Mitt Romney Talks About Chinese slave labor at Factory His Bain Capital Bought In China

Mitt Romney, speaking to supporters about the factory he visited in China where women were shoehorned into dorms and worked for pennies to save for "becoming married." Ain't it grand?

That factory he visited is likely the one that Bain Capital used to move manufacturing jobs overseas. David Corn broke this story last month: At the time Romney was acquiring shares in Global-Tech, the firm publicly acknowledged that its strategy was to profit from prominent US companies outsourcing production abroad. On September 4, 1998, Global-Tech issued a press release announcing it was postponing completion of a $30 million expansion of its Dongguan facility because Sunbeam, a prominent American consumer products company and a major client of Global-Tech, was cutting back on outsourcing as part of an overall consolidation. But John C.K. Sham, Global-Tech's president and CEO, said, "Although it appears that customers such as Sunbeam are not outsourcing their manufacturing as quickly as we had anticipated, we still believe that the long-term trend toward outsourcing will continue." Global-Tech, which in mid-1998 announced fiscal year sales of $118.3 million (an increase of 89 percent over the previous year), also manufactured household appliances for Hamilton Beach, Mr. Coffee, Proctor-Silex, Revlon, and Vidal Sassoon, and its chief exec was hoping for more outsourcing from these and other American firms.

In addition to the jobs issue, watch Romney tell this story without batting an eyelash. It doesn't bother anyone that he's describing a factory that employs sweatshop labor so he and his venture capitalist buddies can get richer?

No, of course not, because what we have is "so unique we're sharing it with the world." That magic unique thing would be what, exactly? Exploiting women and making them work for nothing so billionaires become mega-billionaires? What is that magic unique thing we're sharing with the world?

Remember, Romney comes from the land where they loathe child labor laws. I think it's less about what we're sharing with them, and more about what they're sharing with us. Women, behold President Romney's vision for your future.

• Category

  News & Politics

[wnel47]

"Buy a factory in CHINA ?!?"...WTF ?

[zenicaone]

? surprised ? cheap labor (read slave labor) - something Romney and his donators will try to introduce in USA so they dont have to move their business to China

If they do not manage to win election they will just continue to move their busines to China and India - from a capitalist point of view perfectly logical - cut the costs wherever you can and increase profit - so why are you surprised ?

[kinomedia]

Fuck you Mitt. You witless, smirking plutocrat.

[Gina C]

He likes this model? It's modern slavery! Fuck him !

[Allen C.]

This is the GOP??? This what they have instore for us! My god we are in trouble if we allow these to get anymore control of the government.

[Allen C.]

These are the jobs he will bring to america...these are the millions of jobs he hopes to give to americans, who aren't the right shade of color. We already have slave labor conditions here in america and he will make them the norm, not the exception.

[Alex Kirk]

My god, you sound awful. So all those people who are working their asses off in dead-end jobs, just trying to make ends meet, perhaps because they were born into a poor area, perhaps because of learning disabilities or mental or emotional difficulties. The people on the ground, working the tills, stacking the shelves, making the clothes or TRYING to find work in a desperate situation brought about by the Bush government, actually KEEPING THE ECONOMY MOVING, are poor because they deserve to be?

[dougsmom1983]

Over the last several years China has moved the equivalent of the US population to the middle class through the factories they have built there for all the stuff we buy from Walmart. Isn't it possible that the conversation with Bain Capital helped them be able to make things better for their workers. Apparently Chinese businessmen changed something about how they were running things to move that many people upward.

[anything4you05]

Romney doesn't want MOOCHERS who do NOT contribute to anyone but them self and are content with that. "Poor" people don't do anything to contribute to growth in the economy compared to these disgusting "rich" people as you say....the basic difference between the "rich" and "poor" in modern society is mentality and its not a greed mentality its a work ethic one. You need a lesson non better then Milton Friedman could give.

[anything4you05]

Says someone who hasn't accomplished anything.

[TheBalefire]

Its funny how liberals watch this video of how Romney points out how America has sooo much more opportunity and freedom than China, and all they hear is "Romney wants to make us into slaves!" Seriously? He wasn't admiring the Chinese system, he was contrasting it with ours to show how much better we have it!

[blueskunk12]

Mr. Romney, this is why things are cheaper from China. And Mr. Romney, if you want America to be just like this, then keep doing what you're doing and we'll probably get there soon.