RUSH: Robert Kraft, who is the owner of the New England Patriots, was on CNBC this morning on Squawk Box. They had a discussion about American politics, and Mr. Kraft said this.
KRAFT: We have the current president of the United States. There’s no other country where a man like that could get elected under the age of 50 — and single mother — and follow his passion to become president of the United States. We have the leading Republican candidate who was a great entrepreneur. I know he called on me to invest in Bain Capital in the eighties. It was such a good environment. My elder son Jonathan went and worked there, and it’s been a great return on investment. When I see people banging on Bain and I think the largest investors are really state and union pension funds — which are working-class people — and the jobs they’ve created and what a great job they’ve done, and I see the vitriol going on, it’s really horrible; and we have to put America first.
RUSH: Do you hear frustration there in Mr. Kraft’s voice? His son worked at Bain! He says: Who keeps Bain afloat, who invests in it? Pension funds, working people. Union pension funds are investments in Bain Capital — and he’s exactly right, and it’s not just Bain Capital. But a lot of time pension plans, 401(k)s, state teacher and government employee retirement programs are invested in these places. But what Kraft here is saying is, “What are we doing here? We got a guy under 50 from a single mother, his background, gets elected president. Nowhere else can that happen” — meaning this is a great country, nowhere else. “My son went to work for Bain. It’s been a great return on investment. I put some money into it. It’s a great return on investment.” And Kraft has done a lot for Massachusetts. He didn’t ask the people of Massachusetts to build the football stadium, Gillette Stadium.
He built it, used his own money. He’s done a lot for redevelopment in Massachusetts. He’s done a lot for investment there, and he’s put some of his money in Bain, apparently, and it’s been a good return — and he doesn’t like hearing people “bang on it.” I think actually this is good. I think this is opening a lot of people’s eyes. I think a lot of people who are dyed-in-the-wool entrepreneurs are finally finding out how entrepreneurism is under assault in this country. I think it’s gonna wake ’em up, make ’em realize it isn’t just politics as usual. The host on CNBC talking to Bob Kraft today was Joe Kernen. He said, “Something happened…” The Broncos play the Patriots this week in Saturday night, Foxborough, so Kernen had a question about it. “Something happened when the Broncos lost three straight. You saw how relaxed they were in the last game against the Steelers. Are you taking a little more interest in this game?” The Patriots played the Broncos in Denver earlier and won handily, so Kraft basically being asked here: “Okay, what about Saturday night, Broncos come to town?
KRAFT: We’re so happy to be playing a home playoff game and to be the nmber-one seed. We’re privileged to have the best won-loss record at Gillette Stadium, so we like people coming here Saturday night at eight o’clock, and we’re hoping for the best. We’re also mindful how good the Denver Broncos are — and anyone who watched that playoff game this weekend knows what an exciting team and what a great young man Tim Tebow is and how good he is for the NFL and the Broncos and what he represents. You know, it’s not often that the opposing quarterback gets more publicity locally and nationally than our quarterback, but it’s well deserved. He’s into spirituality. That’s something that I am a big believer in, and it’s great for the NFL.
RUSH: Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots.