This week several high-profile supporters of the President and some self-proclaimed surrogates condemned President Obama for his attack on Gov. Mitt Romney’s history at Bain Capital. The President’s re-election team released videos of people that had been affected by lay-offs and down-sizing of local companies purchased by the venture-capital company that was headed by the presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. The firestorm started when Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, NJ-and a bright star in the Democrat Party-voiced his opinion about the President’s campaign ads. Booker said that the negative attacks were “nauseating”; soon after Booker retracted his statements in a walk-back YouTube video. Booker was among the first of a few prominent Democrats to run to the defense of venture-capitalists. There should not be a problem with individuals running their own script. Political parties are made up of people from all backgrounds and simply because one identifies with a political party does not mean that every single issue a party supports as a platform is an issue that each member of the party supports. Although when Gov. Romney uses his work history as the general premise for why he is more qualified to be president than the current president, Gov. Romney opened the door to rebuttal. If the bases of an argument, in this case, is ‘I should be president because I have business experience’ then the question must be asked ‘What does that experience entail?’. Mr. Obama made it clear that this is not an attack on private equity groups, venture-capitalist or capitalism, this is a look at whether Gov. Romney actually created jobs (an economic growth indicator) while at the head of Bain Capital. The truth is, Bain is not a job creating company---that’s okay, that’s fair—every company is not meant to create jobs. It is fairly believable that the invention of the calculator put a hurt on the abacus business (in truth the abacus was never used to do computing in the manner calculators are used but this type of fallacy is key to the core of this article). Nonetheless, Gov. Romney makes the link between his business experience and his ability to fix the country’s economy; making that assertion allows for questioning how well the Governor had done in the area of job creating-turns out, not so well.
The real point here is probably not Bain Capital, it is not Gov. Romney’s experience at Bain Capital nor is it whether President Obama has the right question the aforementioned. The real point is how many Democrats voiced their opposition to the attacks. And maybe that is not the point to this either. The most direct point is why these or many other Democrats have not taken a stand against the outright lies that have been stated about President Obama. Instead of using the open-mics for an opportunity to grow their own political funds or offer the appearance that they are being moderate, why don't Democrats do what Republicans for done forever and stick to the jabs.
The Republican machine is superb at planting seeds and growing flowers of untruths. Here are a few things that Democrats could speak out about the next time they feel the need to get nauseated at particular attacks:
- · The Republicans claim President Obama has raised taxes since he has been in office
o FALSE- President Obama has NOT raised taxes, he lowered taxes through payroll tax cuts and tax breaks that were given directly to small businesses. Others would argue that taxes on tobacco and indoor tanning salons count for a rise in taxes but most Americans are not feeling these tax increases and those increase offset growing cost in other areas that would directly affect Americans.
- · Republicans claim President Obama has spent more than any other President
o FALSE- According to reports by Market Watch and supported by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) under the Obama Administration “federal spending is rising at the slowest pace since Dwight Eisenhower brought the Korean War to an end in the 1950s”.
- · Republicans-specifically Mitt Romney and Sean Hannity- claim that President Obama is apologizing for America and that is causing us to lose creditably in the world.
o AGAIN FALSE-According to polls by Pew and BBC World Service the US continues to inspire more confidence than any other world leaders. Gov. Romney likes to say the President is “appeasing” other countries. No one can respond better to that accusation than the President himself. In a December 2011 press conference after being asked about Republican Candidates for president saying he engages in appeasement the President said, “Ask Osama Bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top Al Qaida operatives who have been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement…or whoever’s left out there, ask them about that”.
- · Republicans claim that President Obama promised unemployment would not top 8% if the stimulus package was passed by Congress.
o FALSE- President-elect Obama and his economic team made projections (with caveats) -not promises- that the unemployment rate should not raise pass 8% and shortly after the projections were made the report writers acknowledge that their projections were wrong. Even the non-partisan groups that make projections did not and probably could not have predicted the spike that occurred.
- · Paul Ryan—the Medicare-as-we-know-it destroyer and Chair of the Republican Majority House Budget Committee claims that the President has doubled the size of government
o IF YOU THINK FALSE, YOU MIGHT BE A MIND-READER-Again, Republicans are brilliant when it comes to planting seeds that grow into tall trees of untruths. Ryan made this statement on his website using bad numbers for a baseline (2008 numbers—the numbers were not bad but President Obama did not have full control over a budget until next fiscal year budget). Ryan also took a big stretch when he used the 2021 Fiscal Year (FY ’21) as the comparison point for doubling. To that line of comparison one most say, really?! Congressman Ryan compared the budget in 2008 to the budget in 2021 and uses the comparison to say the President HAS doubled the size of government. And that is why they are good at what they do!!
So to all of my Republican friends, I salute you. You stick together, you hold to the talking points—even when they are not true. Not many Republicans will stand-up to publicly say ‘Obamacare is Romneycare’, or highlight that the Romney budget blueprint is the same one that President G.W. Bush used; ultimately ushering the country into the Great Recession. Nope, not many Republicans will stand against Romney because Republicans understand that a unified front (whether it makes sense or not, whether it is true or not) is much more attractive than a system of inconsistency. If voters turn on their televisions or radios, pull up their favorite websites or blogs and hear the same consistent message then it might be true---who has time to fact check. But if voters turn on their television and hear one message then turn on their radio and hear another message, an opposing message---from people who are claiming to be on the same team, then the waters are muddy and the effort to excite the voter behind one cause or one mission is deflated.
The Republican message works so well because they stick to it. Who cares if Mayor Booker gets political support from venture-capitalist or Harold Ford, Jr. works for Merrill Lynch---come on guys you are not only trained analytical thinkers (as both have backgrounds in the legal field) but you both have long histories in politics. Any issue that aligns you away from the greatest good (i.e. in this case the re-election of a Democrat President) is an issue you should circumvent. Stick to the talking points----there are plenty and if you cannot do that, just go with the five myths to dispel about your guy, I just gave them to you and unlike the other nonsense this stuff is worthy of reminding voters.
Kenny Rodgers
