Should Mitt Romney embrace outsourcing?

Mitt says he wasn't in charge when Bain Capital sent U.S. jobs abroad — but he might be wiser to defend the practice as a sound business strategy instead

Mitt Romney
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Obama campaign has put Mitt Romney on the defensive by relentlessly attacking his record at Bain Capital, the private equity firm he founded. Undermining Romney's portrayal of himself as a job creator, Obama has pointed out that Bain bought companies, then cut costs and boosted profits by laying off Americans and hiring lower-paid workers overseas. Not on Romney's watch, cries the GOP candidate's camp, arguing that Romney had essentially stopped running the company on a day-to-day basis by the time Bain engaged in outsourcing. But some frustrated Romney supporters say he should stop using technicalities to sidestep the issue and start embracing offshoring as a common business technique that can be good for the U.S. economy. Would that be a smarter move?

Absolutely. Hiring overseas can boost prosperity at home: Instead of nit-picking about when he left Bain, says Michael Tanner at National Review, Romney should be offering a "full-throated defense of capitalism." Contrary to Obama's silly demagoguing, "outsourcing is generally good for America." It allows companies to farm out low-paying, unskilled work, and focus on the more lucrative jobs that Americans do best. Debt, taxes, and regulations — not outsourcing — are destroying U.S. jobs, and "it's time for Mitt Romney to stand up and say so."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us