Help Us Celebrate Obama’s Venture Capitalist Co-Chair
We believe in capitalism.
That means there are winners and losers in the marketplace. But competition makes all players more efficient, which is great for customers. Failing businesses need to radically change how they do things to become competitive again, or they go out of business.
Those business leaders who have the courage to make the tough—and often very painful—decisions, to re-organize in order to save a company from bankruptcy are often rewarded financially. But there are other winners when a business is turned around, including those who are still employed, the investors, the customers of that business, and lest we forget, the government. The taxes collected from employees, stockholders, customers through sales tax, and the business through property and income taxes help keep revenue for governmental services flowing.
While it has become trendy to lampoon venture capitalists who have successfully turned around failing businesses, I believe it is worth recognizing these people who have helped so many by risking their wealth to save a business. In fact, I wish to recognize and celebrate one such man.
Through his venture capital company, Vestar Venture Capital, this man was part of a team that closed a Del Monte Foods plant in California, sadly displacing hundreds of employees…but today Del Monte is still alive and thriving.
His venture capital firm laid-off hundreds of workers at Birdseye Foods…but hundreds are still employed because Birdseye did not fail.
His venture capital firm closed three domestic factories with the Solo Cup Company costing hundreds of jobs…But Solo Cup is still in business, supplying real jobs.
Who is this courageous and successful business man? It’s the national co-chair of the Obama re-election campaign, our former Denver Mayor Federico Peña.
I believe this is a story worth telling. But the media in Denver, including the paper of record, the Denver Post, won’t touch it. I am asking for your help in celebrating the venture capital success of Pena by helping raise the funds needed for a full-page announcement in the Denver Post. If we can raise $23,000 we will run a full-page “thank you” to the national co-chair of the Obama reelection campaign and help educate the hundreds of thousands of Post readers to the importance of capitalism.
If you believe this is a success story that should be shared, a story that should be in the Denver Post, please donate today. Help us celebrate capitalism. You can make this happen – donate here. You may see a mock-up of our ad here.
Please share this with anyone you think might be interested.
Thanks Jon! I’ve shared this, so we can properly thank Federico for being a vulture, I mean venture, capitalist!
06 Sep 2012 at 1:40 am
Please put a link on the Ad Mock Up that lets people “Share” it on Facebook.
06 Sep 2012 at 8:04 pm
Good idea, but the ad needs more work to make its message clearer. Unless you study the ad for several minutes — which the average reader is not going to do — you will think it’s a pro-Obama ad. And the ad needs to do a better job of explaining why laying off workers, in the long run, is sometimes a good thing.
To avoid these problems, the ad should say something like this:
OBAMA HYPOCRISY: The president’s re-election campaign is co-chaired by a venture capitalist who, like Mitt Romney, at times had to lay workers off. But you know what? That’s actually a good thing.
• Del Monte blah blah
• Birdseye blah blah
• Solo blah blah
If these companies hadn’t become more efficient, they would have failed altogether — resulting in thousand jobs lost.
THANK YOU, FEDERICO PENA
Definitely keep the “Because of your courage.. YOU BUILT THAT” paragraph… it’s priceless!
12 Sep 2012 at 10:20 pm
Please add a link to share on Facebook….. Thanks!
13 Sep 2012 at 7:08 am
Brilliant Take Caldara~!!! It is a shame that the truth and the irony will both likely be lost on the left. Keep up your good work.
Romney will win by a landslide and may we all have an ‘exorcist’ moment as we watch both media and pundit heads spin on November 7.
Keep Rock’in
02 Oct 2012 at 5:26 am
I saw the ad in the Denver Post today and, as Dave Peterson stated in his comment, I didn’t know who it was supporting. Instead of using the word “but” (but today Del Monte… But Solo Cup… and but hundreds are still employed because Birdseye…) use the words “As a result” I also like Peterson’s line “If these companies had not become more efficient…”
02 Oct 2012 at 9:01 am
[...] Caldara laid out his rationale, and the case he’s trying to make, on his blog. [...]
02 Oct 2012 at 2:11 pm
[...] Caldara laid out his rationale, and a box he’s perplexing to make, on his blog. [...]
03 Oct 2012 at 9:35 pm