Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital Owns Clear Channel Radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, etc.)
Posted on Jan 13, 2012 in Federal Reserve & Bankers, Political IssuesKevin Hayden – TruthisTreason.net
Source: The American Dream
Wouldn’t it be great if a Republican presidential candidate could just buy the support of just about every major conservative talk show host in America? Well, it may not be as far-fetched as you may think.
Hayden’s Note:
This is a very important article to read, especially towards the end. Look at the campaign contributions, the media influence, and how easily Mitt has purchased his popularity. Staggering. I truly thought he would be running on the Democratic ticket!
Clear Channel owns more radio stations (850) than anyone else in the United States. They also own Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates the radio shows of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, among others. Needless to say, Clear Channel basically owns conservative talk radio in the United States. So who owns Clear Channel? Well, it turns out that Bain Capital is one of the primary owners of Clear Channel. Yes, you read that correctly. The company that Mitt Romney ran for so long is one of the “big bosses” over virtually all conservative talk radio in America.
Of course, Mitt Romney is not running Bain Capital anymore. He is a “retired partner”, but he still has a huge financial stake in Bain Capital. We’re talking about millions upon millions of dollars. If you doubt this, just check out page 34 of this public financial disclosure report. So if you have been wondering why so many conservative talk show hosts are being so incredibly kind to Mitt Romney, this just might be the answer.
In the media world, there is a clear understanding that you simply do not bite the hand that feeds you. Some of the most prominent conservative talk radio hosts are earning tens of millions of dollars a year.
If you were making tens of millions of dollars a year, wouldn’t you be very careful to avoid offending your boss?
The deal in which Bain Capital became one of the owners of Clear Channel was initiated just a short time before Mitt Romney’s first run for president. The following comes from Wikipedia….
On November 16, 2006, Clear Channel announced plans to go private, being bought out by two private-equity firms,Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital Partners for $18.7 billion, which is just under a 10 percent premium above its closing price of $35.36 a share on November 16 (the deal values Clear Channel at $37.60 per share).
The deal was finalized in 2008. Today, Bain Capital is still one of the primary owners of Clear Channel.
One of the subsidiaries of Clear Channel is Premiere Radio Networks.
Premiere Radio Networks distributes a whole host of conservative talk radio shows. Everyone in the conservative world knows names such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. Clear Channel also controls some other conservative talk radio hosts (such as Michael Savage and Mark Levin) that are not part of the Premiere Radio family.
The power that Premiere Radio Networks has is absolutely staggering. The following is directly from the official Clear Channel website….
Premiere Radio Networks Inc., a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, syndicates 90 radio programs and services to more than 5,000 radio affiliations and reaches over 190 million listeners weekly. Premiere Radio is the number one radio network in the country and features the following personalities: Rush Limbaugh, Jim Rome, Casey Kasem, Ryan Seacrest, Glenn Beck, Bob (Kevoian) & Tom (Griswold), Delilah, Steve Harvey, Blair Garner, George Noory, John Boy and Billy, Big Tigger, Dr. Dean Edell, Bob Costas, Sean Hannity and others. Premiere is based in Sherman Oaks, California, with 13 offices nationwide.
So do you think that any of those hosts is going to risk viciously attacking Mitt Romney and Bain Capital during this election season?
Not likely.
One of the controversies that has plagued Premiere Radio Networks in recent years has been the uproar over their use of paid actors to call in to their radio shows.
The following comes from Wikipedia….
Clear Channel, through its subsidiary, Premiere Radio Networks, auditions and hires actors to call in to talk radio shows and pose as listeners in order to provide shows, carried by Clear Channel and other broadcasters, with planned content in the form of stories and opinions. The custom caller service provided by Premiere Radio ensures its clients they won’t hear the same actor’s voice for at least two months in order to appear authentic to listeners who might otherwise catch on.
So perhaps that explains where some of the “Romney callers” come from.
There is nothing illegal about what Romney and Bain Capital have done, but it sure does not pass the “smell test”.
Conservative talk radio has the potential to sway millions of conservative voters in one direction or another, and it is just not proper for Bain Capital and Romney to have such an overpowering financial interest in conservative talk radio.
And yes, Mitt Romney is still bringing in lots of money from Bain Capital. The following comes from a Wikipedia article about Mitt Romney….
At the time of his departure, Romney negotiated an agreement with Bain Capital that allowed him to receive a passive profit share as a retired partner in some Bain Capital entities, including buyout and investment funds.[62][57] With the private equity business continuing to thrive, this deal would bring him millions of dollars in income each year.[57] As a result of his business career, by 2007 Romney and his wife had a net worth of between $190 and $250 million, most of it held in blind trusts.[62] An additional blind trust existed in the name of the Romneys’ children and grandchildren that was valued at between $70 and $100 million as of 2007.[63] The couple’s net worth remained in the same range as of 2011, and was still held in blind trusts.
