Casino tycoon Steve Wynn explains what many executives (outside of GE and GM) think of the president on a conference call today:
I believe in Las Vegas. [Unlike the president -- Ed] I think its best days are ahead of it. [See previous comment -- Ed] But I’m afraid to do anything in the current political environment in the United States. You watch television and see what’s going on on this debt ceiling issue. And what I consider to be a total lack of leadership from the President and nothing’s going to get fixed until the President himself steps up and wrangles both parties in Congress. But everybody is so political, so focused on holding their job for the next year that the discussion in Washington is nauseating.
And I’m saying it bluntly, that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business, and progress and job creation in my lifetime. And I can prove it and I could spend the next 3 hours giving you examples of all of us in this market place that are frightened to death about all the new regulations, our healthcare costs escalate, regulations coming from left and right. A President that seems, that keeps using that word redistribution. Well, my customers and the companies that provide the vitality for the hospitality and restaurant industry, in the United States of America, they are frightened of this administration. And it makes you slow down and not invest your money. Everybody complains about how much money is on the side in America.
AdvertisementYou bet and until we change the tempo and the conversation from Washington, it’s not going to change. And those of us who have business opportunities and the capital to do it are going to sit in fear of the President. And a lot of people don’t want to say that. They’ll say, God, don’t be attacking Obama. Well, this is Obama’s deal and it’s Obama that’s responsible for this fear in America.
The guy keeps making speeches about redistribution and maybe we ought to do something to businesses that don’t invest, their holding too much money. We haven’t heard that kind of talk except from pure socialists. Everybody’s afraid of the government and there’s no need soft peddling it, it’s the truth. It is the truth. And that’s true of Democratic businessman and Republican businessman, and I am a Democratic businessman and I support Harry Reid. [Well, nobody's perfect -- Ed] I support Democrats and Republicans. And I’m telling you that the business community in this company is frightened to death of the weird political philosophy of the President of the United States. And until he’s gone, everybody’s going to be sitting on their thumbs.
Naturally, there’s yet another tacit undertone of “unexpectedly” setting this quote up at the center-left Business Insider Website — but at this point, why? Wynn isn’t exactly the first liberal businessman to have the scales removed from his eyes.
Related: “Sound Bite For the Day: The Meaning of Compromise.”
Update: “Exhibit B. – Bob Schieffer being worked-over by Marc Rubio (R-FL).”
Update: Via Real Clear Politics, here’s the audio of some of Wynn’s speech:
(Audio added and bumped to top.)
That tells you how bad Obama really is if Wynn supports Reid.
Scales lifted from his eyes? Not hardly. He still supports Harry Reid. If Obama lacked Reid’s support, do you think he could still do all the things he does to harm business?
These guys just refuse to understand that this is exactly what liberalism looks like. Without the Republican opposition to them, the sky would be the limit in pursuing their Utopian fantasy. This is what these guys get for supporting Democrats. And STILL they support the Dems! What is it going to take for them to finally wake up, so the rest of us can awaken from this nightmare?
Nevada re-elected Reid. They deserve every bit of misery they get. I hope they continue to get it… good and hard!
Mr Wynn, you helped CREATE Obama. Your support of Democrats, especially hypocritical hacks like Harry Reid, paved the way for this dishonest, incompetent Marxist class-warfare thug.
You’re a successful businessman because of your ability to look and plan ahead. Why then couldn’t you see what was obvious four years ago; that Obama was a socialist ideologue with a deep-seated animosity for liberty, individuality and capitalism?
Anyway, sir, welcome to the club.
It is difficult to read the political leanings of businessmen that are at the level of a Steve Wynn. The fact that he contributes to Harry Reid maybe purely defensive in nature (which is a sad commentary about a so-called free society). This is the nature of crony capitalism/fascism; go along with the state and you will be rewarded. This is what Warren Buffet and Jeff Immelt are doing.
The Dodd/Frank law gives unprecedented power to government to quite literally put companies and banks out of business on a political whim, or as a favor to a competitor who is a political ally. This law is almost as dangerous as Obamacare and has gone almost unnoticed by the American public (probably because we are all exhausted from the battle over O-care).
Well, hopefully Mr. Wynn has seen the light and realizes that playing the same political games of the past will not suffice. Hope he develops the stones to help dump the rest of the Dems before they destroy him.
And yes, I seem to recall that he gave full-throated support to King Putt in ’08. Amazing how even a shrewd and successful businessman couldn’t see through him.
Well said Mr. Wynn. We won’t be spending any capital on hiring. Our cap-ex currently focuses on research and development on technology to be introduced after Obama’s term is up or he’ll want to tax the intrinsic value of the technology, the company that created it and the tens of millions of customers that would utilize the technology. Your presser Mr. Wynn was ironically on the same day Hollywood’s Hanks, Spielberg, Katzenberg, Geffen, Howard, Weinstein gave serious money in support that of what you and a majority of Americans call a failed leader and his policies Mr. Wynn and I know why. Your customers are enjoying a specific category of entertainment on an international basis, and while true the Hollywood Progressives named here could cruise three lifetimes on what the American consumer has agreed to pay them for their product, the Hollywood Titan dynamic is over. It’s a whole new world as indicated in Hanks terrible opening of Crowne, Comcast pulling Stephen Kings project, etc., etc., as well as Hollywood’s true performance the last 8-12 quarters outside of animation. Stay tuned and watch those Hollywood wannbe’s riding sidecar that haven’t salted away $100 MM or so by this time melt down. Once you begin spending you can’t stop especially a Progressive. Wynn will always have clients, Hollywood, not so much. Question, is there any movie online or for rent i.e. Redbox that you can’t wait to see? Of course not and America will now wait until that Hollywood product is a dollar or better yet free. No, Messer’s Hanks, Spielberg, Katzenberg, Geffen, Howard, Weinstein? Well then, stay tuned.
Dinkins factor at work here — Wynn’s simply a national version of the rich, liberal Jewish voters who swooned in New York in 1989 at the idea that electing the city’s first African-American mayor would turn the town into Shangra-La. A majority still stood by their votes in the rematch with Giuliani in ’93, but enough were fed up to the point it tilted the election the other way and changed the course of the city’s history for the better.
Mix that with the possible resurgence of the Bradley Effect in the 2012 race (where Blue and Purple State voters may be a little reluctant to tell pollsters their real feelings with all the race cards that will be flying around next year), and if I were Team Obama I’d be worried about both the open anger of Wynn and the hidden feelings of some less alpha-male Obama backers from 2008 who may vent their frustration in the polling booth next November.
Dear Mr. Wynn,
Please define “Democratic businessman” for me. I’m really rather curious.
In the meantime, shut the eff up. You buttered your bread, now lie in it.
“I am a Democratic businessman and I support Harry Reid.”
You got what you deserved. Your business would probably be a hell of a lot better off if you would’ve help get rid of that shiftless bastard Reid and put the senate in the oppostion’s hands. Then there would’ve been TWO strong counterforces to the wet blanket in chief. Well, you’re a Demorat… you, Harry and the rest of your stupid party OWN Obama and he owns the economy you find yourself whining about now. Enjoy!
So…not only businesses are struggling to hold on to what they’ve got, unable, and indeed impossible conditions to even consider expansion, so are consumers holding on to what they’ve got, to, say, oh I don’t know, eat and keep a roof over their head, and this guys whining about how nobody’s frittering away juniors college money to fund this guys ill-gotten gains.
The Left’s own tropes include- “What goes around comes around”, “Be careful what you wish for…”, and how about this new one- “you can’t sit around and visualize whirled peas anymore, you’re gonna have to eat them!”, so sayeth the Ponz.