“You didn’t build this”….

The Florida Patriot July 29th 2012

One of the factors that seems to control the polls are the political gaffe’s made by Romney and Obama, some more damaging than others.A more damaging gaffe that seems to be sticking to President Obama is the recent “You didn’t build this” in referring to small business owners. A small business (like The Florida Patriot and another I previously built and sold for a profit) I did build myself without government loans or involvement. Behind a small business is an inventor, a business person, a person willing to take a chance on being their own boss and staking their own money on a business venture. A person that feels that they can build a better mousetrap, website or widget and is willing to bet their own money, reputation, time, heart and soul on it. This is possibly the worst time for the worst statement our President has ever made. Right now, many small businesses are struggling to make it, having to layoff longtime employees, take less profits, and possibly fail and lose it all. Many, many, small businesses started their planning with husband and wife at their kitchen table and involved leaving full time jobs with the confidence and drive that by working smarter and harder than their competitors they could be their own boss.

The other side of this coin in the election that the middle class will decide (who will decided this election as they are the majority of voters) is Romney a smart businessman or Gordon Gecko? Romney’s time and leadership at Bain Capital can be looked at in many ways depending on who is examining it. Bain Capital was an extremely successful company and made Mitt Romney a very rich man. Will the voters look at Romney as a smart capitalist who succeeded in the business world or will the voters look at the closing of a steel mill for profit as a Gordon Gecko type move? Romney’s choice of words about the readiness of the Olympics in Great Britain in my humble opinion will not be a deciding factor. Romney’s comment that didn’t President Obama get it, we don’t need to hire more Teachers, Firefighters and Police Officers potentially appealed to a segment of Voters, however, I can tell you from knowing a great many of the above it potentially lost more than he gained. I have seen Governor Romney explain these comments as President Obama is trying to explain “You didn’t build this”. Vice President Biden is visiting the Firefighters and Teachers National Conventions, when the Romney campaign was asked about support for the National SAFER Grant extension (this has helped keep approximately 50 or more local firefighters in Lee County Fla alone on the job and their communities protected rather than be laid off) he had no comment.

In examining the words and actions of President Obama and Governor Romney over the past year, as well as the polling data that has been changing on a weekly basis this election will come down to the last vote counted on election night. When examining a candidate’s comments on a particular subject as a voter should we pick it apart word for word or take the whole message during a speech into account? How many debates will be held between Governor Romney and President Obama in the coming months and will these have an effect on the outcome of the election?

How will each candidate handle the National Debt question in the debates, with our country being 15 trillion dollars in debt and gaining millions daily it must be addressed. The Bush tax cuts are set to expire in January 2013 and will also be a hot button issue. How will the candidate’s address social security, national healthcare, medicare and national defense. One thing is for certain, this will not be a slam dunk for either Team Romney or Team Obama.

Tagged 2012 Presidential Election, firefighters, Mitt Romney, Police Officers, President Obama, Teachers, You didn't build this