Workers formerly under Bain take on Romney at DNC

Former employees at companies controlled by Romney?'s Bain Capital Randy Johnson (C), Cindy Hewitt, and David Foster speak during day two of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on September 5, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

/ Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

(CBS News) CHARLOTTE, N.C - As part of a Democratic effort to portray Mitt Romney's former company Bain Capital as an enemy of the working class, three former employees of companies owned by the private investment firm took the stage at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday to criticize the Republican presidential nominee's business record.

"When Mitt Romney talks about his business experience, remember - it's not experience creating good-paying jobs; it is experience cutting jobs," said Cindy Hewitt, a former employee of Bain-shuttered company Dade Behring. "It is experience shutting plants. It is experience making millions by making life tougher for hard-working Americans."

"Of course I understand that some companies succeed and others are not - that's the way our economy works," she continued. "But it's wrong when dedicated, productive employees feel the pain while folks like Mitt Romney make profits."

Romney has staked his campaign in part on his experience in the private sector. But his controversial history with Bain, including a muddied timeline at the company and its involvement with shipping jobs overseas, has made that record a target for President Obama's reelection campaign.

"When Romney and Bain took over the mill, they loaded it up with millions in debt," said David Foster, a steelworkers union leader who's appeared previously in an Obama ad featuring the story of GSL Steel. "Within months, they used some of that borrowed money to pay themselves millions. Within a decade, the debt kept growing and was so large the company was forced into bankruptcy."

Randy Johnson, a former factory worker whose company folded under Bain's watch, made the case that Romney "will stick it to the working people" while the president "is sticking up for the working people - it's as simple as that."

"I don't think Mitt Romney is a bad man," Johnson said. "I don't fault him for the fact that some companies win and some companies lose - that's a fact of life. What I fault him for is making money without a moral compass. I fault him for putting profits ahead of working people like me. But that's just Romney economics."

[comfypaws]

Romney's campaign should hire a few of the thousand Solyndra employees who lost their jobs when bankruptcy filed. Those investors got their money back and the executives got bonuses courtesy of taxpayers. Or maybe some of those non union workers from Delphi whose pensions were reduce to fund the union pensions in the GM bailout ... or some of the workers from closed dealerships or plants.

[hypnotoad72]

A shame that the usual Romneybots aren't around; workers do represent a company and if the company is anti-worker, it's going to have consequences as well.

I'll listen to the workers, since they represent you and me far more than Romney himself ever could.

[qyeteye]

Can anyone explain after what is known (trickle-down as trickle-up and most GOP "facts" exposed as myths) and that unknown (Romney's taxes - most) - how does RNC / GOP still have any credibility?

[RollotheNorman]

There are always sheep on the RepubliCON side that treat politics as their personal religion.

[qyeteye]

Thank you for educational responses.

[infantryman1968]

by cydygitt2 September 6, 2012 9:22 AM EDT
GM Is No. 1 In The World Again In Auto Sales

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michelinemaynard/2012/01/19/gm-is-back-in-the-auto-sales-drivers-seat/


LOL!


yea, to the Federal Government.

Borrow from the taxpayers to pay off the unions and then spend the taxpayers money to by their products.

Great company comrad.

[RollotheNorman]

Got any data to back that claim? Oh, I thought not.

[robbiecee1]

Mr. Johnson, I admire your tactfulness; however, I think Mitt is a horrible person!

[smdonromney]

Something few mention is that the tax payers often get stuck with the tab when Bain took over, closed businesses and scr*w*d all of the workers out of their pensions.

[smdonromney]

I think we have to live with a fact about the GOP. The party cannot ever tell people, even their supporters, at least the ones that aren't millionaires, what they will actually do if they have the chance. If they did, they would never elect another Republican to national office. They get away with it in some congressional districts - the ones gerrymandered to the point of idiocy. But, not with most Senate races and definitely not for President.

Consequently the GOP must lie, obfuscate and demonize the opponent to elect a President. We get lies about them wanting to preserve Medicare. They can't tell the truth - they want to eliminate it, they always have. They can't tell the truth about lowering taxes for the wealthy - it's not about creating jobs, it's about taking care of their big donors. They can't tell the truth about global warming - they know it's happening, they don't care because any action to save the planet would hurt profits. They can't tell the truth about spending - they are not against spending, they just want to spend on the military and their corporate sponsors. The can't tell the truth about the size of government - they don't want a small government, they want a government so big it can police every womb.

To elect a President, Republicans have to lie because no one in their right mind would buy what they are actually selling.

[sallychicago]

Well one thing that the Republicans in power will do -- privatize as much of the government as they can. It's the same as a company hiring temporary workers and contractors.

[Ben37221]

Three years ago, the republicans were calling GM government motors. Now it is the American motors.Thanks to president Obama who had the courage to support American auto industry even when it was not popular to do so. Same time Romney who call himself business man was willing to let over a million people loose their jobs. "Let Detroit go bankrupt", stated Romney. Romney is a calous businessman with no soul. We need a president who can relate to the American people, and put them first-that person is Barack Obama.

[candlestick1]

Thanks to 20 billion dollars of tax payer money that will never be recovered. So if you want to credit to anyone please give credit to the to taxpayers of this country.

[Banqueno]

No! you are wrong! the fact is that GM still owes the tax payers 29 billion and it is not doing well, so I would say to you and the rest of your lying Democrats the GM stands for Govenrment Motors untill they pay the debt owed to us the American people. Keep lying to yourselves and eventually you will come to realize that Obummer is not the person yu voted for 4 years ago, wake up and smell the roses.

[venusvegasvada]

One group has their hands held open. The other closed into a fist.

Easy choice.

[bbinfla]

Republican party, the party of hate.