Mitt Romney: 2002 Olympic Games Were Made Possible By 'Enormous' Federal Spending

[Mayhem]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/mitt-romney-olympics_n_1748235.html?ref=topbar

Mitt Romney said he would have been unable to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, had it not been for the "enormous spending and services of the federal government."

The words, uttered by Romney in 2002, are in direct contrast to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's relentless attacks on President Barack Obama over his "you didn't build that" comments.

Romney and Republicans have spent the last month knocking Obama as government-obsessed and for crediting Washington with the success of small businesses. But by the former Massachusetts governor's own admission, it was only with the government's support that he was able to pull off the Olympics he so often heralds as one of his career's greatest accomplishments.

"Without question, we simply could not host Games in Salt Lake if it were not for the enormous spending and services of the federal government," Romney had said in a 2001 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing around cooperation between federal, state, local and private agencies for the Salt Lake City Olympics.

"When I came to the Games two years ago, following the revelations of bid impropriety, there was nothing which caused greater anxiety than whether or not we could count on this critical federal support," he said, before thanking both the Clinton and Bush administrations for being involved with his committee's planning efforts "every step of the way."

According to Romney at the time, former President George W. Bush specifically included Olympic items in the budget he submitted to Congress.

The testimony doesn't just contradict Romney's current position on the role of federal spending -- it also underscores the outside help he received in orchestrating the 2002 Olympics. Throughout Romney's candidacy, his campaign and affiliates have used the event to tout Romney as an "Olympics Savior." Pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future placed a $7.2 million ad buy centered on his Olympics success, featuring Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi in one of its ads reflecting on how Romney brought her "a sense of hope."

Missing from the ad, and Romney's own telling of the story, is how that hope for the 2002 Olympics was also restored through $342 million in direct federal funding and an additional $1.1 billion in indirect financing from Washington.

 

[mah1407]

Re: Mitt Romney: 2002 Olympic Games Were Made Possible By 'Enormous' Federal Spendin

More Mitt stuff...

 

[TheSpokenWheel]

Re: Mitt Romney: 2002 Olympic Games Were Made Possible By 'Enormous' Federal Spendin

More Mitt stuff...

Might as well go back to the well if it's overflowing.

 

[Johan]

Re: Mitt Romney: 2002 Olympic Games Were Made Possible By 'Enormous' Federal Spendin

Truth is Romney did a good job for the Olympics. When he arrived, there was nearly nothing. Salt Lake City was choosen to host the Olympics in 1995. During the 3 following years nearly nothing was done to prepare the Olympics.
Romney revamped the organisation and he found the fundings necesary to the project. Ok, they were federal fundings but he's the one who convinced Clinton's and Bush's administration to give them. He's lobbying was very efficient.

I'm not a Pro-Romney, absolutely not . But I give him credit for that : He saved Salt Lake City 2002.

 

[Mayhem]

Re: Mitt Romney: 2002 Olympic Games Were Made Possible By 'Enormous' Federal Spendin

More Mitt stuff...

Well, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of it. And Lord knows, the "Liberals are Hypocrites" crowd seems to need a dose of their own medicine.

Truth is Romney did a good job for the Olympics. When he arrived, there was nearly nothing. Salt Lake City was choosen to host the Olympics in 1995. During the 3 following years nearly nothing was done to prepare the Olympics.
Romney revamped the organisation and he found the fundings necesary to the project. Ok, they were federal fundings but he's the one who convinced Clinton's and Bush's administration to give them. He's lobbying was very efficient.

I'm not a Pro-Romney, absolutely not . But I give him credit for that : He saved Salt Lake City 2002.

Hell, I have no problem with how he handled the SLC Olympics. I have a problem with the blatant hypocrisy with which he's handling his campaign.

And put your words another way, he did not save SLC 2002, the federal government did. So no, Romney "Did not build that."