Predictable History, Unpredictable Past: 2012-07-08

14 July 2012

Sssh! Obamabot "Bainwashing" Session in Progress

M2RB - George Harrison

Brainwash you while you're sleeping
While in your traffic jam
Brainwash you while you're weeping
While still a baby in your pram

Brainwashed by the military
Brainwashed under duress
Brainwashed by the media
You're brainwashed by the press

Brainwashed by computer
Brainwashed by mobile phones
Brainwashed by the satellite
Brainwashed to the bone

Sssh! Obamabot "Bainwashing" Session in Progress

"What they’re saying is, on the basis of the facts available to us, untrue."

- Jonathan Chait

Sssh! Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine, you'll make them cry!

By Jonathan Chait

The debate over Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital is strange and discomfiting because it is a nonsense argument within a nonsense argument. The original nonsense argument is Mitt Romney’s claim that his business experience lends him unique insight into solving the economic crisis. In fact, the considerable skills Romney displayed in business tell you nothing about whether his economic policies would address the recession. Rather than make that complicated point, President Obama and his allies instead have attacked Romney’s record itself. And what they’re saying is, on the basis of the facts available to us, untrue.

Given the centrality this has taken within the campaign, I wish I had focused on it sooner, because the most narrow point here is the most important: The ads attacking Romney are based on pure conjecture. Obama has an ad saying of Romney, “he shipped jobs to China and Mexico.” But Bain Capital did those things after Romney stopped running the company. It would be accurate to say that Romney’s firm did those things, and fair — in my opinion — to hold Romney largely responsible for his firm’s work. But Obama isn’t saying Romney’s firm shipped jobs overseas, he’s saying Romney shipped jobs overseas.

That depends on showing that Romney was more involved in the company than he says, and that his former partners say. Reporting by Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones and the Boston Globe has shown that Romney’s formal ties to Bain Capital did continue even after he took a leave of absence, and the Huffington Post today shows that Romney participated in board meetings of a Bain-owned firm. Romney has so far refused to say whether he held meetings or made decisions after officially stepping down. But the best explanation so far is the one Intel Kevin made yesterday (and was bolstered by John King’s reporting): When he officially stepped down, Romney remained the titular head of Bain Capital, legally responsible but not making any managerial decisions.

The existence of a “larger truth” does not justify the Obama campaign’s ads that assume a role that they haven't proven and probably isn't accurate. But there is a larger truth here. Ben Wallace-Wells’s narrative about Romney’s business career explains how pivotal a role he played in reshaping the face of the American economy. (The piece is extremely fair and in many ways flattering to Romney — National Review’s Reihan Salam praised it fulsomely.) In the quarter century after World War II, the economy grew rapidly and also grew more equal, and workers grew accustomed to job security in a world where social ties bound executives (like George Romney) from ruthlessly paring their workforce or paying themselves exorbitantly. Ben quotes Neil Fligstein, an economics-sociology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who told him that Romney and his Bain colleagues “were agents of the shareholder value revolution.” This is a way of saying they helped transform the economy into a place where the owners of capital were able to extract every last drop of value from their firms, which made the face of the business world both more productive and more cruel.

Now, what this development tells you about governing the country is another matter altogether. My conclusion is that, as businesses found they either didn’t need to or could no longer afford to carry the burden of social responsibility to their communities they once carried, the job of doing so has to fall upon the government. That is, you can be a pro-Bain liberal. There are other conclusions one could draw, of course, as Romney seems to have done. But the main point is that the role of business is different than the role of government — even if you deny that businesses have social responsibilities, government still does. (That's a point Obama himself made yesterday.)

Romney’s political problem is that the changes to the business world he helped unleash are unpopular. Whether or not the old world of benevolent corporations of the sort his father ran are justifiable or can survive in a global economy, people liked them. The notion that businesses have no obligation save making money for their shareholders is a hard sell, both conceptually and in the practical outcomes it creates, like mass layoffs. Romney is attempting to portray his business experience as “creating jobs,” but he was actually in the business of creating wealth. Obama has every right to expose that contradiction. He doesn’t have a right to make things up in the process.

