Radford VA Small Business Owner Chris McMurray Declines Biden Entourage Visit Over Obama “You Didn’t Build That” Comment
Radford VA resident Chris McMurray, who owns “Crumb and Get It,” is allowing Mitt Romney’s false campaign ad to be his voice of reason. He turned down a request from Joe Biden’s entourage to stop at his business, which has only been open for nearly three months. He declined the request because he doesn’t agree with the Obama administration’s policies. Okay, that’s fair game, but he used the “didn’t build that” lie being perpetuated by the Romney campaign to reach that conclusion. Come on man, use your head. What’s next?
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime but essentially I said ‘No offense to you or the campaign but I just decline you guys coming in here. At that time she said ‘Are you sure? There’s going to be a lot of press, a lot of activity,’” McMurray said.
Why in the world would a new business owner say “no” to a photo op with the Vice President of the United States?
McMurray said it was President Obama‘s recent remarks about small business and who built what.
“Very simply, ‘you didn’t build that’” McMurray said. “Speaking of small businesses and entrepreneurs all across this country and actually last night my wife was up all night. No sleep, she’s worked a full 24 hours.” Source
The Secret Service took the high road. They still purchased cookies and cupcakes from him. Well, what say you about Chris McMurray’s actions?
This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.
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I’d say he was a fool in more ways then one
Just another person who is snookered by misleading political ads and talking points. Like many he just hasn’t taken the time to look into the issue that he has such strong feelings about to see that what he regards as true is based on bad information.
Who cares? A little more relevant than the guy from megadeath, but not much.
In the last copy of TIME Joe Klein criticized Obama for part of the speech in question. Mr.Klein understood the phrase saying, “you didn’t build that,” and affirmed that the President was only referring to all the infrastructure that was built which enables our economy work. It exists largely in order to facilitate our various businesses. However, Klein continued to hold Obama responsible for seeming to minimizing the role that exceptional intelligence and ambition play in the process of creating a successful business or company.But, what Klein failed to comprehend is that even intelligence and ambition, lead nowhere without some reliance on the rest of society.
Its not that Obama doesn’t respect the great amount of intelligence and dedication to work that is usually present in successful business organizations and people, or the incredible ingenuity of motivated entrepreneurs. He understands that all of this requires special qualities and intelligence. He just wants to point out the fact that, even these qualities do not negate the fact that no man is an Island, and that no American completely makes it on his own. Successful people may have been inspired by a great teacher, or mentor that changed their views on life, and at the very least, they may only have had the luck to be in the right place at the right time. But whatever happens there are other factors involved than just rugged individuality and drive.
A President who risked hundreds of billions to save Wall Street and the auto industry certainly understands the value our free enterprise system, and yes, he must also know that intelligence and drive do make a big difference. However, being intelligent or inventive, does not make anyone a unique human being who can consider himself to be entirely self-made and superior to all the rest. In a country like ours, business and labor share an obviously symbiotic relationship that should benefit both. In that sense even the leaders of industry and the CEOs on Wall Street are no better than the rest of us. Even the ability and right to express opinions that we value, depends on the investments made by talented individuals who have provided this forum that allows us to express our ideas, and, the business entities that run this site would have no money to spend if not for advertising dollars and subscription revenues. Many of us may be talented, but, none of us is the king of the Universe…That’s all Obama meant.
Any business person that wants to impress me with their skills simply has to go to Somalia and recreate their success there to prove to me how far they can get on their own without a fertile environment for success.
While I don’t know either way, I can’t be sure that McMurray actually did misunderstand what Obama meant by those words. Maybe he understood it and still objected like Joe Klein did and like I did on another thread. Even in context, I think his words were still dismissive of the role of individual effort, even if he didn’t mean them to be.
In any case, while McMurray did cite those words, he also said that it was a policy difference:
“McMurray said he’s hoping folks will understand he just didn’t want to be part of a photo op for an administration whose policies he doesn’t agree with.”
