Krugman writes: "William Cohan has an interesting take on Mitt Romney, which is completely distinct from the policy and left/right issues. According to Cohan, who did deals with Bain during the Romney years, the company specialized in dirty tricks."
Portrait, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, 06/15/09. (photo: Fred R. Conrad/NYT)
15 January 12
illiam Cohan has an interesting take on Mitt Romney, which is completely distinct from the policy and left/right issues. According to Cohan, who did deals with Bain during the Romney years, the company specialized in dirty tricks.
Specifically, Bain would make the high bid for a company being offered for sale - then, after the other bidders had been sent away, would start finding things to complain about, and haggle the price down. This was, I gather, a major sin, since believe it or not Wall Street wheeling and dealing requires a high level of trust in one's personal word.
This isn't a policy issue; it's the kind of thing I usually try to stay away from, the supposedly character-revealing nature of someone's personal history. But as these things go, it's especially interesting. Would you buy a used company - or a used ideology - from this guy?