As lawyer and blogger John Hinderaker notes, those claiming that Romney committed any crimes or perpetrated fraud in 1999 is simply ignorant of the law.

…the fact that Romney was a “controlling person” for purposes of securities laws has nothing to do with whether he was running the company; nor is his status as a shareholder or director -- Romney owned the company until a buyout was completed in 2002 -- relevant. And whatever titles may have been recited in the filings shed no light on whether he made the investment decisions that the Obama administration now wants to criticize.

Sadly, while The Times keeps spinning Obama's narrative for him, they are allowing the truth to go unreported.

Brainwashed - George Harrison

Brainwashed in our childhood
Brainwashed by the school
Brainwashed by our teachers
And brainwashed by all their rules
Brainwashed by our leaders
By our Kings and Queens
Brainwashed in the open
And brainwashed behind the scenes

God God God
A voice cries in the wilderness
God God God
It was on the longest night
God God God
An eternity of darkness
God God God
Someone turned out the spiritual light

Brainwashed by the Nikkei
Brainwashed by Dow Jones
Brainwashed by the FTSE
Nasdaq and secure loans
Brainwashed us from Brussels
Brainwashed us in Bonn
Brainwashed us in Washington
Westminster in London

God God God
You are the wisdom that we seek
God God God
The lover that we miss
God God God
Your nature is eternity
God God God
Your are Existence, Knowledge, Bliss

The soul does not love, it is love itself
It does not exist, it is existence itself
It does not know, it is knowledge itself
How to Know God, pag 130

They brainwashed my great uncle
Brainwashed my cousin Bob
They even got my grandma
When she was working for the mob

Brainwash you while you're sleeping
While in your traffic jam
Brainwash you while you're weeping
While still a baby in your pram

Brainwashed by the military
Brainwashed under duress
Brainwashed by the media
You're brainwashed by the press

Brainwashed by computer
Brainwashed by mobile phones
Brainwashed by the satellite
Brainwashed to the bone

God God God
Won't you lead us through this mess
God God God
From the places of concrete
God God God
Nothing's worse than ignorance
God God God
I just won't accept defeat

God God God
Must be something I forgot
God God God
Down on Bullshit Avenue
God God God
If we can only stop the rot
God God God
Wish that you'd brainwash us too

Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare Mahadev
Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare
Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare

Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva
Hare Hare Hare Hare Mahadeva
Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva
Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva

Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare
Namah Parvarti Pataye Hare Hare
Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva
Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva

Pic of the Day: Child To Man-Child

M2RB: Eurythmics live from Sydney, Australia

"Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey?

(Oh, no, no, no)
Now would I say something that wasn't true?
I'm asking you sugar, would I lie to you? "

- Barack Obama

My job here is done.

Would I lie to you? - Eurythmics

Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey? (Oh, no, no, no)
Now would I say something that wasn't true?
I'm asking you sugar, would I lie to you?
My friends, know what's in store
I won't be here anymore
I've packed my bags
I've cleaned the floor
Watch me walkin', walkin' out the door
(Believe me) I'll make it, make it
(Believe me) I'll make it, make it
Would I lie to you?

Would I lie to you honey? (Now honey would I lie?)
Now would I say something that wasn't true?
I'm asking you sugar, would I lie to you?
Tell you straight, no intervention
To your face, no deception
You're the biggest fake
That much is true
Had all I can take
Now I'm leaving you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you

(Believe me) I'll make it, make it, oh yes I will
(Believe me) I'll make it, make it (Make it, make it, make it, make it, make it, make it, make it)
Would I lie to you? (I'll make it, make it)
Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn't true?
I'm asking you sugar, would I lie?

Would I lie to you?
Would I lie to you honey? (Oh, no, no, no)
Now would I say something that wasn't true?
I'm asking you sugar, would I lie to you?
My friends, know what's in store
I won't be here anymore
I've packed my bags
I've cleaned the floor

Watch me walkin', walkin' out the door
(Believe me) Watch me, watch me
(Believe me) Watch me, watch me, yes I will
Would I lie to you? ((Watch me) Watch me, watch me (Check out, check out, check out, check out, check out))

Would I lie to you? (Oh, no, no, no) (Oh, no, no, no) (Oh, no, no, no) (Walking, walking) (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon)

Would I lie to you?
(Watch me) Would I lie to you?

