Romney's gaffes

[Snowboarder_Bo]

A thread solely for compiling and commenting on Mitt Romney’s gaffes during the 2012 election.

Let’s start with [this one:

@Mitt Romney

Big business is doing fine in many places. They get the loans they need, they can deal with all the regulation. They know how to find ways to get through the tax code, save money by putting various things in the places where there are low tax havens around the world for their businesses.

](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PRESIDENTIAL_CAMPAIGN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-24-03-50-01)
How or why is this a gaffe? Because it’s essentially the same thing that Pres. Obama said last month which drew heavy criticism from Mr. Romney and his supporters.

Romney’s assertions resembled Obama’s declaration earlier this summer that the “private sector is doing fine.” Romney and other Republicans pounced on the president’s comments and cast them as an indication that he was out of touch with the nation’s economic struggles.

It isn’t exactly smart campaigning, to echo what you recently criticized.

It also helps refocus people’s attention on the fact that Mr. Romney himself keeps money in offshore tax havens, which the recent leak of Bain docs by gawker.com highlights nicely.

[Marley23]

The OP started a separate thread about gaffes by Obama. I’ve merged that thread into this one, which is similar although it’s a bit broader in scope.

[Bricker]

Is big business the same as the private sector?

Isn’t the private sector also small business, sole proprietorships, etc., which in aggregate are more extensive than big business?

[Hentor_the_Barbarian]

@Bricker

Is big business the same as the private sector?

Isn’t the private sector also small business, sole proprietorships, etc., which in aggregate are more extensive than big business?

According to Romney, the problem for small businesses is that they aren’t as able to hide their money away in off shore tax havens and prancing horse deductions. Presumably they’d be just fine if they could.

Now, if you’re going to hammer your opponent for a sound bite even though he has since clarified what he meant, and then you go and say something that sounds the same, you’ve just screwed up big time. Better take a bite of shit sandwich.

Couldn’t happen to a more mendacious weasel teat!

[John_Mace]

Not the same thing at all. Big business is doing fine in many places. If you take it out of context, sure. But you can do that with a lot of stuff. He’s saying that Big business often likes regulations and a complicated tax code because it stifles competition, usually from smaller business.

[adaher]

Smaller businesses, bTW, overwhelmingly support Romney.

[Rhythmdvl]

@adaher

Smaller businesses, bTW, overwhelmingly support Romney.

Cite?

[adaher]

Poll: Romney widens lead among small business voters

Sixty-one percent of small business owners plan to vote for the Republican challenger, more than double the 26 percent who say they will vote for President Obama, shows a survey released Tuesday by Manta. The president’s numbers have fallen six points since May, while Mitt Romney has picked up four points with business owners. In the latest national polls, the candidates are virtually deadlocked.

[csupp]

Uh oh, might be in trouble on this one…

#Romney in MI mins ago, “No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this was the place that we were born and raised”

[Happy_Lendervedder]

@csupp

Uh oh, might be in trouble on this one…

#Romney in MI mins ago, “No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this was the place that we were born and raised”

That, son, is what they call a dog whistle that everyone can hear.

[BobLibDem]

@csupp

Uh oh, might be in trouble on this one…

#Romney in MI mins ago, “No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this was the place that we were born and raised”

He figures he’s already at 0% of the black vote, might as well ramp up the race-baiting.

[gamerunknown]

@John Mace

He’s saying that Big business often likes regulations and a complicated tax code because it stifles competition, usually from smaller business.

I heard this from the Mises Institute too. Wal-Mart pushed for a minimum wage increase since they could easily handle it with their profit rates. If there’s one thing the libertarians have going for them, they consider monopolies more of an anathema than worker control of the means of production. Their proposed method of preventing monopolisation doesn’t stand up to scrutiny though.

[adaher]

Its not full proof, thus the need for anti-trust laws. Anti-trust laws prevent free market monopolies from arising. What monopolies or cartels do exist are created by government policies limiting entry into the market, usually at the behest of the industry incumbents.