The regressives have been making much ado about nothing, taking an Obama quote out of context. Ezra Klein guest hosted on Rachel Maddow's show and reported on this. Obama was talking about how successful individuals and businesses got a lot of help from their society in achieving that success. Yes, it also requires individual drive and initiative, but that alone is not enough. Businesses require roads to transport their goods, the internet to communicate quickly, tax laws to allow investment etc.
And Romney, who knows that and has said as much, twists and dissmebles the phrase out of context to make it sound like Obama is anti-business, anti-capitalism and anti-America. What is anti-America is the notion that we are completely self-sufficient, that government plays no role in our individual success and acts only as road block to that success. Romeny ran Bain Capital, who helped other businesses achieve success through capital investment, without which said other businesses might not have done well. Bain was also enabled through government tax deductions to finance such investments.
To top it off, Klein provided video of Romney speaking at the 2002 Olympics. "You Olympians know you didn't get here solely on your own power. For most of you loving parents, sisters or brothers encouraged your hopes. Coaches guided, communities built venues and organized competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them." Obama should hire Romney as his speech writer.
See this report,* that highlights a spokesperson in a Romney ad criticizing the "they didn't build that" out-of-context Obama quote. Therein the so-called self-reliant businessman was the beneficiary of large government loans and contracts.
ReplyDeletehttp://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/they-didnt-build-that/