(Watch me now) Would I lie to you? (Check out, check out, check out, one more time, check out, check out)
(Watch me now) Would I lie to you? (Would I lie to you?) Check out, check out, check out, check out, check out))

Would I lie to you?

It's A Tax, But You Won't Pay It, If You Have Insurance...No Way, No How...Would I Lie To You?

M2RB: Eurythmics live from Sydney, Australia

Would I lie to you?

“By the way, if you’ve got health insurance, you’re not getting hit by a tax.”

- President Obama

So, since I have health insurance, I won’t be hit — directly or indirectly — by any of the other taxes in Obamacare either, right, Chump?

1. A 156% increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco

2. Obamacare Employer Mandate Tax

3. Obamacare Surtax on Investment Income

4. Obamacare Excise Tax on Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans

5. Obamacare Hike in Medicare Payroll Tax

6. Obamacare Medicine Cabinet Tax

7. Obamacare HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike

8. Obamacare Flexible Spending Account Cap – aka “Special Needs Kids Tax”

9. Obamacare Tax on Medical Device Manufacturers

10. Obamacare “Haircut” for Medical Itemized Deduction from 7.5% to 10% of AGI

11. Obamacare Tax on Indoor Tanning Services

12. Obamacare elimination of tax deduction for employer-provided retirement Rx drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D

13. Obamacare Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Hike

14. Obamacare Excise Tax on Charitable Hospitals

15. Obamacare Tax on Innovator Drug Companies

16. Obamacare Tax on Health Insurers

17. Obamacare $500,000 Annual Executive Compensation Limit for Health Insurance Executives

18. Obamacare Employer Reporting of Insurance on W-2

19. Obamacare “Black liquor” tax hike

20. Obamacare Codification of the “economic substance doctrine”

Would I lie to you? - Eurythmics

Would I lie to you? (Oh, no, no, no) (Oh, no, no, no) (Oh, no, no, no) (Walking, walking) (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon)

Would I lie to you?
(Watch me) Would I lie to you?

Would I lie to you?

Big Government Robs The Middle Class For The Same Reason That Willie Sutton Robbed Banks…That's Where The Money Is!

"Senate Democrats will push a one-year tax cut proposal for individual Americans earning $200,000 or less annually, setting the stage for a showdown in coming weeks with Republicans over extending the Bush tax cuts, according to a new plan circulating on Capitol Hill. Couples with a combined $250,000 income will also be covered by the Democratic proposal."

- Politico, Senate Dems push one-year tax cut, 13 July 2012

Maintaining current rates for those individual earning $200,000 or less annually or couples with a combined $250,000 income IS NOT A TAX CUT.

According to Princeton, a tax cut is the act of reducing taxation. The same definition is given by the Free Dictionary online: the act of reducing taxation. Again, maintaining current rates is not a tax cut in any way, shape, or form.

I ask you to take note of the fact that Obama and the Democrats have gone from campaigning on making these "cuts" permanent to now offering a "one-year extension."

There is a reason for the change for those smart enough to understand math and to those of us who listen closely to the words Democrats say:

[From a 2010 article] "In the near term, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer raised the possibility that Congress will only temporarily extend middle-class tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year. He pointedly suggested that making them permanent would be too costly.

Tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, affecting taxpayers at every income level. President Barack Obama proposes to permanently extend them for individuals making less than $200,000 a year and families making less than $250,000 — at a cost of about $2.5 trillion over the next decade.

“As the House and Senate debate what to do with the expiring Bush tax cuts in the coming weeks, we need to have a serious discussion about their implications for our fiscal outlook, including whether we can afford to permanently extend them before we have a real plan for long-term deficit reduction.”

- Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), 2010

That was in 2010, but fear not. His aims haven't changed!

