Obama vs. Romney – Two health club owners debate their merits

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Posted October 1, 2012 12:51 pm by

Obama vs. Romney – Two club owners debate their merits

The presidential campaign this year has been roiled by powerful issues such as the Occupy movement, Obamacare, taxes, abortion, Super PACS, immigration, same-sex marriage, gun control, Iran’s nuclear agenda … and many others.

From a more parochial perspective, we’ve been wondering how, if elected, each presidential contender might conceivably influence the health and fitness club industry.

It’s a reasonable and intriguing question. To keep things as simple as possible, CBI asked two eminently successful industry veterans with opposing viewpoints—Laury Hammel and Cecil Spearman—to make the case for their respective candidate.

Hammel is the founder of the Longfellow Clubs, which currently operates six facilities in Wayland, Sudbury, Natick, and Franklin, Massachusetts. He’s also dedicated himself to doing all he can to help create a sustainable economy and a healthy planet (see “First Person,” September CBI, pg. 28), and is a fervent supporter of President Barack Obama.

Spearman works and resides in California, where he heads Spearman Clubs, Inc., a family- run business based in Laguna Niguel that operates three large multisport, tennis and fitness facilities in Orange County. Spearman is a passionate supporter of Governor Mitt Romney.

Massachusetts has voted Democratic in all but four presidential elections since 1928, and in this election, occupies controversial territory. In 2006, when Romney was the governor of the Commonwealth, he enacted a law that many consider the blueprint for the federal healthcare law that President Obama signed in March 2010 (the Patient Protec- tion and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA).

With the eighth largest economy in the world, California, with its well-publicized fiscal challenges, will ensure that the economy remains a central election issue in the Golden State. However, social issues—immigration and same-sex marriage, in particular—will play a role here, as well as across the nation. 

CBI: What’s the one thing that Barack Obama or Mitt Romney has done that convinces you he’d make the better president for the next four years?

Laury Hammel: President Obama should be reelected because he saved the U.S., and probably the world, from financial collapse. In 2008 and 2009, America faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Many Americans worried that they were about to lose their life savings, and wondered what the future might hold. I haven’t agreed with all of the decisions the Obama admin- istration has made to turn around the economy, but the administration did succeed in averting a catastrophe of monumental proportions. The U.S. economy—and my business—are both better off today than they were in January 2009—that’s a fact! And I believe most health club owners would agree.

Cecil Spearman: Romney has been successful in every phase of life. He was a great student at Brigham Young University and earned joint MBA/law degrees from Harvard University. He went on to found Bain Capital, where he turned around numerous struggling businesses, created thousands of jobs, and earned a fortune for himself. In 1999, Romney stepped in as president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and turned around the upcoming 2002 Winter Olympic Games, which were reeling from an international bribery scandal. As the governor of Massachusetts, he demonstrated that he could work successfully with a Democratic legislature to get things done. In short, when Romney sets his mind to a task—he succeeds.

CBI: In 100 words or less, “make the case” for voting for Romney or Obama.

Spearman: A vote for Romney is a vote for capitalism, individual liberties, a strong defense of our country, and removing the shackles big government has placed on small businesses. I think Romney’s vision harkens back to a Reagan-style government. Reagan came to the rescue of this country following President Jimmy Carter, and Romney will come to our rescue after four years of Obama. Less government interference and lower tax rates will lead to greater confidence and result in a booming economy. That, in turn, will increase tax receipts and reduce the federal deficit. Health and sports clubs are precisely the sort of small businesses that will thrive in such an environ- ment. Reduced taxes will not only allow owners to buy more equipment and hire more staff, but will also put more discretionary income in the pockets of Americans, allowing them to join clubs.

Hammel: Obama should be reelected because the work he started isn’t finished. It’s easy to forget just how deep a hole we’d dug for ourselves and how long and painful the economic recovery has been. But there are signs now that we’re finally heading in the right direction. While Romney would have let the U.S. auto industry fail, the Obama administration saved it, and that industry is flourishing once again. Housing is improving, and the economy is growing. Obama understands that entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment in education and infrastruc- ture are paths to new jobs and a revitalized middle class. And Obama is clearly the man you want in the White House if you’re concerned about global warming, which is the most serious crisis our planet has ever faced.