In addition, Bain Capital and Bain & Company continue to pour huge amounts of money into Romney’s campaign coffers.
Just check out the following list of the biggest donors to the Romney campaign. These numbers come from opensecrets.org….
Goldman Sachs $367,200
Credit Suisse Group $203,750
Morgan Stanley $199,800
HIG Capital $186,500
Barclays $157,750
Kirkland & Ellis $132,100
Bank of America $126,500
PriceWaterhouseCoopers $118,250
EMC Corp $117,300
JPMorgan Chase & Co $112,250
The Villages $97,500
Vivint Inc $80,750
Marriott International $79,837
Sullivan & Cromwell $79,250
Bain Capital $74,500
UBS AG $73,750
Wells Fargo $61,500
Blackstone Group $59,800
Citigroup Inc $57,050
Bain & Co $52,500
As with anything, whenever you want to get to the real truth you just need to follow the money.
Hayden’s Note II:
Do you really want someone in the White House that takes in so much money from the Big Banks? From Wall Street? Or that wrote Obamacare? Or would you rather have someone like Ron Paul who receives more campaign contributions from our military than ALL other candidates combined!? Under a Ron Paul Presidency, we will see States’ Rights restored and liberty maximized instead of continued bailouts and higher taxes to pay for all of these government programs. Break free, question more!
Earlier this week, Sean Hannity told Rick Perry that his attacks on Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital sounded like something that “Occupy Wall Street” would say.
Just the other day, Rush Limbaugh compared Rick Perry to Fidel Castro and rabidly defended Mitt Romney on his radio program….
“There’s no way you can try to dress that up,” Limbaugh fumed. “I don’t understand it. Well, politically I understand it, but that’s just absurd. It’s sad. ‘Cause I really, really, really like Rick Perry! I really do. I had such hopes! I did. I’ll tell you, I did, but all of this talk about “corporate raiders,” and as I listen to politicians start talking about capitalism, lights are going off in my head. “Maybe they don’t really know what it is. Maybe they’re under some misconception about what capitalism is, because this characterization of it? A distinction with venture capitalism and vulture capitalism? This bite from Perry doesn’t compute.”
So why are these conservative talk show hosts defending Mitt Romney so furiously?
I think now we know.
It is all about the money.
When you have enough money, you can get conservative talk show hosts to promote an extremely liberal candidate.
Yes, of course Bain Capital does not “control” what these talk show hosts say.
Yes, of course some of the talk show hosts toss some light criticism at Romney from time to time.
But they simply do not go after Romney like they should be.
The truth is that Mitt Romney is really a Democrat that is masquerading as a Republican. When you closely examine his record, he is very similar to Obama.
There is no way in the world that any self-respecting conservative should ever cast a single vote for him.
But right now Mitt Romney is running away with the race for the Republican nomination.
If Republicans can be fooled this badly, is there any hope for the future of the Republican Party?
Related Articles:
- Anointed Leader Of Conservative Movement Glenn Beck Now Believes In Global Warming
- Glenn Beck Makes $32 Million a Year (Being a Corporate Mockingbird)
- Glenn Beck Inc., “I could give a flying **** about the political process … We’re an entertainment company.”
- Glenn Beck: Re-establishing the False Paradigm, One Lie at a Time
Tiny URL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/7vzrmj8
Great article, really interesting, but you seriously think Romney’s a “Democrat”?
I’m so glad to have found this article! I kept trying to tell ppl the same thing about Romney/Bain owning the media (sent a message to Ron Paul too).
Romney is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I wish people would do there own homework and stop listening to the talking heads on TV…while they can, that is before ACTA & the Open Bill goes into full effect!
I’m wondering if you know about the Common Purpose in the UK and http://www.pointsoflight.org/ ? I believe (haven’t found proof yet) they’re 2 versions of the same facade. Would love to know your thoughts or findings on them.
I too am deeply concerned about what I believe to be the misrepresentation of Romney as a conservative and as a moderate Republican in the current presidential race.
The stark difference between Romney’s views now and his record as Governor of Massachusetts should give us pause.
As a PTA mom from Maryland and a Republican volunteer in our county, I have followed Massachusetts politics via email news from http://www.MassResistance.org since the 2003 court redefinition of marriage in Massachusetts. Living in a “blue” state with 2 children in public schools, I have been concerned about the impact of the redefinition of marriage on public schools.
In their comprehensive report of Romney’s record entitled, “The Mitt Romney Deception”, the grass roots pro-family group Mass Resistance states “Indeed, this report will demonstrate that Romney was probably the most pro-abortion and pro-gay rights Republican official in the nation for the last decade.” The evidence is carefully documented by newspaper accounts with all sources listed at the end of their report.
