On His Way Out the Door, Romney Attacks America’s Workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/08/on-his-way
-out-the-door-romney-attacks-americas-workers/

by Seth Michaels, Feb 8, 2008

After dumping at least $40 million of his own money into the 2008 presidential race with little to show for it, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) suspended his campaign yesterday—and, even when declaring defeat, couldn’t resist spewing anti-worker rhetoric.

Romney announced he was quitting during a speech at the reactionary Conservative Political Action Conference. There, he attacked Democrats as “the opponents of American culture.” He was particularly harsh toward the workers who keep our country’s federal, state and local government going, and the unions they’ve formed to protect and represent them.

Did you see that today, government workers make more money than people who work in the private sector? Can you imagine what happens to an economy where the best opportunities are for bureaucrats?

It’s high time to lower taxes, including corporate taxes, to take a weed-whacker to government regulations, to reform entitlements, and to stand up to the increasingly voracious appetite of the unions in our government!

Romney’s idea of “entitlement reform” involves privatizing Social Security and outsourcing Medicare and Medicaid to private insurance companies, two strategies that would have a devastating impact on workers’ retirement security and access to health care.



Romney’s corporate and political careers have shown a record of attacking the priorities of working families.


* As the head of Bain Capital, he was responsible for laying off thousands of workers. (Bain Capital continues to exploit workers.)
* As governor, he vetoed a minimum wage increase and a bill to allow public employees to form unions by majority sign-up.
* As a candidate, he claimed the nation’s health care crisis is the fault of the uninsured.

Romney’s record on the issues that matter to working families is embarrassing, so his attack on public employees and their unions comes as no surprise. But looks like all Romney’s big bucks and pandering to corporate interests couldn’t buy him the Republican nomination.

[formercia]

1. Good riddance.

Poppy will have to settle for Ghouliani as VP.

[Deja Q]

2. Wow. What a whiner. Would he have helped America's private industry workers if he won?

Uh, no?

BTW: Without people to spend money wisely (which means paying well for work done well), how will America's economy recover? Tax cuts to hell and back is not the sole solution -- given America's debt, at some point all those tax cuts will start to look INSANE.

I'm glad he's out; his comments are that of a petulant child (like my previous boss!) and only confirm he is incapable of leading anyone. Not even a pack of suicidal lemmings.

[saltpoint]

3. Before we speak too harshly of Governor Romney re his exit speech,

let's remind ourselves that it isn't easy for the scientists to get a robot to whine and throw a fit like a 3-year old.

It was a significant technical achievement and we should give the scientists credit where it is due.

[indepat]

4. What a jerk, no, what an utter fuck head

[saltpoint]

5. The country really hasn't had as graceless an exit speech as Romney's

this week since Nixon's California gubernatorial race. And that was ages ago.