Obama campaign stepping up damage control over remark

President Obama’s campaign scrambled to combat Republican efforts to highlight his “you didn’t build that” remark — a sign there are concerns the story could have legs far into the election cycle.

Team Obama released a new television ad late Tuesday with the president himself directly addressing the controversy. And the Democratic National Committee circulated a memo Wednesday detailing how it would respond to the GOP messaging.

The actions indicate Democrats are concerned the remark could haunt the campaign, especially given the persistent GOP strikes at Obama’s handling of the economy. Republicans have repeatedly knocked the president for not understanding the private sector, and their attacks have been amplified by criticism from business leaders, who were unhappy with Obama’s comment.

“Obama did for Romney what Romney couldn’t do for himself, which is to create a clear contrast and unlock emotions on the key issue of the campaign,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “It helps Romney with independents, with GOPers and with white, working-class Democrats who needed an economic message that they could rally around.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/240187-obama-campaign-stepping-up-damage-control-over-remark

This should be entertaining. No matter how they spin it there is just no favorable interpretation.

Of course the Mittster keeps proving the remark as correct since every small business that he tries to prove that government does not help businesses DEPEND upon the GOVERNMENT for their business. First it was Gilchrist, which has gotten over a million dollars in government grants to build their business plus government contracts to keep it going, then the two businesses in Tampa that he used today are both dependent upon the government to keep their doors open. Way to go Mitt! It appears that Mitt can not find any businesses that do not depend upon the government.

"Two local business owners the Mitt Romney campaign tapped on Wednesday to speak out against President Barack Obama and government interference couldn't have been more contradictory choices to speak out on the topic.

The point of the 11 a.m. news conference was to stress that small business owners succeed because of their own grit and determination and don't need government to do it.
One problem with having Ramos and Smith, both registered Republicans, as speakers on this topic: they both said they didn't see the entire Obama speech that they find so personally insulting. Ramos said he later read the complete trancript, but couldn't remember from where he got it. Smith acknowledged she saw only news reports of the speech, either on NBC or Fox News.

But the other, more puzzling problem the two have for this particular Romney message is that rather than wanting to get out of the way of big government, Smith and Ramos have embraced it and benefitted from it greatly.

The A.D. Morgan Corporation employs 50 people and has annual revenues of about $80 million, according to its website. The company lists more than 130 projects and developments. Impressive, no doubt. But the list is nearly all government projects. (One of the few not to be: the Poynter Institute for Media Studies). From the Sumter County jail expansion, Woodlawn Elementary School, the library at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, interior sign at James Haley Veterans Hospital, the Plant City Courthouse, a Florida Department of Transportation weigh station, the projects that have made A.D. Morgan the success it is have been government, big and small, state and local."

As for Ramos, his company's Facebook page describes Value Enterprise Solutions as "providing value added service/education to businesses, local government, federal government, Department of Defense, and industry contract organizations."

So his company also gets government work, just like Smith's. His company's Facebook also describes it as a "minority/service disabled veteran owned small disadvantaged business." That's a designation that's not recognized in the private sector. But with the federal government, that designation affords companies a special status so they can be the sole bidder on a project.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz- ... um=twitter

Isn't it nice that the GOVERNMENT could provide them with such good business connections that CREATE JOBS...

Sort of like Jack Gilchrist, in another one of Romney's fake ads... "Ooooo, I did it myself...(and with a little over $1million of GOVERNMENT MONEY)..."

And I will stop and watch every one of those ads. Show him for the fool he is.

If I made a statement on National Television such as "the sky is green and the grass is blue" anyone and everyone would tell me I'm wrong AND they would be right. Barry says individual business owners didn't build their own businesses? Let's debate whether that's a true statement? I'm sorry, Barry said it and now he's going to spend way too much time attempting to defend the words that came out of his mouth instead of just saying "I should have used other words to make my point..." because he is arrogant to admit he may have misspoken. I wonder why he hasn't blamed a speech writer yet and sent a couple of people on their way.

But what he said was true. Even the factchecker agrees that Romney's remarks are a lie. Every business depends on help from others, whether from the use of government services, training (public education), highways, internet, bridges, etc. There is nothing to blame. Even Mitt has not been able to find a business that did not get help from the government and others.

And who provided the goverment with the funds to build roads, etc? Businesses and individuals.

But somehow in the early days of the country, businesses were started and quite successful with very little goverment support or intervention. A chicken and egg argument, but it looks like business can survive without goverment. In fact, in some countries, like sections of Africa, goverment is more like a protection racket than something that nurtures business. Pay us or we will seize your property.

otisptoadwater wrote: Barry says individual business owners didn't build their own businesses? Let's debate whether that's a true statement?

......only that is not what he said.

Since we are sharing anecdotes here........I asked my very, very Republican 94 yr old mother what she thought of Romney when visiting last week......and I quote:....."I think enough of Romney to vote for Obama this time around".

otisptoadwater wrote: Barry says individual business owners didn't build their own businesses? Let's debate whether that's a true statement?

Why debate it? That's not what he said.

(You really should seek some help for that reading-comprehension problem...)