To Bain or Not to Bain?

Media pundits and advisors in both camps are unsuccessfully flailing about trying to provide an answer that will satisfy anyone.

The flailer-in-chief is of course, the spokesboy-in-chief.

John Hinderaker has fun with him:

Earlier today, White House press secretary Jay Carney was asked about Solyndra. He responded that the government made a number of "green energy" investments; some of the companies failed, but most haven't (not yet, anyway). So an alert reporter asked Carney how that is any different from Mitt Romney's Bain Capital experience, which has been so bitterly attacked by Barack Obama. As Romney has often said, Bain made many investments, frequently in troubled companies; most succeeded, but some failed. Carney's deer-in-the-headlights response is entertaining:

The video: here.

If you have the answer, you are, in Kipling's words, "...a better man than I am, Gunga Din."

Major Garrett, late of Fox, now of National Journal and everywhere on TV, does a really good job of looking under the rock here (Warning-it autoplays).

In sum, he believes that a lot of Dems have doubts, but the Obama camp thinks it's a winner, and Romney is content to let the surrogates fight it out (at least for now).

Ads

Team Romney fires the latest salvo against Obama for suggesting that this year's presidential election would be all about Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital. Is it all about Bain? Or is it about the economy?

and videos

A week ago, Vice President Joe Biden insisted that private-equity experience didn't qualify anyone to be President:

Today the Romney campaign released a new ad reminding people of what Biden neglected to mention, which is that being a legislative backbencher for a decade and President doesn't qualify one to conduct private-equity transactions, either. And since Barack Obama insists on playing with our money, maybe having some private-equity experience would have helped One thing is certain - it couldn't have hurt:

pop up everywhere (The American Crossroads' ad is a good one, and, if your delicate sensibilities can abide the shrieking's of a harridan, then click on the other video. If not, the brief blurb covers the gist of what she says).

More commentary on the shrieking here.

Froma Harrop defends the attacks from the left, and says:

President Obama has been pummeling Mitt Romney over the marauding activities of his former investment company, Bain Capital. Some liberals do go overboard defacing all private equity investing with the same paint sprayer. And Obama's ads portraying Bain's victims employ too many violins for my taste. The problem is not the profession. It's what one does in the course of business.

It's mush, but that's what many think.

This brief compilation might help your search for your answer, but that search ain't gonna' be an easy one