We have a rare opportunity. We have a good field of Republicans, all honorable men with stable principles. For most, their track records have spots, some more than others. But how many of them got their spots managing complex economies, while engaged in a tug-of-war with opposing legislatures? With two governors and the mayor of the largest
First, let’s get this point straight: If we can manage the economy, we can solve other problems, like pursuing school improvement to boost
Here are our three executives: (1) Mike Huckabee (bachelor’s degree in religion; chief executive of Arkansas); (2) Rudy Giuliani (JD from NYU; chief executive of New York City); and (3) Mitt Romney (MBA + JD from Harvard; chief executive of Bain Capital, Bain & Company, the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Massachusetts). The $338 billion
But there’s much more than that. Working for the
Romney left consulting to found Bain Capital, a hugely successful investment firm that made money by fixing broken businesses (or at least salvaging as much as possible of those that were beyond repair), the toughest job there is in business. A badly managed business that goes too long without facing its problems threatens the jobs of everyone it employs. But for someone who knows how to fix even the worst problems, it’s an opportunity. Thanks to Romney’s company, a lot of jobs that would have been lost were saved instead, and Bain Capital justifiably prospered from its great success.
Meanwhile, remember Bain & Company? Without Romney, the experts at Bain & Company ran aground on the 1991 recession and started to go under. They begged Romney to come back and save the company from collapse. Romney took over, restructured the company, and returned it to strong profitability, all without any layoffs.
Now, wait a minute. Wasn’t Bain & Company already well known for its ability to solve complex business problems? Wasn’t it in the same league of premier business consultancies as Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company (where IBM CEO Lou Gerstner came from)? Yes, it was. And now you know. When the world’s foremost business experts ran into a business problem they could not solve, they called on the only man who could: Mitt Romney. Now, that’s a story of human genius that needs to be told more often.
Next, the 2002 Winter Olympics was $379 million behind its revenue goals and racked by scandal. Once again, Romney took over, cleaned it up, and gave the Olympics a $100 million profit. Then he gave his $825,000 salary to charity. All in a day’s work.
Maybe the tutelage Romney received from a strong, accomplished father (successful CEO of American Motors and successful governor of
In the past, we’ve usually found a candidate for the White House who has had great ideas, great principles, great experience, or great education. But when have we seen “all of the above”? Remember this on February 5.
Business Professor, Columbus, Georgia
mittmuscogee@gmail.com
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