Bain employees to speak at Democrats' convention, officials confirm
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Democrats plan to have Bain Capital employees make the case against Mitt Romney at their convention in Charlotte.
Senior Obama campaign officials confirmed to Fox News that at least two people who worked at Bain Capital -- Romney's former private equity firm -- will speak at the Democratic National Convention this week.
The bold move comes after Democrats have spent millions of campaign dollars on ads shedding light on companies that folded after Bain takeovers. While the campaign is not revealing who will be speaking or when they'll be addressing the convention, one thing is clear -- it will not be favorable to Romney.
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A knowledgeable source told Fox News that possible speakers could include Steve Pagliuca -- managing partner at Bain Capital, considered the unofficial head of the firm. Pagliuca is a co-owner of the Boston Celtics who ran for the Massachusetts Senate seat formerly held by the late Ted Kennedy and lost in the Democratic primary to Martha Coakley in 2010.
Another possible speaker is Jon Lavine, an Obama campaign bundler and very senior member of the firm. Matt Levin, also a partner at Bain, is said to be very active in Democratic politics as well and could be included in the program.
The Bain attack from Obama supporters seemed to subside a bit after the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action produced an ad that linked Romney to the cancer death of the wife of a worker who was let go from a Bain-owned steel mill.
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In recent weeks, the Romney campaign has taken the Bain attacks head on, pushing back aggressively in ads, opinion columns and speeches. In his nomination acceptance address in Tampa, Romney said about Bain, "That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story." Romney listed successful Bain companies including Staples, The Sports Authority, an early childhood learning center called Bright Horizons, and Steel Dynamics -- now one of the largest steel producers in the country.
Romney continued, "These are American success stories. And yet the centerpiece of the president's entire re-election campaign is attacking success. In America, we celebrate success, we don't apologize for it. We weren't always successful at Bain. But no one ever is in the real world of business. That's what this president doesn't seem to understand. Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving."
With the confirmation of the Bain speakers at the Democrats' convention, the Obama campaign is clearly signaling they are not finished with their line of attack -- one that they believe is moving voters in swing states in particular.
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The Romney camp, though, is betting the attacks are backfiring and will make small business owners even more apprehensive about Obama and his policies.