Romney’s record as Governor in Masschusetts from 2003-2007 and his actions while a presidential candidate have not shown a committment to good government and have shown a willingness to exert undue influence on the media in my opinion. We are so in need of good leadership to take on the politically motivated decisions that harm so many Americans and benefit only a few. I do not feel that Romney’s record as Governor indicates a willingness to govern in that way.
I am also concerned about Romney’s choice of judges and the state of the Republican Party in Massachusetts after his tenure as Governor.
For more information, please refer to the details under the subheadings below.
Thank you for your consideration of this material.
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http://www.MassResistance.org/romney
***************** the subheadings below are copied from The Mitt Romney Deception Report The 26-page comprehensive report describing how Gov. Romney ran for office and governed as a liberal, despite his claims to the contrary. This covers a wide range of topics and is an essential read.
Romney supports abortion in general, and believes in sustaining Roe v. Wade.
Romney campaigned for Governor of Massachusetts as a pro-choice candidate, and was endorsed by a pro-abortion political group
Romney is willing to support some embryonic stem cell research
Romney Approves of Abortion Pill and Supports the Legalization of RU-486
Romney signs “Right to Privacy” Proclamation celebrating birth control availability
Gov. Romney has a long history of promoting and furthering the homosexual agenda, and working closely with leading gay activists
Romney twice sought and received the endorsement of the homosexual Log Cabin Republican Club
Romney’s campaign distributed pro-gay rights campaign literature during Boston’s “Gay Pride” events
Romney supports homosexual “anti-discrimination” laws
Romney advocates homosexual couples’ adoption rights be recognized by the government
Romney supports homosexual domestic partnerships
Romney supported and promoted legalizing homosexual civil unions
Romney Opposes the Boy Scouts’ Ban on Homosexual Scoutmasters
Romney barred Boy Scouts from public participation in 2002 Olympics
Romney appointed prominent homosexuals to key positions in his administration
Romney appointed prominent homosexual activists and Democrats as judges
“Governor Mitt Romney, who touts his conservative credentials to out-of-state Republicans, has passed over GOP lawyers for three-quarters of the 36 judicial vacancies he has faced, instead tapping registered Democrats or independents — including two gay lawyers who have supported expanded same-sex rights, a Globe review of the nominations has found. Of the 36 people Romney named to be judges or clerk magistrates, 23 are either registered Democrats or unenrolled voters who have made multiple contributions to Democratic politicians or who voted in Democratic primaries, state and local records show. In all, he has nominated nine registered Republicans, 13 unenrolled voters, and 14 registered Democrats.”
- Boston Globe 7/25/2005, “Romney jurist picks not tilted to GOP; Independents, Democrats get call”
Romney Rewards one of the State’s Leading Anti-Marriage Attorneys by Making him a Judge
Romney announces he won’t fill judicial vacancies before term ends
Romney’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth used huge taxpayer funding to promote homosexuality in the public schools
Romney’s Commission organized public gay “Youth Pride Day” parades and “transgender proms” which promote unhealthy and risky behavior
Romney issues a proclamation celebrating gay “Youth Pride Day”
Romney’s Department of Education promotes the homosexual agenda
Romney’s Department of Public Health (DPH) cooperates with the homosexual activist movement
Romney opposed federal legislation that would stop public schools from promoting homosexuality
Romney’s Dept. of Social Services honors homosexual “married” couple as adoptive “Parents of the Year”
Romney refused to endorse the original 2002 Mass. constitutional amendment absolutely defining marriage as one man and one women
Romney unnecessarily (and unconstitutionally) implemented homosexual marriages in Massachusetts
Romney had marriage licenses changed to allow same-sex marriages
Romney administration ordered Justices of Peace to perform homosexual “marriages” when asked – or be fired!
Romney administration’s training of Town Clerks (on how to issue same-sex marriage licenses) states that marriage statutes were not changed
Romney signs bill eliminating Sexual Transmitted Disease (STD) testing requirement for marriage
When requested of him, Romney personally issues special one-day certificates to allow otherwise unqualified people to perform homosexual “marriages”
Was Romney’s public opposition to homosexual “marriage” based on expediency, not principle?
Romney favors “Assault” Weapons Ban
Romney Favors Waiting Periods
Romney supports minimum wage laws
Romney Balances Budget with $500 Million in New Fees
Romney imposes “socialized” health care on Massachusetts
Romney’s dismal record as the Republican leader in Massachusetts
Romney pledged to build the Massachusetts Republican Party, but in fact he did almost nothing. During his tenure there were two elections for the entire Legislature (2004 and 2006). In each election the Republicans lost seats. Republicans now hold the fewest seats in the Legislature since the Civil War.