CBI: Who would do a more effective job of reducing the deficit—Obama or Romney?

Hammel: If you want to see the future under Romney, just look to Greece, Spain, Italy, and Great Britain. Austerity measures are pushing the economies of those countries into recession. Obama rightly understands that, if you make across-the-board spending cuts before the economy revives, demand will fall and the recovery will stall.

Spearman: Under Obama, we’ve seen the deficit balloon, and Obamacare has only made matters worse. Entitle- ments are killing us, in the same way that they’ve created crises in Europe. We’ve got to get our fiscal house in order, and there’s no one better qualified to do that than Romney. He understands what it means to run a tight ship and to live within your means. A Romney administration will prime the pump of business—the engine of our country— because businesses and banks will regain their confidence. With banks lending again and businesses expanding, unemployment will fall. At the same time, Romney will cut the massive spending that’s been dragging down the economy for so long.

CBI: Why do you think Obama’s or Romney’s philosophy and policies would be more beneficial for club owners and operators?

Spearman: Every club owner knows that, when you’re profitable, you can invest in the kind of equipment, staff- ing, and programming that members want and are willing to pay for. That’s the sort of business sense that Romney will bring to bear on behalf of the country. Someone once said that socialism succeeds until you run out of other people’s money. We need to take a page from history and restore free enterprise and capitalism and individual free- dom. Electing Romney president will get the economy— and Americans—moving once again.

Hammel: That Obama understands the importance of prevention is clear because, under the current healthcare plan, everyone who can afford health insurance is required to participate. These new insureds are discovering that they’re eligible for the substantial discounts and/or subsidies on the health club memberships that most insurance companies now offer. Here in Massachusetts, the healthcare plan that Romney instituted, and that’s the model for the national plan, has been a big plus for our business and our economy. It was fantastic that someone finally had the courage to push through a change in healthcare policies that were preventing many middle- class Americans from getting proper healthcare.

CBI: Do you think Romney or Obama would be better at inspiring the public, particularly the young, to pursue healthy lifestyles? And who do you think is more social-media savvy?

Hammel: No president since John Kennedy has inspired young people more than Obama, and no campaign has leveraged social media more effectively than the present administration. As President and first lady, Barack and Michelle Obama may be the most impressive role models for health and fitness to ever have lived in the White House. Both of them belonged to the East Bank Club when they lived in Chicago, and their personal trainer has pre- sented at IHRSA events. One of my former junior students, I’m proud to say, teaches tennis to the Obama children. Barack and Michelle Obama practice what they preach when it comes to sports and fitness—they live it.

Spearman: Romney inspires young people by his drive, determination, hard work, and selflessness. He worked as a missionary and has given untold hours of his time to help people through his church and business. The entire Romney family is the picture of wholesome good health. I think the Romney campaign is closing the gap in terms of the use of social media.

CBI: Finally, as for first ladies, whom do you think would be a more effective role model for the nation— Michelle Obama or Ann Romney?

Spearman: Ann Romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and is a cancer survivor, so she under- stands what it’s like to live with a difficult illness. To cope with multiple sclerosis, she took up horseback riding and became an accomplished equestrienne. She’s received recognition in dressage and even competed professionally in Grand Prix. As we’ve all seen this year, she’s been an invaluable partner to her husband throughout the campaign. I have no doubt that she’d be an inspirational figure and role model for all Americans.

Hammel: I know the Romneys—their son, Ben, was in our tennis program—and I admire their commitment to fitness, but I don’t believe we’ve ever had a first lady in the White House who has been more passionate about health and fit- ness than Michelle Obama. Her public awareness campaign, “Let’s Move!,” has set a goal of solving the problem of child- hood obesity within a generation. Michelle Obama is helping to raise the alarm about the crisis of obesity in the U.S., and she’s dedicated much of the past three years to getting families and children to eat a healthy diet and become fit. 

 

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