Stop claiming Obama said what he said, just because he said it

Daily Caller ^ | 7-25-2012 | Jim Treacher

[Sir Napsalot]

You might think that just because President Barack Obama stepped up to a podium and said certain words in a certain order — “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that” — and it was caught on tape, that means he really said it in real life. Nice try, wingnut! You’re a big fat liar.

Here, shut up for a minute and let him explain:

....

The context of “You didn’t build that” is: “You didn’t build that because of your hard work and intelligence. You depend on the government, not the other way around.” I can see why he’d want to remind us that he thinks this way.

The Republicans keep being mean to Obama by reminding him of what he said, out loud, into a live microphone, in front of television cameras:

.....

Quoting the President of the United States is racist.

This has now gone beyond Obama’s collectivist, big-government beliefs. Most people have figured those out by now, assuming they haven’t been in a coma for the last four years. This is just the latest example of Obama looking you in the eye and telling you 2 + 2 = 5. This is about the Obama campaign depending on voters being too ignorant to know they’re being told the most blatant, ridiculous lies. This is about Obama thinking Americans are stupid.

And he may have a point. After all, we did elect him.

[Sir Napsalot]

As only Treacher can put it .....

[TomGuy]

Exactly!

You are you going to believe? Big Ears or your lying ears?

[Flash Bazbeaux]

I saw the actual video, and I think a case can be made that when Obama talked about roads and bridges, and then said

‘If you have a business, you didn’t build that, somebody else did”

he meant, ungramatically, “If you have a business [and,for that matter, even if you don’t have a business], you didn’t build that [infrastructure — i.e. the roads and bridges, somebody else did.

This happens a lot. People say “If you’re a basball fan, the Yankees won last night”. Well, they won even if you aren’t a baseball fan, but the meaning is if you are a fan, you may be interested in the fact that they won.

Another construction often used is “As a fisherman, the new laws are too restrictive”. How restrictive they are has nothing to do with your status as a fisherman. What is really meant is “As a fisherman, it is my opinion that the new laws are new restrictive.

So Obama had a way out. But that’s not what his shills are claiming he meant.

[Raycpa]

I think I finally see the light. If this nation wants true success, true financial security, true happiness we must turn over all our wealth to the government so they can use it to make us all wealthier. Enough of relying on a few entrepreneurs to take all the risks and never have enough capital. We can let the government do it. Just look at their track record in education, VA hospitals, delivering mail. Who can match that record?

[Venturer]

Hey: Jim Treacher:
Who are you calling “WE” Kemo Sabay.

I didn’t elect this Muslim fraud.
Maybe you voted for this Narcissist POS but I didn’t.

I worked in the District of Columbia under 3 Mayors who were just as incompetent as he is. I wasn’t about to vote for this clown.

If Obama’s mouth is moving, he is lying.

It frightens me to think almost half of America will vote for this Communist again.

[Kirkwood]

Find a business owned by liberals. Call them up and tell them that their business license is being revoked and someone from the govt will be there tomorrow to change the locks and remove the contents. Tell them everything is being shipped to an illegal immigrant family living in Chicago who deserves it more. When they start yelling, tell them it doesn’t matter what they say because the business doesn’t belong to them because they didn’t build it. The govt built it and is taking it back.

[TexasCajun]

There is a reason Obamah doesn’t leave home without his crutch teleprompter.

[T Ruth]

No reasonable interpretation of Obama's words can make him out to have meant that "you didn't build roads and bridges."

First, "business" is the nearest antecedent to "that."

Second, "roads and bridges" would have required him to say "you didn't build those."

And third, he didn't assert that business people are running around claiming that they built roads and bridges. So there was no need for him to correct them on that point.

In context, Obama was clearly saying: you business owners are not as smart as you think you are, and your not as hard-working as you think you are. In fact, you're freeloading off the rest of us who provide a government for you to take advantage of. Your business?? "Somebody else made that happen."

[kushnejz]

Nice try, almost is plausible explanation. Unfortunately he also said “that it wasn’t because you’re smarter, because a lot of people are smart and it wasn’t be cause you worked harder because a lot of people work hard, let me tell you”. Put it in context and everybody know what he really believes. And he can say this because he’s smarter than everybody or he thinks back about all the assistance he got to get to the Presidency. Stolen SS#, Chicago mafia, dumb electorate, Reid & Pelosi

[tcrlaf]

I think ALL of you are missing the point, here...

The Mostly-queer run media, has the MSNBC Klux Klansters ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that Obama didn’t actually say what Obama actually said, and that it’s all ‘Taken Out of Context’.

This, after all those years of “Mission Accomplished” bull...

We have to keep pushing this home, because 90% of the mainstream media is telling the sheeple we are RACISTS and LIARS for quoting Obama’s actual words!

[frithguild]

[PhilDragoo]

SOMEBODY ELSE MADE THAT HAPPEN

[Kharis13]

This short statement is the gift that keeps on giving. Team Romney needs to continue to pound this.

[pepsi_junkie]

he meant, ungramatically, “If you have a business [and,for that matter, even if you don’t have a business], you didn’t build that [infrastructure — i.e. the roads and bridges, somebody else did.

I agree, I think he was trying to say "we have a network of roads and bridges and if you have a business (that relies on them), you didn't build all that." Of course Newt Gingrich didn't want to snuff old people and enslave kids in the 90s either but poorly worded quotes taken out of context and played back relentlessly made him a monster in the eyes of a lot of people. Good for the goose, good for the gander. Obama said it, and the truth is he really beleives what he's being accused of so it's not even dishonest to slam him on it. Lay it on him!

[Flash Bazbeaux]

I’m not saying that he really meant what I suggested. I’m just saying that it gave him a plausible way to deal with his statement, but since he didn’t go there, and none of his shills have gone there, my theory is obviously wrong.

The grammar analysis is not conclusive, in my opinion. People, even Presidents of these 57 United States, do not always speak perfectly.

As for the “context” argument, there’s no question that Obama looks at people who put their entire lives at risk, and work long hours, to pursue happiness their own way, instead of scheming how to glom on to some big institutional gravy train, as either stupid or crooked.

Romney’s response “the context was worse than the quote” was a pretty clever response.

And anyone who speaks in public needs to remember is how words look in print.

Remember “My Cousin Vinny” where the Sheriff says to Ralph Macchio “You killed him”, and Macchio says back in an incredulous tone “I killed him?”, as a question?

In print it looks like a statement of fact. When they read it in court, they called it an admission.

The “O” is making a mistake if he keeps accusing the Pubs of taking this out of context, because every time you try to explain how the Pubs are being unfair, you have to repeat the quote.

Remember when 60 minutes faked the explosion of a GM SUV? GM chose not to sue. I have always believed their decision went like this:

If we sue 60 Minutes, the suit will be news. It will be news all over the TV. And on TV, you have to show pictures. And the picture that will be shown will be the exploding SUV. Everyone one will see the exploding SUV, and no one will clue in that the story is how the explosion was faked. So let’s don’t go there.

Either way, I think this may prove to be the gift that keeps on giving.

[kevkrom]

The larger context belies even that “out” however, as he goes on to dismiss the idea that a business is successful because the owner is smarter or works harder.

All that aside, it really doesn’t matter what he meant to say, because “you didn’t build that [the government did]” tells the truth of Obama. It resonates because it reflects what he’s really all about, and no amount of context, spin, or backtracking can put that cat back in the bag.

Of course, all of the sycophantic libs who are tying to get us to believe that Obama didn’t say what he said, etc., probably also believe that Sarah Palin thinks she can see Russia from her house.