The President was speaking in Roanoke, Virginia, a few days ago and delivered some remarks that could be welcome by some but served to produce a strong reaction in the business community.
Report from Fox News:
Prominent business groups are joining conservatives and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in calling out President Obama for his recent comments about the relationship between government and business.
The president made the comments Friday during a speech to supporters in Roanoke, Va. Arguing that successful business owners got help from others along the way and suggesting they should pay more in taxes in return, he noted how government often provides the infrastructure needed for success. “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that,” Obama said. “Somebody else made that happen.”
David Chavern, chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce, accused Obama of slighting the remarkable achievements of extraordinary individuals.
“We should applaud the risk-takers and the dreamers who are willing to stand out from the crowd,” Chavern said in a Chamber blog. “Rather than denigrate what these people have done, we need to encourage more people to be like them.”
The National Federation of Independent Business said the president’s “unfortunate remarks over the weekend show an utter lack of understanding and appreciation for the people who take a huge personal risk and work endless hours to start a business and create jobs.”
The President has gone all-in on the campaign strategy of asking the wealthiest Americans to pay higher taxes in the hopes that he can build a populist message and find a majority coalition agreeing with these philosophies. Clearly these types of comments are aimed at Mitt Romney’s business background and wealth since he will be the target President Obama is most often speaking of.
