Will Romney Address the Tea Party?
September 20, 2010
Nearly a year ago, I had a scheduled interview with Mitt Romney abruptly cancelled after he asked to peruse my questions ahead of the call. My guess at the time was that Mitt took issue with the fifth question, which basically asked how the GOP establishment can co-exist with its Tea Party spawn.
I’m looking forward to seeing Mitt speak at ACG Los Angeles’ 2010 Business Conference on Wednesday, because I don’t think this is a question than anyone in politics can avoid anymore. At the very least, it requires Barry Sanders-like agility to sidestep it, which can also be fun to watch.
The Tea Party does have a knack for making things interesting. Carl Paladino, who’s running for Governor in New York, sent out scratch-and-sniff mailers reportedly scented with “landfill” aroma, declaring that “Something Stinks in Albany.”
It’s funny, until you realize that these tactics are actually working. Christine O’Donnell won Delaware’s primary, upsetting Mike Castle, while Joe Miller unseated Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska. Tea Party-backed Miller has gone on record saying unemployment benefits are unconstitutional, while O’Donnell has probably turned off much larger constituencies with the list of things she opposes.
Politico quoted Romney as saying that the GOP should “rally behind” O’Donnell, “so we can win back the US Senate this fall.” He even used the adjective “impressive” to describe O’Donnell’s campaign.
If the goal is to win back the Senate in the fall, Romney has to recognize that Castle would’ve been a better nominee, right? Karl Rove went out on a limb to make that very point, but was blasted for saying it.
When I talk to deal pros, the conversation always turns to politics. It doesn’t even matter what the original subject is, somehow people will find a way to vent their aggravation with the administration.
The Tea Party, in a lot of ways, is a manifestation of the same frustrations. But the GOP establishment risks getting pushed to the sidelines if it doesn’t confront my ‘fifth’ question from a year ago. Even if someone like O’Donnell can pull off an upset and win the seat, does anyone really trust that she’d understand the concept of something like carried interest?
Maybe private equity already has its eyes on the holiday season, as the consumer space has replaced healthcare as the hot sector, at least for a day. Avista is reportedly close to acquiring Clorox’s Armor All brands, while Charlesbank is exiting its OTC platform, Blacksmith Brands, which controls names like Efferdent, Luden’s cough drops and PediaCare. You also have Hellman & Friedman acquiring Internet Brands, which operates consumer websites, such as CarsDirect, DoItYourself.com and The Bargainist.
It’s a small sample size, sure, but the fact that buyers are returning to the consumer segment would seem to reflect some optimism in the economic picture. Of course, maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part. I know I still consider shiny wheels a luxury at this point.
I’ve alluded to this in the past, but we’re finally getting started on our “Rising Stars” supplement for our December issue. As part of our process, we will certainly look at submissions and consider all possibilities. We’re going to keep it pretty open-ended in terms of what we’re looking for. Basically, we want to highlight the people who represent the next Wilbur Ross, Jack Helms or Mark Copmans of the market. We didn’t want to confine ourselves by setting an arbitrary age limit, such as 40, so we’re just looking for the executives who are ready to break out. Any suggestions are always welcome. If you have any thoughts on possibilities or questions about what we might be looking for, please send me a note at ken.macfadyen@sourcemedia.com.
6 Comments
I was very pleased to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out the new stuff you post. skin tag removal
Posted by: thomos b | September 30, 2011 12:28 AM
The tea party is definitely way better then the tea party. I am not sure why is trying to talk to them. zoloft lawsuit
Posted by: john j | September 26, 2011 8:57 PM
Romney does not like the tea party. Why would he want to address them. Romney does make a lot of sense most of the time anyway. I see no future with him at all. Assurance Auto
Posted by: james l | September 24, 2011 4:49 PM
The tea party is completely insane, they need professional help.
my fast mortgage | money to go | mortgage money blog \ mortgage broker store | power of sales in ontario | private lenders mortgages | private loans lenders | private lenders in ontario | private money loans second mortgages | power of sales in toronto | second mortgages ontario canada 2nd \ 2nd mortgage with bad credit 2nd | mortgage brokers in toronto ontario | mortgage brokers in ontario canada | lender hard money lenders | second mortgages | private loans and mortgages | private loans and mortgages
Posted by: jon p | September 1, 2011 4:41 PM
judgment this past March related to allegations of fraud and a failed sponsorship agreement. itouchds r4i ds r4 cardsnds UK acekard 2i r4i sdhc r4i gold
Posted by: jim s | August 1, 2011 9:56 PM
I tried to explain, often have different names than the parent companies. I used Disney and ABC as an example. She stared at me blankly itouchds r4i ds r4 cardsnds UK acekard 2i r4i sdhc r4i gold
Posted by: jim s | August 1, 2011 9:55 PM
Add Your Comments...
Already Registered?
If you have already registered to Money Management Executive, please use the form below to login. When completed you will immeditely be directed to post a comment.
Not Registered?
You must be registered to post a comment. Click here to register.