In 2006, Romney Filled Most Administration Appointments With Donors
The Romney campaign began an attack on President Obama for rewarding donors, but Romney himself — like most pols — has a history of the practice.
The Romney campaign has begun to allege "crony capitalism" in President Obama's Administration, with one advisor, Ed Gillespie, saying "if you're a political donor to Barack Obama, you're going to do fine, because you're going to get a payoff."
But a review of the Romney's own 2006 appointees to Massachusetts posts — conducted by cross-referencing press releases with a Romney donor database — show Romney himself has a history of rewarding donors with political postions. Indeed, all but one of Romney's 2006 press releases for appointments are for Romney donors, a total of 15 out of 17 appointees.
In Janauray of 2006 Romney appointed Christopher R. Anderson and reappointed Henry M. Thomas III to the Massachusetts Board of Education, a nine-member panel that sets policy for K-12 education in Massachusetts. Anderson had donated $400 to Romney's gubernatorial committee and later would donate $2300 to Romney during his first run for President. Thomas donate $250 to Romney's gubernatorial committee.
Later, in March, Romney appointed Paul F. Kelly to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees. Kelley had donated $50 to Romney's gubernatorial committee.
more:http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/in-2006-romney-filled-most-adminstration-appointm
Romney Aide's Hypocritical Attack on Obama "Crony Capitalism"
On Sunday's CNN "State of the Union," Mitt Romney senior advisor Ed Gillespie explained how a second Obama Administration would reward its rich friends: "If you're a political donor to Barack Obama, you're going to do fine, because you're going to get a payoff."
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Romney has pledged to put the nail in the coffin of this common-sense provision. Why? One possibility is that the for-profit college owners are his friends and business associates. On the campaign trail, Romney has pointed to a for-profit college, Florida's Full Sail University, as an innovative leader in higher education that knows how to "hold down the cost of their education." But Full Sail turns out to be the third most expensive college in America, and one of its programs flunked the gainful employment test and could lose eligibility for federal aid under the Obama rule. Romney did not inform voters that his campaign and Super PAC have received about $240,000 from Full Sail CEO Bill Heavener and from C. Kevin Landry, chairman of TA Associates, the private equity firm that owns Full Sail.
Nor did Romney tell voters about the private equity fund Solamere Capital, which is run by Mitt's son Tagg Romney and Spencer Zwick, who also serves as the top fundraiser on the Romney campaign staff. Solamere was launched with a $10 million investment from Mitt and Ann Romney, and Mitt also has provided strategic advice. Solamere Capital offered its clients a stake in TA Associates, which owns not just Full Sail but a number of for-profit schools, including troubled Vatterott Colleges, marked by exploitative recruiting practices and high student loan defaults. Eight of Vatterott's 39 college programs failed the Obama gainful employment test that Romney now pledges to eliminate.
That's not all. The political action committee of the Apollo Group, owner of the largest for-profit education business, the University of Phoenix, which Romney has also praised by name on the trail, has contributed $75,000 to Restore Our Future and the maximum $5,000 to Romney's campaign, the company's only contribution to a 2012 presidential candidate. Goldman Sachs, the number one source of contributions to Romney, owns 41 percent of EDMC, one of the largest for-profit college businesses, currently being sued by the Justice Department and investigated by state attorneys general for fraud.
more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidhalperin/gillespie-romney-donors_b_1679506.html
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