From Stark
Republican candidates at the Wednesday, July 18 Whatcom County Tea Party forum joined in on the widespread criticism of a quote from President Barack Obama that is being interpreted as belittling the contributions of American business people.
The Obama quote that is getting all the attention runs like this: “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”
Republicans are interpreting this comment to mean, “You did little or nothing to build your own business,” which would certainly be an absurd thing for the President to say.
John Swapp, business owner and Republican challenger to State Sen. Kevin Ranker in the 40th District, observed: “I didn’t have any help from the government. The government was in my way most of the time.”
To me, Obama’s comment makes a bit more sense when you see it in context. Here’s a longer excerpt reported by the Washington Post:
“If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. ( emphasis added.) Somebody else made that happen.”
Not one of Obama’s more eloquent moments, to be sure. But when you look at the offending sentence, it doesn’t sound as silly. It looks like ”You didn’t build that” is supposed to mean, “The government, not you, built the roads and bridges that enable your business to exist.”
Swapp, at least, seemed aware of the full context.
“Yeah, I drive over a lot of roads and bridges, but so do a lot of people,” he said. He went on to observe that the business owners generate more than their share of the tax revenues that build those roads and bridges.
Matt Krogh, Democratic challenger to State Rep. Vincent Buys in the 42nd District, also referred to the wider context of Obama’s remark, attributing his own success in life to public school teachers as well as roads and bridges.
“The success that I have in life I owe to a lot of other people and I’m glad of it,” Krogh said.
…and meanwhile… Romney STILL hasn’t released any tax returns…
Tax returns is an issue only because it would be suicide to talk about the economy, don’t ya know!
“He took office at a time when the U.S. economy was on its worst slide in 75 years, but pushed policies using borrowed money that were more meant to preserve government jobs than broadly help the private sector where the great majority of Americans work, ensuring the jobs crisis continued.
He railed against the heavy spending and big deficits of his predecessor, but blithely backed budgets that had triple the deficits ever seen in American history….
….If self-reverence were a crime, our current president would be facing a life sentence. For the good of America, let’s pray we have someone else in charge of the federal government come Jan. 20, 2013.”
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/22/presidential-busts/
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
“Now, look, in politics we all tolerate a certain amount of spin. I understand these are the games that get played in political campaigns, although when folks just omit entire sentences of what you said — (laughter) — they start kind of splicing and dicing, you may have gone a little over the edge there.”
President Obama
“When you have a President that does nothing but lie, spend money we don’t have and divide.. while instead of doing the work that needs to be done in order to get our country back on track spends all his time trying to get reelected..
People take note, and you’ll see the results of his self inflicted misery.. after we vote.”
Thomas Paine
Okay… tell me all about President Obama’s gaffes now.
@Apexnerd – I’d like to see Romney’s tax records (well not really) and Obama’s college transcripts. Neither are probably forthcoming.
Pleeeze – don’t insult the intelligence of the American public by spinning the words of pres. O that “what he REALLY meant to say was” etc.. If he cannot articulate his message any better than his words expressed and NOT taken out of context, how is it he is supposedly this “Great Communicator” – and Best Speaker Ever? A high school debater would be roundly criticized for this kind of lame effort to demean business owners and founders!!! What a blatantly laughable argument – this pres HATES THE AMERICAN DREAM AND WANTS EVERYONE ELSE TO HATE IT TOO!