The president’s “you didn’t build that” statement has not only framed the race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney exactly as Romney needed, it has transformed Romney’s campaign. He gave a very good speech last week at the NAACP convention, but even the strength of that performance was as nothing next to what he’s done over the past two days. I’ve now watched Romney’s speeches yesterday and today centering on the remark and its meaning, and what I’m seeing is a Mitt Romney come alive—or at least, a Romney new to me. He has always been articulate and with a command of facts and figures, but the distanced awkwardness that accompanied them has suddenly vanished. In their place is a loose, fluid, confident, and passionate spokesman defending the free enterprise system against Obama’s government-centered approach. Romney has done something you hear people talk about theoretically but which doesn’t often happen—he has found his voice as a presidential candidate. And it’s all due to Barack Obama. I hope a fruit basket is on the way to the White House. It would only be polite.
Contentions
May 2013
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Articles
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"My Negro Problem-and Ours" at 50
Norman Podhoretz -
Gay Marriage, the Court, and Federalism
Tara Helfman -
The Spirit of '75?
Algis ValiunasAn audacious, and wrong, argument about the American Revolution.
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In Praise of Sheryl Sandberg
Christine RosenThe controversial Facebook executive's book is exactly the right kind of self-help.
Fiction
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Onto a Good Thing
Joseph Epstein
Politics & Ideas
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The Bureaucrat-Driven Life
Heather Wilhelm -
The Making of an Education Reformer
Sohrab Ahmari -
Bork's Watergate
James Rosen -
Dear Prudence
Paul O. Carrese -
Whose Accomplishments?
Mona Charen
Culture & Civilization
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The Parenting Trap
Dana Mack -
George Saunders, Anti-Minimalist
Fernanda Moore -
A Chekhov in Training
Terry Teachout -
What Ailes the Liberal Media?
Andrew Ferguson
John Podhoretz
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Taking Obama's Foreign Policy Seriously
John Podhoretz
Threat Assessment
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More Genocide Threats from Iran
Jonathan S. Tobin
Letters
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Denying Jewish Peoplehood-and Reality
Our ReadersResponses to Robert S. Wistrich's "The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism"
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Gun Laws, Crime, and Freedom
Our ReadersResponses to Benjamin Domenech's "The Truth About Mass Shootings and Gun Control"
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Don't Confuse Principle and Pose
Our ReadersResponses to Matthew Continetti's "Poseur Politics in the Era of Obama"
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Jews and Sports
Our Readers
Enter Laughing
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Wouldn't it stand to reason that "The private sector is doing ok" and "You didn't do anything on your own" are in stark contradiction of one another? Seems to me that even if one of those statements is true the other one can't be.
They're not necessarily contradictory. n nHe could have meant "The private sector is doing OK" because "it's been built by the government." n n:-)
As part of the Party's latest 5 year plan.
The fruit in that basket just better all come from the United States!
The things people say when they go off the Teleprompter.
This is why I found the recent criticisms of Romney's lack of responses frustrating. The Romney campaign noted last week that the Bain critiques were bleeding Obama's finances AND not moving the polls significantly. nRomney was holding off until he had a target that he could build his case around. Romney's response yesterday was great and I'm confident he'll build on it now.
Yeah, I don't understand the "Mitness Protection Program" complaints. He has been at least as active and aggressive as one could hope and yes, he smelled blood and pounced upon its source. What more could you want? The only thing one could really ask is for a time machine so he could have embraced and demonstrated these principles throughout his career.
I think Obama's already got the "it's never their fault" crowd (and I suspect a lot of them are the ones who don't bother voting either). I believe most people hope they'll think of something like Pet rocks or post it notes and get rich (look at all the lottery tickets people buy) or become a You Tube sensation or something. People want the chance to get rich and don't care for programs that might keep it from happening or anyone who tells them it's not going to happen, to get real. I think Obama's message was that last, kind of his saying you can't escape your class/status (but, he comforts it by saying that under his policies everyone will be raised up equally by as much as he can take from the wealthy). But, nobody wants Obama to take from them when they do win the lottery or come up with the new hula hoop or something.
Even crack dealers on the corner uptown know that if they want to do their business, it's them and nobody else that's gonna get it done. And btw, why the ignorance of the fact that all the stuff Obama is talking about that makes private enterprise possible is built with tax-money paid by people who earned it from their private enterprise?? I know crackdealers aren't paying tax to support the system they exploit but they are lawless low-rent entrepreneurs, aren't they? "But we must not forget that the visions of genius become the canned-goods of the intellectuals." ~Saul Bellow
He's got them now. He had them in '08. How have they changed in four years? Are there more or less of them? Are they more or less motivated to turn out. I think it is plain that while the grievance lobby has increased also has the realization that grievance cannot seize what is never produced. Not that the NAACP or their clients would admit it but they know it still. We will see depressed turnout from so-called "minorities" and other Obama clients this time out. And that is just on economic terms. Really, the skunk that sprayed straight into Obama's face was gay marriage. It sunk him in SC. It sunk him with blacks, Catholics (Obamacare hurt too) and West Virginia type Dems. Butter him up. He's toast.