During the four years of Romney’s tenure, the number of registered Republicans in Massachusetts fell by 31,000. During that same period, the Massachusetts Democratic Party gained 30,000. “…… That means Republicans now make up 12.5 percent of the state’s voters, … according to the data released by the Secretary of State’s office. When the state elected Romney, a Republican, in 2002, the GOP made up 13.4 percent of the electorate. ”
- Boston Globe, 11/2/2006, “GOP ranks dropped by 31,000 since state elected Romney”
In the 2006 elections, most offices were not even challenged by Republican candidates. In the November general election for the six statewide Massachusetts constitutional offices there were more Green-Rainbow Party candidates on the ballot than Republicans!
The party’s slide has been so precipitous that Republicans yesterday did not contest 130 of 200 legislative seats, fielded a challenger in only three of 10 congressional districts, and put up fewer candidates for statewide office (three) than the Green-Rainbow Party (four).
- Boston Globe, 11/8/2006, “For Republicans in Mass., a feeling of out and down”
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Comments from the head of the Massachusetts Republican Party, James Rappaport, who was Chairman while Romney was Governor.
“…James Rappaport, former head of the Massachusetts Republican Party held a press conference recently to announce his endorsement of Rudy Giuliani. ….. Rappaport, who served when Romney was governor, said Romney “has a strong record of showmanship as opposed to actual performance.” On his relationship with the State Legislature, “His word is no good … Mitt Romney would say one thing in a meeting and literally go out of the meeting to the press and tell the opposite story. There was no desire in the legislature to be accommodating to him because they couldn’t trust him…. Romney will be clear today on what he believes today, and he’ll be clear tomorrow on what he believes tomorrow, but they may be different things.”
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SandyRios/2007/12/10/mitt_romney_may_have_had_no_choice,_but_i_do
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Conservative media has a conflict of interest with Romney.
I believe that some conservative media, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levine, Rich Lowry, Hugh Hewitt, and others perpetuated a false idea during the 2008 campaign, i.e. the idea that Romney is conservative. Their scrutiny of Huckabee and McCain’s conservative credentials during the 2008 campaign was often emotional and full of highly charged, derogatory terms, while they were silent about the lack of Romney’s conservative credentials.
On Nov 16, 2006, Clear Channel Communications agreed to be acquired by Bain Capital and Thomas Lee Partners for nearly $19 billion. Bain Capital is the private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney in 1984; that he left in 1999 to head the 2002 Olympics; that he sold his majority interest in, in 2001 to run for Governor of Massachusetts; where he is still a silent partner. The sale was completed in Dec 2007 after 1 year of pending negotiations of the leveraged buyout agreement. Clear Channel owns more than 1,100 full-power AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations, twelve radio channels on XM Satellite Radio, and more than 30 television stations in the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/16/AR2006111600537.html
Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, FOX NEWS Radio and many other talk radio shows. Premiere Radio Networks is transitioning to a new CEO Charlie Rahilly from Kraig Kitchin. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel.
The early Bain Capital team included Romney’s campaign advisor, Robert F. White. According to CNN/Money magazine’s Dec 10, 2007 article entitled “Millionaires-in-chief”, some 43% of Romney’s portfolio is currently invested in Bain Capital. On the Bain Capital website it says “Our principals are the largest single investor in each of Bain Capital’s funds,..”
(http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0712/gallery.candidates.moneymag/6.html )
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Other informative reports:
Report on the true pro-life views of Gov. Romney – Written in reaction to the controversy over Romney’s various pro-life stands.
How Mitt Romney brought “gay marriage” to Massachusetts – Complete report with comprehensive legal analysis. The Supreme Judicial Court made a ruling and ordered the Legislature to act. The Legislature did nothing, so Romney stepped in and ordered same-sex “marriages” to begin — essentially violating his oath of office.
A new book, “Mitt Romney’s Deception — His Stealth Promotion of “Gay Rights” and “Gay Marriage”in Massachusetts” Contrary to Governor Romney’s claim that he defended marriage, the Constitution, traditional values, and religious freedom, he actually undermined them.
If you examine Mitt Romney’s record,
1. He is a complete liberal. He was the “Father of Gay Marriage” to America….he illegally instituted gay marriage in the state of Massachusetts under his governorship, when there was NO LAW ON THE BOOKS to legalize it and still to this day, it is illegal and against the law in that state.
2. Mitt signed in to his healthcare law a $50.00 tax subsidized co-pay for abortions.
3. Mitt Romney (THIS IS THE TRUTH) believes that when he dies, he will be given his own kingdom/planet to populate with spirit babies…so much more about this…the truth is stranger than fiction here.
I highly recommend that everyone gets and reads this book: CAN MITT ROMNEY SERVE TWO MASTERS? The Mormon Church Versus the Office Of The Presidency of the United States of America. His complete and true political record is laid out in this book….and his deep and personal religious beliefs will astound you.