Who Built What?
The "you didn't build that" comment from President Obama is being ginned up into a national campaign issue as the Romney camp holds 24 events in 12 states.
Who Built What?
John Baer, Daily News Political Columnist
The President's recent comment about the importance of government providing public services and infrastructure to help small businesses, including his unfortunate use of the phrase, "you didn't build that," is now a national campaign "issue" because national campaigns tend to get silly.
The Romney camp is holding 24 events in 12 states, including Pennsylvania, that feature small business owners seeking to rebut Obama with a "we DID build this" message.
Small business owners and GOP leaders were having press conferences Wednesday at the Capitol in Harrisburg (featuring Republican Senate candidate Tom Smith) and at the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg (featuring GOP state chairman Rob Gleason).
Meanwhile, the Obama camp is running countering TV ads in many of the same states.
On one hand, it's a nice political tact for the GOP to help Romney distract attention from the already-distracting issue of releasing more of his tax returns.
On the other hand, it's a clear example of taking a phrase out of context and coating it with a meaning that never was intended.
Obama, campaigning in Virginia July 13, said, "If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help … 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. Somebody else made that happen."
Once the Romney folks pounced, Obama came back with a charge that was Romney was “splicing and dicing” his words.
He said, “I believe with all my heart that it is the drive and the ingenuity of Americans who start businesses that lead to their success. I always have and I always will."
His defense continued Tuesday in Seattle.
Nice try, but the worm of "you didn't build that" already infected his overall message. So much so that when Sen. Bob Casey, an Obama ally, was asked what he thought of the president's comments and responded by saying that one reason folks are successful is that "they work hard," the Romney campaign issued a statement saying Casey "rebuked" Obama.
This is a case of both sides stretching stuff to make their points: Obama, pro-government because government needs to support basic services, roads and bridges, etc., that help everyone; Romney, pro-business because business builds America and government holds business back and ought to get out of the way.
The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between in some combination. But this campaign is fast turning into a war -- and truth, as they say, is always the first casualty of war.
RufusG: You voted for Bush twice. Do you really want to talk about communicating. I know you don't want to bring up lying.
5000 troops killed. 3 trillion spent.
Idiot say what.— Bush Destroyed America- Wow...Obama needing to walk back a statement. Guess you don't see that everyday...uh, what, oh yeah....I guess you DO see that everyday. Hope & change, hope & change...forward. Fail. Again.
The Failure in Chief strikes again!!!— kelprod2 - Where does the Inky find these Obama-bots to protect the chosen one?
Obama was raised and bred a Socialist. Perhaps your readers would want to know more about Obama's childhood mentor - Franklin Davis Marshall?
Come on Inky, do some investigative reporting on the people who Obama surrounded himself with...— DrBID - The Romneycrats will do all the can to distract attention away from Romney continual misstatements, missteps and mistakes. Taxes - forget about it! Outsourcing at Bain and then at the Olympics??? What a Republican train wreck - and it's not even August. Of course they'll jump on this - and they'll do it with glee because they have no shame.— SoundGround
- BTW - reading all the rehashed BS from the sewer above - I think that they have cried wolf about President Obama so many times that they have inoculated the American people. They have tried so many times to accuse him of being a nazi/communist - godless/athiest - that the majority of the American people realize what it is - BS.— SoundGround
- So.... Be honest with yourself..... Ate you better off now thanyou were four years ago . Is America better off now than it was four years ago ? Bush was a nightmare..... Obama is a big disappointment and far from the answer... Just not qualified and divides rather than unites in time of crises...... Time for new hope and change..... I voted for him because i hoped he'd be the next great leader... He has failed us... Sadly , I doubt Rommney is the guy but Obama has not done a thing to pull us together and fix this mess..... It may be hopeless.— lordhelpus
- Let's not forget President Reagan and the time to recover from what some may call the Carter recession. Reagan's unemployment numbers were: 1981-7.6%; 1982-9.7%; 1983-9.6%; In Reagan's first three full years as President unemployment continued to rise and yet he was still re-elected in 1984 when it was 7.5%. Reagan's unemployment for the 2 years following his re-election remained at 7.2% & 7.0%. All of this under the mantra of Reagan's earlier great tax cut and the Republican trickle down theory.— ElecFact
John is the author of the book "On The Front Lines of Pennsylvania Politics: Twenty-Five Years of Keystone Reporting" (The History Press, 2012). Reach John at baerj@phillynews.com.