I doubt by “policies” he’s referring to only those four words. I suspect he has other disagreements with Obama and maybe didn’t express his full, specific, and complete objection. I don’t hold private citizens, especially ones that didn’t ask to be thrown into a political foray, to the same standard of argument that I hold politicians and the media to. In such cases, it’s the sentiment that counts. The guy wasn’t writing an Op-ed, he was responding to a reporter’s question.
@petew
A President who risked hundreds of billions to save Wall Street and the auto industry certainly understands the value our free enterprise system
Government subsidies of companies that deserve to fail do not reflect the value for free enterprise, it’s rather the opposite. You can give valid reasons for the auto bailouts but free enterprise isn’t one of them.
Another question is – if Mr. Romney had been that businessman, in business for only 3 months, would he have declined the publicity (and dollars) that visit would have produced? I know, I know Mr. Romney had help from his dad starting out, and maybe this guy did, also, but if they were both on their own? I’d like to know.
Anyway, after watching Joe the Plumber’s rise to fame, this guy is golden no matter which way he decided.
There was an article in the QC Times yesterday (unfortunately they did not post the article online) about the caterer for the presidents visit yesterday to East Davenport. Apparently the catering business is owned by two partners, a Democrat and a Republican The GOP partner caused a bit if a stir by wearing a T-shirt saying “I built this business, Mr. President”. He was happy for the campaign business though.
As an aside, Barack started his speech saying “It’s great to be back in the quads”. Well, this was the first time I’ve ever heard the QC referred to as “the quads”, and I’ve lived in the area 20 years. Pretty trivial I know, but his advance prep people need to work a bit harder.
Ha!! I use the same line with my Libertarian friends
DA Goat,
Here is a longer version of Obama’s statement:
“If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody else HELPED create this beautiful, unbelievable American System that we have allowed you to have. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that, somebody else made that happen.
The President’s main offense was not using the proper wording. If anything, his statement was unwise, but it was not meant to deny the worth of businesses and their owners. When he talks about “the unbelievable American system which we have allowed you to have,” he is not talking about himself or even Democrats–He is merely disputing the notion that rugged individualism alone, and the idea that successful entrepreneurship is attributable to just one person, is a false one. Instead, Obama emphasizes that success depends on many unknown factors as well as, such as the hard work of every American who has ever given his labor towards the building of bridges, infrastructure, and everything else that made our country so prosperous.
I am not trying to wave my personal flag of patriotism by saying this–its just apparent that many people and industries in this country are totally interdependent with other aspects of our economy and society.
I believe that TARP was necessary to save the system that has given us so much from being irreparable damaged. Although it is not completely possible to ascertain for sure, any President who values the role that Wall street and business play in our society, would never allow the Big banks and the auto-Industries to fail. I think even a conservative Republican would have pursued some large form of stimulus as part of an emergency measure. After all, Bush also saw the danger we were in, and began it all with 70 Billion in stimulus checks for all of us.
Consider that both Romney and Obama, have been caught making absurd gaffes. Romney has been quoted as saying. “I like to fire people” But, both he and the President have graduated from Harvard with honors and are certainly smart enough to know better. Certainly Romney would have continued by adding a statement about his economic philosophy–including the assertion that ending some jobs can lead to greater employment in the end. But,since we never heard his complete remarks, we have no way of knowing.
I personally question such an attitude, but c,mon, both candidates know the value of free enterprise and would never believe in the face value of the stupid gaffes they made.
When a President is forced to take drastic measures, its not from underestimating the importance of our business environment, and, when a President like Obama, takes such a risky action, what makes you think he isn’t motivated by an understanding of the vital importance of businesses in our economy? He knew perfectly well, that he might end up being blamed for any possible failures, yet chose this necessary path anyway.
Both he and Romney were honor students at prestigious Universities, So, do you really think that the many ridiculous gaffes they make reflect their actual beliefs?
