Vanity Fair entitled "Investigation: Mitt Romney's Offshore Accounts,
Tax Loopholes, and Mysterious I.R.A."
The piece gives a rare vista of the murky, shabby, secretive, and
potentially criminal financial activities of presidential candidate
Romney.
If some of the revelations in Shaxson's piece have already been driven
home by the Obama campaign for quite some time now, this is however
the first time that Romney's very dark African side has been
uncovered--albeit in one single paragraph.
Shaxson reveals that Romney used to be (or could still be) one of
those creepy loan sharks, repo men, and debt collectors that are
hounding impoverished and overindebted African countries.
Unfortunately, the extent of Romney's inhumane African activities will
never be fully investigated.
Nor any estimate given of their human toll in terms of African kids
starved, killed or permanently crippled (for lack of anti-polio
vaccine for intance)--in the name of debt servicing on behalf of
callous loan sharks, repo men, and debt collectors of Romney's ilk.
Nicholas Shaxson writes:
"[T]he Romneys were reported to have invested at least $1 million in
Elliott Associates, L.P., a hedge fund specializing in 'distressed
assets.' Elliott buys up cheap debt, often at cents on the dollar,
from lenders to deeply troubled nations such as Congo-Brazzaville,
then attacks the debtor states with lawsuits to squeeze maximum
repayment. Elliott is run by the secretive hedge-fund billionaire and
G.O.P. super-donor Paul Singer, whom Fortune recently dubbed Mitt
Romney's 'Hedge Fund
Kingmaker.' (Singer has given $1 million to Romney's super-pac Restore
Our Future.)"
Romney is therefore one of Africa's most vicious enemies among many
others--including some African leaders themselves.
But having this SOB as POTUS could arguably push Africa to the brink.
That's why Africa should want to see this guy go down in flames. And
Nicholas Shaxson's piece could help by providing fresh ammunition to
the Obama campaign in terms of solid "theory."
The Obama surrogates and spokespeople are focusing too much on the tax
evasion stuff--which is, I do agree, red and blood-dripping meat
indeed.
But they should instead "theorize" Romney's financial activities as
dangerous to and destructive of the American way of life and
productive manufacturing base--thus, essentially, unamerican
anti-capitalistic activities!
They need to read carefully the two paragraphs Nicholas Shaxson
devotes to "financialization" and repackage the whole thing into
potable slogans and talking points.
(Page Address: www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/08/investigating-mitt-romney-offshore-accounts#)
***
PHOTO CREDITS: Reuters
0 comments:
Post a Comment