We talked yesterday about why the 2002 Olympic games, run by Mitt Romney, has become an awkward political story for the Republican presidential hopeful. To help drive the point home, consider this clip, uncovered by the estimable James Carter, of Romney discussing the role of taxpayer money to support the games.
facts are unambiguous: the 2002 Olympics were in deep trouble, following scandals and mismanagement. Romney took the reins, hired a legion of lobbyists, received record sums of taxpayer money by way of congressional earmarks, and used the federal bailout to get the games back on track.
Indeed, it now appears he practically bragged about it on camera.
Romney, a decade later, would have voters believe he used corporate know-how and his skills as a private-sector turnaround artist to rescue the Olympics. It’s awfully difficult to reconcile this version of events with what actually transpired, and it’s not unreasonable to ask Romney to explain the contradiction.
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