You didn't build that
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"You didn't build that" is a phrase from a
The sentence "If you've got a business, you didn't build that" was publicized by his political opponents during the 2012 presidential campaign as an attack by Obama on business and entrepreneurs.[1][2][3] The Obama campaign responded that the criticisms were taking the phrase out of context, and the word "that" in the phrase was referring to the construction of "roads and bridges" in the previous sentence.[4]
Fact-checking organizations reported that Obama's remarks were incorrectly used out of context to criticize him.[4][5] The Washington Post commented that his remarks reflected the belief, common among Democrats, that successful citizens owed their success partly to public infrastructure and government spending, and that they should contribute to finance public works.[6] The Republican Party continued to use the phrase to criticize Obama throughout the 2012 presidential campaign.[7]
Background
In August 2011, while contemplating a run for the U.S. Senate, former White House financial reform adviser
I hear all this, you know, 'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever.' No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.
Obama later echoed Warren's thoughts when he spoke in Roanoke, Virginia, about how private businesses rely on government investments in infrastructure.[13][14] In her victory speech on November 6, 2012, after winning the Senate election in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren made a callback, stating that it had been "an amazing campaign, and let me be clear, I didn't build that, you built that."[15]
Speech
On July 13, 2012, during a campaign swing through Virginia, Obama stopped in Roanoke to speak to supporters.
There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me – because they want to give something back. They know they didn't – look, 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 because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. 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. (Applause.)
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. 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.
The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.[18]
Obama then cited the funding of the G.I. Bill, the creation of the middle class, the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam, creation of the Internet, and landing on the Moon as examples.[11]
Campaign statements
Romney campaign
The following Monday, July 16, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney spoke about the "you didn't build that" statement in a campaign stump speech.[19] The following day, Romney rebuffed Obama's statement in Pennsylvania by saying:
To say that Steve Jobs didn't build Apple, that Henry Ford didn't build Ford Motors, that Papa John didn't build Papa John Pizza ... To say something like that, it's not just foolishness. It's insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in America.
— Mitt Romney[20]
This was followed by campaign events with small business owners in multiple states (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Nevada);[21] two small business owners who spoke at one of the campaign events in Florida have government contracts.[22] A new part of the Romney campaign website was created,[23][24] and merchandise related to the statement was produced.[25]
The second day of the 2012 Republican National Convention was themed "We Built It" as both a celebration of small businesses and an attack on Obama's comments.
Obama campaign
On July 17, 2012, the Obama campaign stated that the statement was taken out of context, and that the phrase referred to "roads and bridges" from the previous sentence.[4][32] As the statement gained traction, the campaign ran new ads in multiple states (Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, and Nevada) where the President directly countered Romney's claims.[33][34] In the ad Obama says while looking directly at the camera:
Those ads taking my words about small business out of context? They're flat out wrong ... Of course Americans build their own businesses.
— President Barack Obama[33]
While speaking at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, on July 24,[35] Obama rebuked the Romney campaign by saying:
And Mr. Romney disagrees with this, and he is entitled to his opinion. But the approach that he is talking about is not going to help small businesses and it's not going to create more markets for large businesses. He is wrong. We did not build this country on our own. We built it together. And if Mr. Romney doesn't understand that, then he doesn't understand what it takes to grow this economy in the 21st century for everybody.
— President Obama[36]
Response
Although the remark was not initially seen as significant,[
Conservative commentators
An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal on July 17, 2012, stated that the speech is a "burst of ideological candor" and that the statement meant that "the self-made man is an illusion".[39] In another Wall Street Journal piece, James Taranto wrote that "The president's remark was a direct attack on the principle of individual responsibility, the foundation of American freedom."[40] Later, Kimberley Strassel wrote that the portion of the speech that spoke about Obama's views on the relationship between business and government was similar to statements made by Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and that the effect of the speech was to "suck away the president's momentum".[41]
In
In
Liberal commentators
In researching the 2002 Winter Olympics, NBC News' Domenico Montanaro posited that Romney had made a similar statement during his speech during those games' opening ceremony, where he said:
Tonight we cheer the Olympians, who only yesterday were children themselves. As we watch them over the next 16 days, we affirm that our aspirations, and those of our children and grandchildren, can become reality. We salute you Olympians – both because you dreamed and because you paid the price to make your dreams real. You guys pushed yourself, drove yourself, sacrificed, trained and competed time and again at winning and losing.
