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The Spectacle Blog
TAMPA — President Obama’s “you didn’t build that” remark was a revealing moment that created a potent line of attack. It was a blunt statement of Obama’s blinkered, government-centric view of the economy, and that view rubs many voters the wrong way: In a July Washington Post/ABC poll, 42 percent of independents said Obama’s views on the size and role of government are a reason to oppose him, while only 20 percent said they’re a reason to support him. Republicans are doing everything they can to exploit the opening. Today’s theme at the Republican National Convention is “We Built It.”
Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia will hit this theme hard in his speech today. Among the excerpts that have been released:
The times call for new leadership to get this great nation out of debt and back to work.
The choice is clear: the status quo of the entitlement society, or dynamic change to an
opportunity society.We need a President who will say to a small businesswoman: congratulations, we
applaud your success, you did make that happen, you did build that!Big government didn’t build America: You built America!
Small businesses don’t come out of Washington D.C. pre-made on flat bed trucks.
That coffee shop in Henrico; that florist in Virginia Beach….that bakery in
Radford…they were all built by entrepreneurial Americans with big dreams….not a big
spending government with a wide open wallet full of other people’s money!”
Virginia is a crucial swing state, and if Romney manages to win there, the argument that McDonnell is pressing will be an important reason why.
View all comments (8) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by John Tabin
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/08/28/we-built-that
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harryLIB| 8.28.12 @ 4:35PM
No matter how much somebody says it, or pushes it, the truth was that President Obama never "you didn't build that" in the context this blog tries to claim it means. By now, it should be common knowledge that the context of his words was to say that everybody has help, even if you don't notice. If that help is teachers, parents, roads, phone lines, sidewalks, its still help. President Obama says that in the entire speech. If only Mitt Romney used out of context words in his campaign, then I would see no problem, all candidates fudge the truth, but I think its sad that an entire political party is standing behind it. They should know better.
Skippy| 8.28.12 @ 5:48PM
Hairy Lib, he meant to say exactly what he said, with all the baggage that comes with it.
In truth, all those roads were already paid for by other taxpayers.
There is no intergenerational debt around them nor are reparations required.
Prince Bambo believes all owe Big Govt for their success.
Big Govt owes us for its success!
Bob Grant| 8.28.12 @ 7:12PM
HairyLib,
Let's be honest. This is a speech he's given dozens of times over the years at protests outside the student union halls of Occidental and Columbia, outside office buildings on cold Chicago streets, and on campaign stumps.
This is text book dog whistling.
You know EXACTLY the message he's trying to convey. Don't piss on our leg and tell us it's raining.
spike59| 8.29.12 @ 5:54AM
HairyLib, PLEASE try not to insult my intelligence by pretending that your Obamessiah, self-proclaimed 'most interesting person in the room', uses the singular 'that' when referring to bridges and roads and schools and such in the PLURAL; we know exactly what he's talking about. it's an article of faith among the Left that people, particularly ObaMao's 'base', can't possibly succeed on their own and needs Massa Gubmint to keep 'em fed on the Democrat Plantation. As for 'context'...when you listen to the whole idiotic address 'in context', it's even worse for at least 2 reasons:
1-it was tax money (and the folks who actually built the businesses paid MOST of them) that financed the roads, bridges, schools, and the like that were built under contract by PRIVATE companies
2-the roads, bridges, and schools are used by EVERYONE; by liberal 'logic', everyone should have built a business, become successful....yet the majority did not
to quote the great philosopher Frank Zappa:
"Look here, brother, who you jivin' with that cosmik debris?
Occam's Tool| 8.29.12 @ 10:54AM
Bullshit: he's backpedalling.
mike 3/505| 8.28.12 @ 5:42PM
Harry...no matter how many of you Obama worshipers try to deny it...that's exactly what he said and in that context. His view of the world is that nobody is successful without government. The real fact is, government cannot exist without private success.
spike59| 8.29.12 @ 5:56AM
it's the core of the Democrat message, especially as it relates to 'people of color'..."You can't possibly succeed on your own, you're destined to fail. Take a hit off this and it'll all go away till the nex check rolls in'
Kingofthenet| 8.28.12 @ 8:16PM
When you see Sher Valenzuela Tonight and the AMAZING story of what this lady and her husband did with NO govt. help you too will believe in America:
http://www.firststatemanufacturing.com/