Romney Campaign Press Release - Obama Built It: A Record That's Harming Job Creators

"When President Obama told hard-working Americans they didn't build their businesses, it wasn't just a poor choice of words – the President admitted he doesn't respect our nation's job creators. For nearly four years, President Obama has supported policies that will burden small businesses and kill jobs. And a second Obama term won't be any different, with tax hikes that will jeopardize 710,000 jobs. Mitt Romney has a different plan, which will empower small businesses and help create 12 million new jobs." – Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Four Years Ago, Candidate Obama Promised To Create An Environment Where Entrepreneurs "Can Take A Risk And Start A New Business":

Candidate Obama, At The 2008 Democratic Convention: "We Measure The Strength Of Our Economy ... By Whether Someone With A Good Idea Can Take A Risk And Start A New Business..."  OBAMA: "We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job – an economy that honors the dignity of work." (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

But President Obama Has Derided Small-Business Owners By Telling Them They "Didn't Build" Their Businesses:

President Obama, In July: "If You've Got A Business, You Didn't Build That. Somebody Else Made That Happen." OBAMA: "Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet." (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Roanoke, VA, 7/13/12)

• President Obama: "It Must Be Because I Worked Harder Than Everybody Else.  Let Me Tell You Something -- There Are A Whole Bunch Of Hardworking People Out There." (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Roanoke, VA, 7/13/12)

President Obama's Remarks Have "Taken A Campaign Toll." "Relentless GOP criticism of a 12-day-old remark about business owners has taken a campaign toll on President Barack Obama, forcing him to defend himself and giving Republican Mitt Romney a break from steady attacks. ... 'If you've got a business, you didn't build that,' Obama said, in part. 'Somebody else made that happen.'" (Charles Babington, "GOP Puts Obama On Defense Over Remark About Business Owners," The Associated Press, 7/26/12)

"The Obama Campaign Is Now On Full-Court-Press Defense..." "After ten days of relatively muted response to Mitt Romney's 'you didn't build that' attacks, the Obama campaign is now on full-court-press defense, with the president appearing in a new battleground state TV ad to offer a personal rebuttal." (Devin Dwyer And Mary Bruce, "Obama Appears In Ad To Rebut 'You Didn't Build That' Attacks," ABC News, 7/24/12)

Even "Democratic Strategists Acknowledged" That President Obama "Was Being Hurt" By His "You Didn't Build That" Remarks. "Democratic strategists acknowledged Wednesday that Obama was being hurt, at least a little, by Romney's repeated jabs at comments the president made in Virginia on July 13, which originally drew little notice." (Charles Babington, "GOP Puts Obama On Defense Over Remark About Business Owners," The Associated Press, 7/26/12)

And It's Not Just President Obama's Rhetoric – His Record And Policies Are Hurting Our Nation's Small Businesses:

President Obama's Tax Hikes Would Subject 2.1 Million Business Owners To Higher Taxes And Would Jeopardize 710,000 Jobs. "Researchers determined the plan would actually subject 2.1 million business owners to higher rates; specifically, those who pay pass-through taxes, like most partnerships, LLCs and S-Corporations. The result, less capital in the hands of business owners and diminished labor supply, would cost the United States an estimated $200 billion in economic output and 710,000 jobs." (J.D. Harrison, "Obama Plan To Lift Top Tax Rates Would Plague Millions Of Small Businesses, Study Warns," The Washington Post, 7/17/12)

President Obama's Tax Plan "Would Hurt Small-Business Job Creators In Particular." "New research, released today by the National Federation of Independent Business, shows that allowing tax relief on the top individual rates to expire will hurt job creation and the economy. The report, published by top accounting firm Ernst & Young, shows raising top individual rates would hurt small-business job creators in particular." (NFIB, Press Release, 7/17/12)

Nearly Three-Quarters Of Small-Business Owners Blame Obamacare For Hurting Job Creation. "As part of the explanation for the general economic pessimism, 78 percent of small businesses believe that taxation, regulation and legislation from Washington make it harder for businesses to hire more employees — and 74 percent blame the recent health care reforms passed by the Obama administration for creating an impediment to job creation." (Tim Mak, "Chamber Poll: Small Biz Blames D.C.," Politico, 1/18/12)

• CNBC Headline: "Small Business On Obamacare: No Reason To Hire Or Invest" (Patricia Orsini, "Small Business On Obamacare: No Reason To Hire Or Invest," CNBC, 6/28/12)

According To The Small Business And Entrepreneurship Council, "Business Owners Remain On Edge Regarding The Tidal Wave Of Federal Government Regulation." "'Business owners remain on edge regarding the tidal wave of federal government regulation that has been advanced or proposed over the past two years. ... The pain of the harsh recession was intensified and lengthened by this hyper-regulatory environment,' Karen Kerrigan, president of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, wrote in a Jan. 12 letter to Issa."  (Philip Rucker and David S. Hilzenrath, "GOP Eyes Rules That Firms Say Hurt Jobs," The Washington Post, 2/7/11)

Burdensome Regulations And High Taxes Are Hampering Small Business Growth. "A combination of weak consumer spending, rising taxes and regulatory red tape helped make small business owners more pessimistic in May, according to data released Tuesday, its third consecutive month of decline. The National Federation of Independent Business' small-business optimism index dropped 0.3 point to 90.9 in May, following a 0.7 point decline in the prior month to 91.2." (Javier David, "Small-Business Optimism Drops," The Wall Street Journal, 6/14/11)