Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Romney is the Marathoner of Lying Politicians

Politicians lie. But Romney's the biggest liar face of all. His new lie about Bain: that 80% of investments resulted in rising revenues.
He's not even a good businessman. Furthermore, if he were a good businessman, that isn't a qualification to be president. I'd rather have someone of good moral character, someone who stands up for the vulnerable -- not for the wealthy.
Here’s why the 80 percent figure is problematic: It tells you almost nothing about the success or failure of these companies. In fact, it is almost surprising that the figure is not nearly 100 percent. The Bain statement is so vague and imprecise that, in theory, revenues could grow in a single year, but fall in other years, and still be claimed as a growth in revenues. Moreover, the statistic takes no account of whether the business ultimately failed, despite revenue growth, because under Bain’s direction it had taken on too much debt.
There's more on this fact check at the Washington Post, which wants to be on Bain's side, but can't:
Bain generally has a good story to tell, but they should not disguise their performance behind suspect statistics. Private equity plays an important role in the economy, especially in terms of providing financing to more risky companies or endeavors. But a successful private equity firm is judged on how much money it makes for its investors, not how much revenue grows or how many jobs are created. We are willing to revisit this ruling if Bain Capital is willing to explain how it developed this statistic, showing exactly what companies were included and what time period was covered. Until we can verify this figure, it means little — and the Romney campaign should stop using it as well. At the moment, it appears rather dubious.