Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney launched a concerted
push Wednesday to depict President Obama as hostile to small business, using
the infamous snippet from one of Obama’s speeches now known in political
shorthand as “You Didn’t Build That.”
The
president’s campaign countered with a new television ad saying that his remarks
were flagrantly wrenched out of context. The dispute is the latest example of a
campaign plucking lines from an opponent’s speech in an effort to support and
reinforce a broader, negative narrative that it hopes will resonate with
voters. In this case, Republicans contend that the remarks capture Obama’s
identity as a leader who neither understands nor respects business and
instinctively looks to government for solutions.
The comments
came from the tail end of 40-minute campaign speech at a Roanoke fire station
on July 13.
In that
speech,Obama repeated his opposition to Romney’s proposal to cut taxes for the
wealthiest Americans, saying there are successful people who agree and who want
instead to forgo tax breaks and “give something back.” He added that those who
succeed in business are aided by personal mentors and government policies that
support infrastructure and technology.
“If you were
successful, somebody along the line gave you some help,” Obama said. “There was
a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this
unbelievable 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.”
Obama was
referring to the roads and bridges — not businesses — as having been built by
government.
The theme is
not a new one. Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren
triggered a similar controversy last year when she said: “There is nobody in
this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there?
Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the
roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to
educate.”
But coming
from a sitting president, the comments were of another magnitude. While taking
liberties with the context, the Romney campaign seized on “You Didn’t Build
That” as a rallying cry Wednesday. It staged two-dozen “We Did Build This”
rallies, including one in Richmond, where small-business owners joined Gov.
Robert McDonnell in assailing the president.
“President Obama is
wrong,’’ said Melissa Ball of Ball Office Products. “Americans do build their
own business and we need a president who believes that as well.” Ball said she
wanted to invite Obama “to hear about the struggles of real-life business
owners.” According to the federal database Web site USASpending.gov, Ball has
received several small federal contracts in the past, and Democrats used
information like that to push back hard.
In his new
ad Wednesday, Obama, looking directly into the camera, said such Republican
assertions were “flat-out wrong.”
“Of course Americans
build their own businesses. Every day, hardworking people sacrifice to meet a
payroll, create jobs and make our economy run,” he said. “And what I said was
that we need to stand behind them, as America always has, by investing in
education and training, roads and bridges, research and technology.”
Romney has
also had his rhetoric yanked out of context. Campaigning in New Hampshire in
January, Romney told the Nashua Chamber of Commerce, “I like being able to fire
people who provide services to me.” It was part of a longer answer to a
question from the audience about health-care policy — specifically, being able
to change insurance companies. Just prior to the “fire” comment, Romney said:
“I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance
company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means that if you
don’t like what they do, you could fire them.”
But, in
isolation, ricocheting around the Web, the quote helped opponents reinforce an
image of Romney as a remorseless, corporate predator.
The Obama
campaign pointed to a series of initiatives that the administration has pursued
to help small business, including tax cuts, improved access to capital and an
overhaul of the patent system that officials said accelerates processing.
Small-business
leaders say Obama’s record is mixed. Todd McCracken, president of the National
Small Business Association, said that for some small firms, the administration
has been a boon. For businesses that export, for example, McCracken said that
reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank Act will help ensure a level playing
field. He also described his 65,000 member companies as being “quite
comfortable” with the individual insurance mandate at the heart of the
Affordable Care Act. The one-year extension of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts
for incomes under $250,000 is also a plus, he said.
But
McCracken said Obama has not been aggressive enough in compelling banks to
loosen lending policies. And in many instances, he said, tax relief is
secondary to the regulatory burdens that leave many small businesses uncertain.
In Old Town
Manassas, several small-business owners said Obama’s comments — if they had
heard about them — had not elicited a strong reaction one way or the other.
“I work hard for what
I’ve got, but I’ve had people along the way help me,” said Matt Brower, owner
of Simply Sweet on Main, a new ice-cream and coffee shop.
Brower, 32,
said that he generally tries to stay out of politics but that the president’s
comments about small businesses “didn’t turn me the wrong way.” He credited the
city government for allowing him to sell coffee in the nearby train station
during colder months. While he had to sign a contract with the city, officials
did not charge him anything to set up or operate his stand — a big help since
he just started the business two years ago, he said.
When Charles
Gilliam opened his restaurant in 1998 in Old Town, he was “happy if someone
would come in every day.” Now, Okra’s, which serves Cajun and Creole fare, is
thriving, and Gilliam is looking at opening a second restaurant elsewhere.
A picture of
first lady Michelle Obama is in the foyer, and Gilliam proudly points to the
spot where she and her children came in for a bite one day a couple of years
ago.
“It was exciting to
know the highest office in the country knows about what we do,” Gilliam said.
In his
business, Gilliam said, he “hasn’t asked for help from government.” If help was
offered, “we wouldn’t take it,” he said.
In recent
years, city officials have made the sidewalks broader on Battle Street, where
Okra’s sits caddy-corner. That has allowed restaurants to put in outside patio
seating and offer live music.
“We’d still be doing
very well” without the local-government-backed sidewalk project, he said. “But
we’re grateful to have it.”
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