In response to President Obama’s recent, harsh claims that business owners didn’t build their own businesses, the Romney campaign has released a “Built It” t-shirt and a video, “These Hands,” demonstrating Romney’s allegiance to business owners.
The red, white, and blue Romney “Built It” shirt features the words “I built my business, Mr. President” on the front. On the back is a quote from Romney’s public response to Obama’s comments that is also featured in the video: “The idea to say that Steve Jobs didn’t build Apple, that Henry Ford didn’t build Ford Motor… is not just foolishness, it’s insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in America, and it’s wrong.”
The “Built It” t-shirt and “These Hands” video represent the Romney campaign’s effort to embrace and support business owners after President Obama has publicly demeaned them.
The video begins with scenes from Gilchrist Metal Fabricating Company in Hudson, New Hampshire, which is run by Jack Gilchrist and his family. A recording of Obama from Friday night’s campaign rally in Virginia plays in the background: “Hey, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, ‘Well, it must be cause I was just so smart.’ There are a lot of smart people out there.”
The recording continues, “Let me tell you something: if you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”
Then, the video cuts to a clip of business owner Gilchrist expressing his exasperation with Obama’s comments: “President Obama, you’re killing us out here. Through hard work and a little bit of luck we built this business. Why are you demonizing us for it? We are the solution, not the problem.”
He continues, “It’s time we had somebody who believes in us, someone who believes that achievement should be rewarded, not punished. We need somebody who believes in America.”
The video closes with a clip of Mitt Romney who declares, “President Obama attacks success and therefore under President Obama we have less success, and I will change that.” Then, final frame flashes the words, “After four years of being torn down, it’s time to rebuild.”
Obama’s insistence that the wealthy are not responsible for their own success strongly resembles the beliefs of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren, who once said, “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody.”
The “Built It” shirt can be purchased for $20, and the money goes to Romney’s presidential campaign.
About Morgan Chalfant
I was a small business owner, not once but twice! I’m not selfish at all. In fact, I’ve shared in my success with others at every turn. However, it was ME that sacrificed by retirement savings, kids’ college savings and secured SBA loans to run and sustain my businesses. No help from family, friends or the employees I PAID without a miss to ensure they ate first and paid their mortages first before my family did so that I could “Discover The American Dream”. The “Dream” of being an independant business owner who could control thier own financial destiny, personal dreams and continue to provide for those to do the same.
I BUILT MY BUSINESS and did so with my own money, sleepless nights and family eating mac and cheese literally to ensure payroll was met for others to be able to dine out for dinner. No matter. I did and continue to do my part for my family and for others. I may no longer own my own companies, and have since become a highly sought after C-level executive, I utilize my experiences as an independant business owner to help other business owners grow their share of the pie and create wealth moments for those they provide “Cover” for.
it is now time for the Romney team to do the right thing. Shine a light on those that have built their companies from the ground up. Celebrate them and not shame and ridicule them for being successful. It’s interesting that we all strive to become “Rich, Famous and/Or Successful” only to be ridiculed and mocked for doing so along the way. That’s what the Obama ideology has built. Last I checked, many small to mid-sized companies minted many new business owners from their ranks. Even corporate super powers like Google, Amazon and Apple have minted leaders who continue to deploy new and hightly profitable companies started by those who lived under the corporate cover of these napkin and coffee shop derived entities. They contniue to pay it forward…
Romney–please get America back. Back to the basics. Back to celebrating hard work. Back to being humble yet hungry for prosperity. Back to being about its people and their goals. Back to supporting those who have a plan, plan their work and work their plans. Back to making sure that striving for betterment is not wrong but right. Back to hard work and not entitlement.