As a point of fact I don’t believe Obamas grades were ever released or that he has ever claimed any “Honors”, well that’s not true it has been reported he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard but if I remember right there is no specific requirement for latin honors and a quick check show over 70% of his graduating class received honors so it doesn’t really say much does it.
petew, basically I agree with you. The Obama quote was taken out of a larger context just as many of the Romney quotes have been. I think there is a debate over how much of a role the government plays in an individual’s success, and Romney and Obama have different views on that.
I’ve listened to Obama’s remarks a few times, and I actually have more trouble with his remarks about “lots of people work hard” and “lots of people are smart” when the reality is some people don’t work as hard as others and some people do some pretty stupid things and make bad decisions.
The way I look at this is we all have pretty much the same benefits and access offered to us by government, we all use the same roads, police and fire depts, etc. What is done with those benefits is up to the individual, who holds the ultimate credit for their accomplishments.
The fact is both men had great educations. Obama got his Bachelor’s degree at New York’s Columbia University majoring in Political Science specializing in international relations. He also attended Harvard for his graduate degree, and became editor of the Harvard Law Review and became President in his second year. He graduated J.D. Magna cum Laude and moved to Chicago where he taught at the University of Chicago for 12 years, and lectured on constitutional law. We all know much of his political career that came after.
Romney received his Bachelors of Arts from Brigham Young University and attended Stanford University for his Master’s in business administration–graduating with highest honors. He later attended Harvard University in the schools of law and business–graduating Cum Laude in the top third of his class.
I’m not trying to downplay the role that personal drive, ambition, skill and intelligence play in establishing a successful business venture–but I think it is evident in the scholastic records of both, that Obama and Romney possess all of these qualities in spades. And, wouldn’t this imply that they are both intelligent enough not to deliberately make such outrageous and understandably ill-received, comments?
The fact that Gaffes happen does not always reflect the true beliefs of any candidate. Blunders are as old as politics itself and we should not condemn any politician for making these occasionally.
It’s true that education alone may not make for a wise or honest leader, but graduating with highest honors,and, even Magna Cum Laude from Harvard are nothing to minimize.
I know someone who graduated only tenths of a point away from being the valedictorian of my high school. She later attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and graduated with honors. Not being at the very top did not diminish this person’s achievements however, especially since all of the competition involved students who had graduated in the top ten percent of their HS classes.
Yes, education is not the only factor, but it certainly indicates drive ambition and all the other factors that make some of us so successful. So if either Obama or Romney really believed in their stupid slip-ups, they might as well be voluntarily committing political suicide.
However, I honestly believe that many people may be alpha driven types who have the skills that it takes, but either do not have the opportunity or the desire to be greatly successful–preferring instead to live ordinary but happy lives. Not everyone wants to be the President, so it’s a pretty elite group that actually finds their way there. Consider though, that Obama was exposed to the value of learning from both of his intelligent and college educated parents, and Mitt just happened to be born into privilege–having the advantage of a silver spoon in his mouth.
I think Obama is correct that even so-called self made men, are given breaks by our society and often are the recipients of luck that includes being born in the right place at the right time. Warren Buffett calls it winning the ovarian lottery–since he was born a man in America, who had the opportunity to exploit his talents in business. Obviously, There are many other equally talented people who never enter politics or business simply because they don’t want to.
So believe it or not,I think both of our candidates are big boys who are well aware of what they should or should not say. When they make mistakes it is often due to fatigue or lapses in judgement. When they are interpreted out of full context, that doesn’t help much either.
Barky has an excellent point.
If one needs to appreciate the breaks that a given environment gives, or minimizes, that person should go to a country like Somalia and try to be a great business success there. This is what Obama meant by, this country that we have given to you–meaning that those before us have established an environment where success is possible.
I also think there is a great deal of truth in the phrase, “There but for fortune go you or I.” None of us should be so full of self-importance so as to think we have done everything alone. Sure we may have unique talents and intelligence, but, without a little luck concerning where we are born, who our parents are, what kind of education we receive, etc. we most certainly, might not be enjoying our present success or status.