Mitt Romney has spent the better part of two weeks hammering President Obama with his out of context “you didn’t build that” attack, claiming that the remark proves that President Obama is some sort of out of touch socialist.
Unfortunately for Romney, he has had some trouble making the case stick. Several incidents in Romney’s past undermine his attack, and many of the “self-made” businesses that he’s used as props have actually received substantial support from the government. Overall, as Adam Serwer writes in Mother Jones, “If Romney was trying to prove that businesses only succeed on the backs of Galtian ubermensches with no external help, he’s mostly proved the opposite point.”
Here are Romney’s five worst “you didn’t build that” moments (so far:)
The Star Of Romney’s Anti-Government Ad Received Millions In Government Loans
Jack Gilchrist, the star of the above ad — which splices two parts of Obama’s speech together to make it seem as though the president is directly attacking businessmen — asks incredulously, “my hands didn’t build this company?”
They did, but not without some government help. As ABC’s Jake Tapper reports, Gilchrist’s company has received well over $1,000,000 in government loans and contracts over the past three decades.
We Did Build It! (With A Little Help From The Government.)
Serwer reports that Endural LLC and Philatron Wire and Cable — representatives of which met with Romney on Monday in front of a sign proclaiming “We Did Build It!” — received hundreds of thousands of dollars in government contracts.
“This Is Not The Result Of Government” — Except For That Loan
At a campaign stop at Middlsex Truck & Coach last week, Romney praised the auto repair shop, declaring “This is not the result of government…This is the result of people who take risk, who have dreams, who build for themselves and for their families.”
As it turns out, the company’s success does have a lot to do with government. As owner Brian Maloney acknowledged in an interview after the event, “The only way I was able to come here, because I had no money, was with an industrial-revenue bond.”
Obama’s Speech Was Practically Quoting Romney
As this video from the Obama campaign shows, Obama’s quote — in full context — echoes similar statements that Romney has made on the stump.
Additionally, Romney told Olympians in 2002 that “You Olympians, however, know you didn’t get here solely on your own power…All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them.”
Romney’s Own Company Got A Government Bailout
Romney himself has benefited from the help of the federal government. In 1991, Romney personally saved Bain & Company from bankruptcy — by convincing the FDIC to give him a $10 million bailout. Add that to the list of successes that Mitt can never, ever talk about.
