Mitt Romney occasionally likes to try to make a point by relying on an anecdote. Unfortunately, they tend not to work out well for him.
Remember the Nemschoff Chairs story in Wisconsin? It backfired. How about the plight of the Sackett family, combating burdensome EPA regulations? It turned out the family was complaining about Bush administration policies. The new one is Bill's Barbecue.
The Romney campaign put together this video, and began talking up the Virginia chain of barbecue restaurants, just this week. The idea, apparently, is that the Obama administration's policies are responsible for Bill's Barbecue's demise.
At first blush, the argument is awfully thin. The basic argument is that the economic recovery hasn't been strong enough, and as a consequence, the barbecue chain didn't have enough customers. Of course, by this reasoning, if Democrats pointed to a different restaurant chain that's thrived in recent years, that would presumably be proof of Obama's genius. Indeed, the chain was centered in Richmond, and there's ample evidence the city's economy is growing quite well, and the state's economy is one of the nation's strongest.
But putting logic aside, Josh Israel dug a little deeper and found that Bill's Barbecue "struggled to adjust to compete with other restaurants," and "struggled to adhere to public health codes." The latter included, according to Israel's research, citations for "critical and non-critical" health-code violations.
Romney's video seems to have overlooked these details.
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So "Bill's Bad Hillbilly Barbecue" was a bust, eh? Even Republicans had better taste than to eat there, huh?
...Bill's Barbecue "struggled to adjust to compete with other restaurants," and "struggled to adhere to public health codes.
On day one, Romney will revoke the charter of the FDA, insuring that henceforth, all Americans are free to be served bar-b-que'd ratsh!t at the establishment of their choice.
"bar-b-que'd ratsh!t"... it's not just for breakfast anymore! (And, do you think they served Lakrisal for dessert?)
Nom nom... :D
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Details, details. When you're making it all up to begin with, what difference do those pesky little facts make?
GOP POV:
SEE!
Public Health Codes = GOVERNMENT REGULATION!
That's KenyanSocialismFascismCommunism dragging down our economy!
We'd ALL be better off with PRIVATE Health Codes.
The restaurant industry will thrive.
And so will the mortuary business!
And that's a WIN/WIN!!!
Yes, please do!
I will become the FIRST gainfully employed liberal (according to local GOP legend) by obtaining legal employment at any of a number of fine establishments frequented by our regulation-liberating conservative friends and I would teach them the reasons we have health codes in restaurants.
Once my mission was accomplished, and our conservative friends were safely being administered some of that FREE health care at the nearest over-crowded and understaffed FREE emergency room for any number of gastric related complaints, I would then quit my job and return to my life of mooching off the government dole, delighting in my ingrained liberal evilness from among the piles of food stamps and welfare checks pouring in through my letterbox.
//snark off//
:-)
The latter included, according to Israel's research, citations for "critical and non-critical" health-code violations.
When will big government get out of the small-business owner's way? It is my Constitutional right to eat undercooked chicken if I want.
Let the free market decide, I say! A restaurant whose food kills its customers quickly enough for people to correlate the death with eating the food will be ruthlessly weeded out by the Invisible Hand of the Free Market without the need for burdensome government regulations.
Yeah! And a restaurant whose food kills its customer just slowly enough will be at liberty to plague the community like a serial killer for years! No need for those "burdensome government regulations". Heck, why have any laws?
Anarchy's better than no government at all! Right?
(Note - Steve, I do understand that you're being sarcastic. Me, too!)
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Richmonders are ROFL--This place was laughable. Health violations, poor quality food. The barbecue restaurant across the street from them has lines out the door and they are expanding. The entourage that mitt brought in the restaurant was the largest number of people in there at one time --- since 1980.
Did Romney and his entourage eat the food?
Lorr, with hard hitting questions like that, you would never be allowed at a Romney rally.
Lorr - Does it count if it was in their mouth only a few seconds?
Maybe they didn't overlook it. I imagine Romney wants restaurant owners to have the freedom to make people unhealthy without burdensome government butting in. The free market will take care of it, right? Personally, though, I'm happier knowing which stores will give me dysentery if I eat at them.
I get your point on the free market - as if they would self-police themselves on food safety, but the answer to your question is that the free market did take care of it, by making this business close. There are winners and and far more losers in the free market. We would all be business owners if none of them ever failed. Mr. Investor's Hall of Fame business expert Romney should know that. To attribute this closing on Obama is quite a stretch and for the narrator to mention unemployment should be more of an indictment of the obstructionist Republicans than Obama.