You Olympians, however, know you didn't get here solely on your own power. For most of you, loving parents, sisters or brothers, encouraged your hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues in order to organize competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them. We've already cheered the Olympians, let's also cheer the parents, coaches, and communities. All right!— Mitt Romney[53]
In
In the
Fact-checking organizations
FactCheck.org said that the Romney campaign and Republicans have used quotations from the speech out of context, failing to include Obama's remarks about how infrastructure and education promote business success. In an update to the post, responses from the Obama campaign were added, explaining the president's intended meanings of infrastructure and education. FactCheck.org said "We don't know what the president had in mind when he uttered those words, and his intent is not clear. Regardless, our conclusion is the same: Taking snippets of his speech ignores the larger context of the president's meaning that a business owner does not become successful 'on your own.'" Romney was commended, however, for acknowledging Obama's wider context in a July 17 campaign speech Romney gave criticizing Obama's "You didn't build that" remark.[4]
Comedic commentators
On
References
- ^ Weiner, Juli (July 18, 2012). "The Rise of Romney's "You Didn't Build That" Meme". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ a b Cohen, Michael (August 29, 2012). "They built that: how a Republican lie turned into an alternate universe". The Guardian. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ "Romney hammers 'you didn't build that' in new web ad", Fox News, July 19, 2012
- ^ The FactCheck Wire. Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ a b "Putting Mitt Romney's attacks on 'You didn't build that' to the Truth-O-Meter". Politifact. Tampa Bay Times. July 25, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ a b Kessler, Glenn (July 23, 2012). "An unoriginal Obama quote, taken out of context". Washington Post. The Fact Checker. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ Johnson, Melody (August 21, 2012). ""You Didn't Build That": How Fox News Crafted The GOP's Convention Theme". Media Matters for America. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Smerconish, Michael (July 30, 2012). "'You Didn't Build That!' in Context". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ Sargent, Greg (September 21, 2011). "Class warfare, Elizabeth Warren style". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ Elizabeth Warren speaking in Andover, Massachusetts, on Debt Crisis and Fair Taxation
- ^ a b c Smerconish, Michael (July 30, 2012). "The context behind Obama's 'you didn't build that'". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ "Elizabeth Warren: "There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own"". www.cbsnews.com. September 22, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ Robillard, Kevin (July 25, 2012). "Scott Brown: Obama echoed Elizabeth Warren speech". Politico. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ Trumbull, Mark (July 31, 2012). "Elizabeth Warren: What will Obama's 'you didn't build that' ally say to DNC?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ Democrat Warren Tops Brown In Mass. Senate Race WBUR.org, November 6, 2012; accessed October 30, 2014.
- ^ "Obama campaign in full swing in Virginia". San Francisco Chronicle. July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
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- ^ a b Kathleen Hennessey (July 18, 2012). "Republicans pouncing on Obama's 'you didn't build that' remark". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
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- ^ "Romney Doubles Down On "You Didn't Build That" With New Website". Talk Radio News Service. July 26, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ "Built By US". Romney for President, Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ Kevin Bohn; Gregory Wallace (July 28, 2012). "Romney's son plugs 'Built By Us' merchandise jabbing at Obama remark". CNN. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ Wes Barrett (August 21, 2012). "We Built This". Fox Nation. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ a b "Say it in Song". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. August 27, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "GOP Announces Convention Theme "We Built This" In Stadium Built With 62% Government Funds". The Daily Dolt. Retrieved August 30, 2012.[self-published source]
- Taegan D. Goddard (August 22, 2012). "GOP Convention Held in Stadium Built With Public Funds". Political Wire. CQ Roll Call. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ David Sirota (August 29, 2012). "The four biggest convention stories you won't hear about". Salon. Salon Media Group, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ Lane Turner (2012). Song At RNC: "I Built It" (480p). Tampa, Florida: TPMTV. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "Fact check: What President Obama actually said about small businesses". Truth team. Obama for America. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ a b Philip Elliot (July 29, 2012). "SPIN METER: Obama's 'You didn't build that' echoes". North County Times. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ Barack Obama (2012). "Always" – Obama for America TV Ad (360p). BarackObamadotcom. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ David Sorasohn (July 28, 2012). "Barack Obama in Portland campaigns right down the middle". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
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- ^ Juli Weiner (July 18, 2012). "The Rise of Romney's "You Didn't Build That" Meme". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (December 28, 2012). "The top 10 political quotes of 2012". Washington Post. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
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- ^ Kimberley A. Strassel (July 26, 2012). "Four Little Words: Why the Obama campaign is suddenly so worried". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
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- ^ Andrew Cline (August 10, 2012). "What 'You Didn't Build That' Really Means—and Why Romney Can't Explain It". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Clive Crook (July 22, 2012). "There's No Such Thing as Building a Business". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Jonah Goldberg (July 20, 2012). "Co-sponsoring Your Success". National Review Online. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- Salem Communications. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ Rachael Larimore (August 30, 2012). ""You Didn't Build That" Isn't Going Away". Slate. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Premiere Radio Networks. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "The Most Telling Moment of Obama's Presidency: "You Didn't Build That"". RushLimbaugh.com. Premiere Radio Networks. August 24, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ Mark Levin (2012). Romney Goes On Offense, Mark Levin Reacts. New York: Fox News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012. Alt URL
- ^ Josh Barro (July 30, 2012). "Why 'You Didn't Build That' Resonates". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ Domenico Montanaro (July 23, 2012). "Romney to Olympians: 'You didn't get here solely on your own'". NBC News. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Nelson Davis (July 26, 2012). "We Did Build That". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ Alan Colmes (August 27, 2012). "I Didn't Write This". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- ^ Anthony Gregory (July 24, 2012). "Then, Who DID Build It, Mr. President?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ Jonathan Chait (July 27, 2012). "The Real Reason 'You Didn't Build That' Works". New York. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ Charles Kenny (July 22, 2012). "Sorry, Mitt: Businesses Aren't Built on Their Own". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ Andy Newbold (August 17, 2012). "Fox Hypes Romney Campaign Attack On Obama Based On Deceptively Edited Comments". Blog. Media Matters for America. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ Justin Berrier (July 25, 2012). "Fox Claims To Offer "Context" For Obama Comments -- Then Airs Another Deceptively Edited Clip". Blog. Media Matters for America. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
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Jobless claims rose again by 35,000 last week. Not good. But it does show that if you're unsuccessful in this country, you didn't do it on your own. You had help. Thank you, President Obama. Thank you. You're not alone, you didn't do it alone.
- ^ Gary Varvel; Michael Ramirez; Steve Kelley (August 11, 2012). "Obama defines success". Political cartoonists index. Cagle Cartoons, Inc. Retrieved August 17, 2012.