Following a speech before the Centre for American Progress, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said Monday. 9 July 2012, he would support tax increases on those who earn less than $250,000 at some point in the future.

“The president initially has it about right, at the ($250,000 level). But I would be prepared to go lower at some time in the future than that. Our economy is still struggling and I think going lower than that would have adverse impact on the economy. I don’t think going higher than that will have an adverse impact.”

- Steny Hoyer, (D-MD), 13 July 2012

Top 1%

Share of Total Income Earned: 13.3%

Share of Total Federal Income Taxes Paid: 22.3%

Top 2-5%

Share of Total Income Earned: 12.5%

Share of Total Federal Income Taxes Paid: 17.3%

Top 20%

Share of Total Income Earned: 50.8%

Share of Total Federal Income Taxes Paid: 67.9%

Middle 20%

Share of Total Income Earned: 14.1%

Share of Total Federal Income Taxes Paid: 9.4%

Bottom 40%

Share of Total Income Earned: 14.9%

Share of Total Federal Income Taxes Paid: 4.1%

Source: Congressional Budget Office

The Top 40%

Share of Total Income Earned: 71.0%

Share of Total Federal Income Taxes Paid: 86.5%

The Bottom 60%

Share of Total Income Earned: 29.0%

Share of Total Federal Income Taxes Paid: 13.5%

In 2009, the top 400 taxpayers paid almost as much in federal income taxes as the entire bottom 50 percent combined.

You will see a lot of news on this report. What you are unlikely to see, though, are these facts from the CBO report:

On just federal-level taxes, the top 1 p% of income earners already have an effective tax rate of 29%. (This should please Warren Buffett!)

President Obama has achieved his goal of increasing redistribution: The top 20% has seen its after-tax share of total income fall, especially the top 1%, while the lower income groups have seen their share rise.

The top 1% pays well over its “fair share”—it pays a much larger share of taxes (22.3%) than the share of income it earns (13.3%)—as does the full top 20%. Meanwhile, the bottom income groups pay a much smaller share of taxes than their share of income: The bottom 40% earned 14.9% of income, but paid just 4.1% of federal taxes. (See chart)

So when the President and the his supporters complain that the rich are not paying their fair share of taxes, and Warren Buffett suggests another tax to ensure that they start paying more, someone should show them this government report. If the argument is that America must ensure that the rich pay, it must just be rhetoric—because they are already paying.

THERE ARE COMING FOR YOU EVENTUALLY because, as I've always reminded:

Big Government robs the middle class for the same reason that Willie Sutton robbed banks…that’s where the money is!

Presidents And Four Letter Words Like J-O-B-S

M2RB: R.E.M. live in Milan

You kiss on me, tug on me, rub on me, jump on me,
You bang on me, beat on me, hit on me, let go on me.

You let go on me.

A work in progress and Obama's numbers will be added

President	Jobs created	Jobs at end of term	Jobs at start of term	Payroll expansion	Jobs created per year in office	Population growth	Percent change in population
George W. Bush	6.4 million	142.2 million	135.9 million	7.3%	375,000	22.0 million	7.7%
Bill Clinton	23.1 million	132.5 million	109.4 million	21.1%	2,900,000	25.2 million	8.9%
George H.W. Bush	2.5 million	109.4 million	106.9 million	2.3%	625,000	12.5 million	4.8%
Ronald Reagan	16.0 million	106.9 million	90.9 million	17.6%	2,000,000	17.3 million	7%
Jimmy Carter	10.5 million	90.9 million	80.4 million	13.1%	2,600,000	9.8 million	4.3%
Gerald Ford	1.8 million	80.4 million	78.6 million	2.3%	745,000	5.1 million	2.3%
Richard Nixon	9.4 million	78.6 million	69.2 million	13.6%	1,700,000	12.3 million	5.7%
Lyndon Johnson	11.9 million	69.2 million	57.3 million	20.8%	2,300,000	11.3 million	5.6%
John F. Kennedy	3.6 million	57.3 million	53.7 million	6.7%	1,200,000	8.2 million	4.3%
Dwight Eisenhower	3.5 million	53.7 million	50.2 million	7%	438,000	23.3 million	12.8%
Harry Truman	8.4 million	50.2 million	41.8 million	20.1%	1,100,000	N/A	N/A