Yes, the free market drove the dangerous eatery out of business, but at what cost? How many people were unnecessarily sickened? How many hours or days of labor were lost, to the detriment of the economy? I would rather have a reliable health department placard than have to constantly take my life and health into my own hands whenever I eat out while traveling.
You guys did know I was being sarcastic, right? I thought the last line gave it away. To clarify: I want to live in a world where inspections determine whether food is safe before customers eat it, not have to wait until people are poisoned to find out.
Daniel Kim,
I'm not saying there shouldn't be regulations - I'm just saying that the free market (in the long run) does not reward businesses with substandard products and services. While the post states that the business struggled to adhere to public health codes, it doesn't appear that they were closed down permanently by the health department, therefore the company's demise was attributable to the market (customers) rejecting their business. In my first sentence of the post above I was agreeing with the implied contention that the free market would not be self-policing and that, as a result, health regulations are needed.
In the long run, we're all dead. Until then, you can make out very, very well by knowing when to get out before the marks catch on.
Perhaps the three letters "MLM" ring a bell?
Why do you give him such credit? He didn't overlook the details, they didn't matter to him - he gets to make his point confident in the realization that very few people will verify the claims made in the video, just as he knows that many will not see the fact-checking of his speeches and ads.
I bet next Tuesday night/Wednesday morning when a news anchor (hopefully) says "Now let's go to the Romney headquarters where he is expected to give his concession speech..." that Romney will try one more grand lie and deliver an acceptance speech instead - hoping that people will think that because he said it, it's true. Any takers?
Brewer, don't remind them! It worked for GWB in 2000... (with a little help from his friends in SCROTUS). :(
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I live near Richmond, and the consensus seems to be that Bill's sucked and that's why they went out of business. They said it had been around for 75 years. Maybe the meat had been around that long too.
The larger picture is that literally dozens of restaurants in the Richond area closed over the summer, and the trend continues. I'm sure there are lots of reasons; among them, the 11% tax to eat within city limits, parking mayhem, and bad food/service.
On a possibly related note, I'm still trying to find a job here. All the ones I've applied to are willing to pay me 25-30% less than the ones I had near my old home. That may affect our ability to go out to eat anywhere, not just in the city.
Good luck on your job search. But, earning 25% to 30% less, don't take it.
The owner of Bill's Barbecue is dirty, and she cooks and serves her bad food in a dirty environment. Still, she has the audacity to blame President Obama for her loss of business. Incredible!
I first saw this article yesterday on Think Progress' website.
Obviously, the owner of Bill's Barbecue sees herself as a victim and feels entitled. Doesn't she know that it's not Romney's job to worry about her?
Really, talk about a 47% government addled, socialist lamprey!!
Isn't blaming Obama far better than taking personal responsibility?
Mitt Romney needs to take some of his own advice, “Attacking me is not an agenda.” First he tried making this election a referendum on Pres. Obama, didn't work. Then he tried lying his way to being a different man with a different plan, not working. Now he's back on the attack and still without any facts.
It's the new Rmoney "War on Impermanence!"
Now back to the Horseshet Channel!
Tought compition agiast the fast food`s lane..And it maybe a B&BQ but also serves Hamburgers which is not the point of the B&BQ Resturant.
Even places like Pancake Pizza House or a Omelet Pizza House..Nothing can hold to a Juiceie B&BQ Spare Ribs
And there you go -- Romney would improve business for firms like Bill's by cutting back on burdensome regulations like those health-code rules that Bill's struggled to meet.
No wonder Bloomberg is endorsing Obama, and Christie cannot heap enough praise on him. Obama is COMPETENT, he gets his facts straight. Romney is a lazy ass who can't be bothered to check the facts (although he usually just willfully ignores them or lies about them).
There is no reason to vote Romney, and no excuse to support him other than his skin color and the color of his money.
I am too young to remember the times when one could travel to another city, eat at a local diner, and be returned home in a coffin. It was not a rare occurrence, but is now so unfamiliar that people assume that all restaurants are naturally safe places. The Duncan Hines name became synonymous with good and safe food, as his "Adventures in Good Eating" book was published and expanded over the years. Its popularity among travelers reflected the frequency of dangerous food around the country.
Under Romney the rule of the road will be Eat at Your Own Risk! We don't need no health department bugging our eateries. If they want to make a mint serving road kill in a roach infested rat hotel then by god let them!
Do not forget to tip since management does not pay the staff even minimum wages.
Hey, Barbecue Bill, who did you kill, Barbecue Bill?
Funny!
Now I'm gonna have Beatle-music in my head all day. Thanks! (Seriously, thanks!)
Get Enraged and Engaged:
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Now I hear the whistling too..
Wait, here comes While my Guitar Gently Weeps!