"Obama never ran a business...."

[JohnnyRingo]

"...So he has no idea how the private sector works".

MSNBC discussed this moot point today by quoting Republican strategist Ed Gillespie. It's like pointing out that since I've never driven a cement truck, I can't possibly understand how an internal combustion engine works.

I've been sick of hearing this for months, and the inane talking point was finally discussed today.

"Mitt Romney has never been president, so he doesn't understand how the federal government works" is just as valid a statement. Maybe even more so.

[liberal N proud]

1. But he does have 3 1/2 years experience running the country

Romney - 0, none, natta.

And his governorship was just a notch in his belt, not a position of leadership.

[safeinOhio]

2. Romeny doesn't say much

lately about his record of running a state.

[treestar]

5. Stupid right wingers

I even remember telling them about this when they said Obama didn't have enough experience in 2008.

That in 2012 they'd have to admit Obama had more experience in the job than the other candidate.

Logic and consistency is not a right wing strength.

[Jim Lane]

12. So what our economy needs is an experienced businessman.... like George W. Bush?

Yeah, that worked out so well last time.

[Voice for Peace]

26. They have a vision of America, Inc.

It makes perfect sense to them.

[fredamae]

3. Good! The United States is Not a Business

except in Wall Street Shill romneys/RWNJ eyes.

None of the RightWing "doom and gloom" predictions have reached fruition in the first term.

[treestar]

4. Community Organizer is more like President than a business

It involves working with other people.

Running a business does not prepare one at all for political office. Running your business you can do what you want. You don't have to get your employees to vote to do things the way you want.

The government is not a business. If it were, then it the the same Republicans saying they don't want government involved in business would have to admit that the government is the ultimate business (which they seem to be saying here) and why shouldn't it be involved in business then? Or something like that. Right wing hypocrisy makes my head go in circles.

[Voice for Peace]

27. Mitt also has no experience at being middle class.

this disqualifies him.

[bigwillq]

6. With the way things are in big business, maybe we're better off

not having a businessman/woman in the White House.

[TheDebbieDee]

7. Ding! Ding! Ding! WINNER.

[goclark]

8. Bingo!

Mitt is an idiot

[pinto]

9. Good analogy.

[Courtesy Flush]

10. This means Romney was never in the military?

Usually they shout about lack of military service being a disqualifier... unless their guy lacks this qualification.

If you didn't serve, you cannot lead. Right? Did that rule change?

[GoCubsGo]

13. It's the old "moving goal posts".

Only Democrats are required to have military service. And, if they have it, it's not good enough. And, if they turn out to be heroes, then they are accused of making it up. If one of their own is a chickenhawk, they make up other fake "leadership" qualifications. Never mind that the guy you are running against has been Commander in Chief of the US Forces for going on 4 years. That doesn't count. It doesn't matter what you've done. They always change the rules to suit them.

[GoCubsGo]

11. Judging by everything that has been spewing out of Mitt's yap...

...he DOESN'T understand how the federal government works. I'm sick of this "never ran a business" meme, too. Good luck trying to get these imbeciles who parrot it to understand that government is not a business, so their meme is meaningless.

[Herlong]

17. America can love him four years or more

With that jawbone structure and that unyielding glare. And four year from now you want to drink a beer with him, if the media has anything to say about it. Our problem is with media distortion. GOTV democrats!

[GoCubsGo]

19. Yes, media distortion is...

...why these asinine memes about running a business are so prevalent. And, it's why so many idiots keep buying into them.

[WingDinger]

14. OBAMA NEVER RAN A BUSINESS, into the ground.

[SmileyRose]

22. beat me to it.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

28. We must make the point over and over that Romney is incompetent

as Governor and as a businessman.

Give examples of his incompetency and his 'weaselness'.

[Voice for Peace]

31. good one

Obama never outsourced jobs & stole pensions. He clearly is not qualified to be a conscienceless vulture capitalist.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

15. Running the US like he runs his business won't work - except for the 1%.

And if Romney only wants to be President for 1% of the country, then he needs to stay in business and OUT of politics.

The US needs a President for everyone, not just rich capitalists. Thus, "Obama's never run a business" is an assinine argument.

I dare say that being a community organizer is more appropriate experience for being POTUS than being a corporate parasite.

How damn stupid does anyone have to be to therefore put any value in this "Obama's never run a business" meme?

[The Wizard]

16. Government for profit

is fascism

[jillan]

18. We already had a business man run the country - George W Bush.

How did that work out for Americans?

[libinnyandia]

25. That ws my first reaction. First POTUS with a Masters in Business. Total disaster. If you loved

George W Bush in the White House, you'd love Romney.

[smirkymonkey]

20. ...so he's not a sociopath?

[ErikJ]

21. I'VE run a small business for 20 years and Obama is far better

Republicons define small small business as how many owners it has. The Koch Industries has 2 owners. So when the GOP says "small business" just be aware of that.

[Voice for Peace]

32. "small family business"

the Kochs! brilliant point.

though I suppose they have stockholders so technically more than 2 owners?

[ErikJ]

35. No stock holders-the Koch Bros own the whole $100 billion shebang.

[JaneQPublic]

23. Yeah, and Dubya was our first MBA President

All his business expertise got us was the worst economic crash since the Great Depression.

What a coincidence that Romney wants to reurn the country to the same policies that cratered the economy in the first place.

[kentuck]

24. Yep...

Romney will be the third President touting his business acumen. The other two were Bush and Hoover.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. The only modern presidents with any experience "running a business" were:

Herbert Hoover (we know how that worked out)
Harry Truman (owned a haberdashery for a few years until it went bankrupt)
Jimmy Carter (ran the family peanut farm)
George H.W. Bush (family set him up in the oil business)
George W. Bush (his M.B.A. didn't help him prevent the recession of 2008)

Most of the Presidents generally considered by historians to be better than average - Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Eisenhower, Kennedy - even Reagan, depending on your point of view (not mine) had no business experience at all, having been lawyers, legislators and/or military men.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

30. But, Al Capone and Ken Lay did.

[madashelltoo]

33. Rmoney will run the federal government to suit

his business cronies. That's what he has experience in. Change the rules so that they can drain the last of the governments coffers, take the money to another country so as not to pay taxes and think they're going to live here with their life luxury peacefully. Move along, don't pay any attention to the yelling, picket sign carrying peon public. My police force, whom I will treat right until I'm ready to move to another country altogether, will crack their skulls and keep them at bay. Right. Believe that one and I've got more, people. Many more. Did you hear the one about Scott Walker? Probably did. It's really similar to this one, but not quite. Same ending.

[JohnnyRingo]

36. Amen brother

There is indeed a lot at stake this November.

The Supreme Court is a consideration as well as a President Romney is likely to appoint at least two. While confirmation hearings center around an inane sideshow of abortion, the main goal of conservative Justices seems to be giving a green light to corporate monopolies.

[frazzled]

34. Neither did most of our previous presidents since the beginning of our country

Among our presidents, the most popular career was as a lawyer, with 24 presidents in the profession, followed by 12 presidents who were soldiers (five were both!), while seven presidents were school teachers or professors.


http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2011/07/the-right-stuff-what-they-did-before-they-were-president/

In reality, very few of our presidents ever "ran a business."

Note that Ronald Reagan, saint in the Republican presidential hagiography, was an actor for forty years.

[Prophet 451]

37. It's irrelevent anyway

Governments have very little in common with a business, especially since the government owning a business is pretty much anathema in the US.