Who's the fruit? Romney? Obama?
I have written for about a month now that Mr Romney has already won this upcoming election–and I see no reason to change my mind now. In fact I see a bigger victory for Mr Romney, than I saw a month ago. I n nMy advice Mr Romney is to step on the gas.
In the Beginning there was Government. And Government bestowed upon the People the right to be successful. And the Government helped the People be successful. And the People bowed down to Government and gave back to Government all that they had wrought. n nExcept not all of the People Government helped were successful. Many People did not have the will to be successful, or the skill to be successful. Most of these People who could not succeed were too lazy to succeed. Most of the lazy People were lazy because they treated their inability to cope with life’s realities with mood enhancing and mind altering drugs. n nSo, Government took from the resources they gave to help the successful People and gave more to the unsuccessful People. The successful People became less successful. And…
Except that alot of those "unsuccessful" people are hard-working folks raising families and providing goods and services vital to the brilliant entrepreneurs–slagging them as parasitical, lazy nitwits who can't attain the level of a Steve Jobs because they are meth addicts is not a way to win elections. And being successful gods of free enterprise haven't kept our lords of free enterprise from gaming the government teat when it was advantageous.
"gaming the government teat when it was advantageous …" n nThis is an important point, an important part of government, and not as a criticism of business — and I would have thought that it's also the point on which Obama is completely ideologically incapable of using to turn the economy around, except that he has stated and ordered EPA to comply, that he is going to make energy sources he doesn't approve of impossible to afford. n nCongress has the ability to direct and encourage initiative with legislation. In that sense they want you to game the system, it's only smart to do so. n nThe Obama difference is that his plans do not encourage positive behavior, such as allow deductions for employee health plans or deductions for homeowners to be energy efficient in dozens of ways, which businesses make sure they tell home owners all about — but has the EPA destroy the coal industry and everybody who uses energy.
You did not listen to Romney at all as he talked about the people at all levels from the barber to the Ford's. It is not about how much money you make or do not make, it is the individual instead of the group. Whether it is a young high school dropout that goes for a GED or an inovative college student that creates Facebook or a wealthy man's son who creates a chain from Dad's start – it is about each individual effort within the circumstances they are in to reach higher. Higher success is not always money, maybe it is the Doctor who started Doctors without Borders. It is a philosophy not about rich and poor but the Liberals these days (used to be different) seem to cater only to the dumb voter or the easily manipulated voter. Listen, think, and if you still think Obama is your man – great but do not vote based on the silly. Romney 2012
Barack Obama is losing the culturally liberal suburbanite who is rapidly realizing the pro-abortion and pro gay marriage Democratic Party standard bearer—also expects them to pick up the bills for his expansive welfare state policies! These gullible people fell for the myth that today's Democrats are equally good on economic policies. They will now vote for Mitt Romney out of pure economic self preservation.
I doubt very much if these envious people represent more than 45% of the electorate. Mitt Romney should comfortably win on Election Day. The majority of Americans, thankfully, do not perceive themselves as victims!
Please, whatever you do Mitt–with their default defense being to call truthful opposition racists — don't send him any watermelon in that fruit basket.
Obama has a recurring nightmare: he believes that Harrison Bergeron is after him and catches him in the end.
You're talking about a constituency that's already in the bag for Obama.
Guys like this writer have never really listened to Romney, they had their own choice in the primaries and he wasn't it. It is just now they are starting to pay attention and finding a new Romney, he is the same old Romney, they just bought into the line that he was stiff, not a good speaker, etc because that is what they wanted the conservatives to think so they would choose one of the other candidates in the Primary. Limbaugh, Levin, Kristol, Hannidy, Hays and numerous others did not listen to Romney nor care as they continually complained about Romney now the people chose him as a candidate so they have to say "he has changed, now he is a good pick".. he was always the right choice and the Primary voters knew even if the right media did not. Romney 2012
And the card accompanying the fruit basket should say, "This is really from you since the owners of the fruit basket company didn't really build this on their own."
Obama is correct. Without workers most businesses would be out of business.
You joke or you provoke. JEB is the RINO descendant of ten thousand RINOs. He makes Romney look like Reagan.