against him!
Joe Shlabotnik
(5,604 posts)Love it. That's got wings.
Bluerthanblue
(13,669 posts)enough
(13,270 posts)I figure OFA is saving that one for later.
zbdent
(35,392 posts)that someone or something is under an electron microscope for anything related to act X.
Kinda like how Bill Clinton, having been linked to a stain, was blasted across the media every time he was within 15 feet of a female.
Sure, you're going to "save" the Olympics ... right. The Olympics system was under intense scrutiny to begin with.
monmouth
(21,078 posts)the Olympics were over and surplus monies were to be returned to the committee, Romney did not want to return said money. Hopefully someone here remembers this...
RedStateLiberal
(1,374 posts)It compares what he said when running for Gov about getting fed money for the Olympics with what he says now. Gotta love the ending hehe.
Sorry I can't seem to embed the video since I'm on an iPad. (EDIT: Oh cool, it embeds for me.)
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)that was the big reason for leaving Bain in 1999, the conflict
of financial interest.. so I've heard.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)bluesbassman
(19,385 posts)Love to see the paper trail on where all those federal dollars actually ended.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)didn't directly benefit the Games.
marlakay
(11,534 posts)to help his state of Utah...
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)all his Mormon buds in Utah. (Wikipedia says about 60% of the state are LDS members.)
Patiod
(11,816 posts)I'd think closer to 95%