Population employed (Participation Rate)

J:    135,870    (67.2)

F:    135,734    (67.1)

M:   135,808   (67.2)

A:    135,424   (67.1)

M:   135,235   (66.9)

J:     135,003   (66.8)

J:     135,106   (66.8)

A:    134,408   (66.6)

S:     135,004  (66.9)

O:    134,615   (66.9)

N:   134,253   (66.9)

D:   134,055   (66.8)

Average PR:  66.9%

J:     132,139    (66.2)

F:     134,319   (66.7)

M:    133,894   (66.6)

A:     133,976  (66.8)

M:    134,417   (66.8)

J:     134,053   (66.6)

J:     134,045   (66.5)

A:    134,474   (66.6)

S:     135,185   (66.8)

O:    134,914   (66.7)

N:    134,225  (66.4)

D:    133,952  (66.3)

Average PR:  66.6%

J:    137,447   (66.3)

F:    137,318   (66.3)

M:   137,300   (66.2)

A:   137,578   (66.4)

M:  137,505   (66.3)

J:    137,673   (66.5)

J:    137,604   (66.3)

A:   137,693   (66.2)

S:    137,644   (66.1)

O:   138,095   (66.2)

N:   138,533   (66.2)

D:   138,479   (66.0)

Average PR:  66.3%

2004:

J:       138,481   (66.1)

F:       138,334   (65.9)

M:      138,408  (65.9)

A:      138,645  (65.9)

M:     138,846  (65.9)

J:      139,158  (66.0)

J:      139,639  (66.2)

A:     139,658  (66.0)

S:      139,527  (65.9)

O:      139,827  (66.0)

N:      140,293  (66.1)

D:      140,156  (66.0)

Average PR:  66.0%

2005:

J:       140,234  (65.8)

F:       140,285  (65.9)

M:      140,601  (65.8)

A:      141,196   (66.0)

M:     141,571   (66.1)

J:      141,750  (66.1)

J:      142,111   (66.2)

A:     142,425   (66.2)

S:      142,435   (66.2)

O:      142,625   (66.1)

N:      142,611   (66.1)

D:      142,779  (66.0)

Average PR:  66.1%

J:       143,099  (66.0)

F:      143,319   (66.1)

M:     143,680   (66.1)

A:      143,763   (66.1)

M:     144,045   (66.1)

J:      144,386   (66.2)

J:      144,330   (66.2)

A:     144,618    (66.2)

S:      144,906   (66.2)

O:      145,337    (66.2)

N:      145,623    (66.3)

D:      145,926    (66.4)

Average PR:  66.2%

J:      145,915    (66.3)

F:      145,888    (66.2)

M:     146,145   (66.2)

A:      145,713   (66.0)

M:     145,913   (66.0)

J:      146,087   (66.1)

J:      146,045   (66.0)

A:     145,753   (65.8)

S:      146,260   (66.0)

O:      146,016   (65.9)

N:      146,647   (66.0)

D:      146,211    (66.0)

Average PR:  66.0%

J:      146,317    (66.1)

F:      146,075   (65.9)

M:     146,023   (66.0)

A:     146,257    (66.0)

M:    145,974    (66.2)

J:      145,738    (66.1)

J:      145,596    (66.1)

A:     145,273    (66.1)

S:      145,029    (66.0)

O:      144,657   (66.0)

N:      144,144   (65.8)

D:      143,338   (65.7)

Average PR:  66.0%

01.31.01:   135,870

11.30.07:   146,647

10,777 million jobs

01.01.01:   135,870

01.01.09:   142,221

6,351 million jobs

 Average Participate Rate during Bush tenure:  66.3%

J:      142,221   (65.7)

F:     141,687   (65.7)

M:    140,854   (65.6)

A:     140,902   (65.8)

