I got this little story in an email from a friend yesterday:
So, I’m supposed to be impressed because Romney helped out a friend who is just like him. I mean, suppose that it was the janitor’s kid who turned up missing. Would Mittens have shut down the company and mobilized all his resources to help find her? Maybe. But, maybe not. I think most people would drop everything and help find their friend’s missing kid, if they could. Romney’s resources are just a bit greater than most people’s. However, I don’t see how he did anything extraordinary here.
I have taken some heat on Facebook for a rather lengthy criticism of Romney’s bullying a kid in high school and his rather tepid recent “apology”. I suppose this email was supposed to show me that Romney is not really a jerk and is quite willing to help a fellow rich guy in need. Good for him. I’m also supposed to be impressed that he didn’t accept any salary while working as Governor of Massachusetts nor while working with the Olympics. Heck, he didn’t even accept a salary at Bain. What a great guy! He is so in touch with the working man that he doesn’t even have to earn a living.
That story sounds so much like bullshit I have trouble believing it. Snopes says it’s true, though, although it does not talk about the last few sentences that mention how Romney works for free.
I think I saw a paid advertisement that featured this guy talking about this story. I thought then what I think now: Big fucking deal. So Romney helped out one person whose daughter disappeared. What does this have to do with how he’ll run the country?
Well, Romney’s actions were laudable, although you could argue that the way he accomplished them were, at the very least, high-handed and autocratic.
From the letter: “He closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New Yorkto help find Gay’s daughter.” “Romney and the other Bain employees scoured every part of New York and talked with everyone they could - prostitutes, drug addicts - anyone.”
So, in other words, Romney basically ordered 30 people to fly to New York on a moment’s notice and take on a task in which they had no vested interest and which was intrinsically dangerous. I’m pretty sure that sending rich venture capitalists and middle-class employees wandering around the seamier sides of a strange city like fish out of water is not the most effective or safest approach to finding someone.
Hey, it could be that all these employees were glad to volunteer to get out of the office and go on a field trip, but the mail message doesn’t indicate that.
I’m glad they found the girl, but not much about the story makes me more eager to have Romney as my chief executive.
Seriously, it was a good thing and Romney deserves credit for it.
But imagine what would happen if he tried this as President. Somebody’s daughter doesn’t come home from three days and Romney shuts down the federal government and sends everyone out to go looking for her.
It really is possible to say something nice, or to listen without snark when someone else says something nice, while still disagreeing with someone’s political philosophy and not wanting them as President.
Or a business partner who wasn’t Mormon (which Robert Gay is).
Obviously, it was a good thing to do for a friend, business partner and fellow Mormon, but I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary. Most people would sacrifice what they could to help a friend/neighbour/co-worker in the same circumstance.
And according to this website that quotes the Boston Herald, the final part about the girl being in danger is false:
All right for a coporate CEO. But, remember, an elected official is not supposed to use the resources he controls to do any special favors for a friend.
Actually, a CEO is not really supposed to do that either. He has a fiduciary duty to the stockholders, which does not necessarily include spending their money to find his friend’s kid.
Also, that story is all kinds of crazy. Having the staff of a hedge fund wander around New York City talking to prostitutes to find a lost girl? And ALSO hiring a private detective, who actually has the skills and resources to find a lost girl? Keep the hedge fund at work and hire TWO private detectives.
And, of course, all the business about shutting the office and flying to NYC did bupkis towards finding the girl–publicity plus police work seemed to be sufficient.