M:    140,438   (65.8)

J:     140,038   (65.7)

J:     139,817   (65.4)

A:    139,433   (65.4)

S:      138,768  (65.1)

O:     138,242   (65.0)

N:     138,381   (64.9)

D:     137,792  (64.6)

Average PR:  65.4%

- 2.644 million jobs

J:      138,511   (64.8)

F:     138,698   (64.8)

M:    138,952   (64.9)

A:     139,382   (65.1)

M:    139,353   (64.9)

J:      139,092  (64.7)

J:      138,991   (64.6)

A:     139,267  (64.7)

S:      139,378  (64.7)

O:     139,084  (64.5)

N:     138,909  (64.5)

D:     139,206  (64.3)

Average PR:  64.7%

+ 695,000 jobs

J:        139,330   (64.2)

F:        139,551   (64.2)

M:      139,764   (64.2)

A:       139,628   (64.2)

M:      139,808   (64.2)

J:       139,385   (64.1)

J:       139,450   (64.0)

A:      139,754   (64.1)

S:       140,107   (64.1)

O:      140,297   (64.1)

N:      140,614   (64.0)

D:      140,790   (64.0)

Average PR:  64.1%

 +1.460 million jobs

J:        141,637  (64.2)

F:        139,573 (63.9)

M:      139,864  (63.8)
A:       141,865  (63.6)
M:      142,287  (63.8)

J:        142,415  (63.8)

Average PR:  63.9%

+ 778,000 jobs

A net 194,000 jobs, but the labour participation rate average over his term is down to 64.5% -- 2.715 % decrease.

Blame and Bang- REM

If you could see yourself now, baby

It's not my fault

You used to be so in control

You're going to roll right over this one

Just roll me over, let me go

You're laying blame

Take this as no, no, no



You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

Blame, blame, blame

You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

It's not my thing so let it go



If you could see yourself now baby,

The tables have turned

The whole world hinges on your swings

Your secret life of indiscreet discretions

I'd turn the screw and leave the screen,

Don't point your finger,

You know that's not my thing



You came to bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

Blame, blame, blame

You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

It's not my thing so let it go, now



You've got a little worry,

I know it all too well,

I've got your number,

But so does every kiss-and-tell

Who dares to cross your threshold,

Or happens on your way,

Stop laying blame

You know that's not my thing



You know that's not my thing,

You came to bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

Blame, blame, blame

You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

It's not my thing so let it go

You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

Blame, blame, blame

You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,

It's not my thing so let it go

 You kiss on me, tug on me, rub on me, jump on me,

You bang on me, beat on me, hit on me, let go on me,

You let go on me

CNN: Two “active” Obama supporters at Bain confirm Romney left in 1999

M2RB: Bloodhound Gang, live from Amsterdam

Why Is Everybody Always Pickin' On Me?

Stephanie Cutter has dun gun an jump da shark. I've heard she's quite athletic from the pole and cutting deals on the side, which could be a felony. /s

By Ed Morrissey

CNN reported last night that the accusations from Team Obama of felonious conduct are sheer nonsense and lies — and got that message from four executives at Bain, two of whom are “active” supporters of Barack Obama. John King spoke to all four, three of whom are Democrats, and all four said that Mitt Romney left Bain in a big hurry in 1999 in order to work full time on rescuing the Salt Lake City Olympics. The rushed departure created a lot of paperwork headaches as Bain tried to unwind Romney from leadership, which required a significant amount of time. That’s why the company had Romney’s name on their SEC paperwork the next two years, as King reports:

CNN isn’t alone in debunking the ludicrous charge of felonious conduct made by Team Obama. FactCheck concluded that even with the “new” evidence produced by the Boston Globe, it still points to the same conclusion:

None of the SEC filings show that Romney was anything but a passive, absentee owner during that time, as both Romney and Bain have long said. It should not surprise anyone that Romney retained certain titles while he was working out the final disposition of his ownership, for example….

We would reassess our judgment should somebody come up with evidence that Romney took part in specific management decisions or had any active role (not just a title) at Bain after he left to head the Olympics. But nothing we’ve seen directly contradicts Romney’s statements — which he has certified as true under pain of federal prosecution — that he “has not had any active role” with Bain or “been involved in the operations” of Bain since then.

And we wish to note, we’re not alone in this judgment.

FactCheck links to the Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler, as I did this morning, as well as to Fortune’s Dan Primack in his July 2 review of the same data, this time from a Mother Jones “exposé.” Primack also has an update, and it also debunks the Obama campaign’s accusations:

But the contemporaneous Bain documents show that Romney was indeed telling the truth about no longer having operational input at Bain — which, one should note, is different from no longer having legal or financial ties to the firm.

As Fortune wrote earlier, Romney left Bain suddenly — rather than as part of an organized transition plan — after being asked to lead an Olympic organizing committee that had spiraled out of control. Moreover, it was unclear in February 1999 if Romney’s leave of absence would be permanent, or if he would return (as he had in 1994, after losing a U.S. Senate race to Ted Kennedy). He didn’t formally give up his title and firm ownership until 2002, once the Games had been successful and he was interested in other elective office. In the interim, he continued to fulfill legal obligations such as signing certain documents — but actual investment and managerial decisions were being made by others.

Put it simply: Team Obama is lying, and it continues to lie about Romney. They are desperate to find a way to make Romney’s time at Bain work in their favor, and that desperation has nearly reached pathological levels. Still, for Obama, it beats talking about the economy, jobs, the deficit, and anything else that actually matters to voters.

Related Reading:

Obama Campaign Jumps The Shark! - Mitt Romney A Felon!!!

3 Pinocchios: Do Bain SEC Documents Suggest Mitt Romney Is A Criminal?

Why Is Everybody Always Pickin' On Me? - Bloodhound Gang

The morn' that I was born my old man beat up the doctor
He clocked the doctor cause the doctor said I looked like Chewbacca
The doctor said sir you're misled sir which infers you mistook me
I did not mean your lovely wife was shackin' up with a wookie
What I mean is Wolverine is less hairy than your son
He's looks like Chewie Baba Booey Baba Booey and Hong Kong Phooey all in one

To put it mild your new-born child's completely nutty fu-fu lookin'
I'd shove him back into the oven until he is done cookin'

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Cause my fifteen year-old cousin has less acne

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Ain't brushed them teeth since 1983

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Cause you got the grooming habits of a chimpanzee

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Cause you're white but you got a nose like Bill Cosby

Why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Always pickin' and rippin' apart poor ol' Jimmy Pop Ali

I got a schnoz like the 'Cos' but there's a lot more wrong with you
So back me up Bill yea and you're ugly too
So what if I brush my teeth with a piece of cheddar cheese
Or where a fish net shirt by Chams with my Sergio Valenti jeans
And my mirror never lies but it always verifies
I got more cheese and pepperoni than a homemade pizza pie
You compare me to a Monchichi but I don't understand

Why I'm scorned like I'm deformed like the Elephant Man
And yea I took my mom to the prom but hey she asked me first
But at least this time I didn't find my date in the back of a hearse
About as popular with the girls with Englebert Humperdink
And that might be 'cause everybody calls me Shrinky Dink
I know I'm known as Polaroid I'm not a total retard
It's cause I'm done in sixty seconds and you'll still want it enlarged

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Cause ya wore velour flares until the late Eighties

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Cause you run like a girl and sit down to pee

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
Cause your only school chum was the lunch lady

But why's everbody always pickin' on me?
You took your mom to the prom but still got lucky

Like that episode where Gilligan gets sick of being teased
And he breaks into the Professor's lab and makes some LSD
Peaks freaks and eats the Skipper's brains then beats Ginger with coconuts
As Mr. Howell and Lovey burn alive inside their grass hut
Oh he'll kill again that Gilligan they he should of let him be
And like a postal clerk I'll go beserk if you don't stop teasing me
See the trick is only pick on those that can't do you no harm

Like the drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm
The drummer from Def Leppard's only got one arm