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Video: ‘On His Own’ Romney Ad Star, Jack Gilchrist, got $1 million in Government Loans
Jack Gilchrist, a businessman who stars in an ad (video below) for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, claims in the ad: “My father’s hands didn’t build this company? My hands didn’t build this company? My son’s hands aren’t building this company?”
However, what Gilchrist failed to mention is that he built his business, Gilchrist Metal, through government-sponsored loans, putting a dent in the attack on President Obama.
The New Hampshire Union Leader recently reported Gilchrist took over $1 million in government loans since the 1980s, including $800,000 in tax-exempt bonds issued by the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority to build a new manufacturing plant and buy equipment.
Gilchrist also admitted that he took a U.S. Small Business Administration loan of “somewhere south of” $500,000 in the 1980s, and said that to this day about 10 percent of his business comes from defense-related projects.
None of these loans are mentioned by Gilchrist, in the ad.
In spite of the controversy, the Romney campaign said it’s standing by the debunked ad. But apart from the hypocrisy the Gilchrist ad, the Romney also camp deceptively edited President Obama.
In the ad (below), Gilchrist’s obstinate response follows audio of President Obama saying in Roanoke, Virginia on July 13: “If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”
What the president actually said is much longer (2nd video below): “If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, ‘Wow, 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.’ Lemme tell you something: there are a lot of hard working people out there."
"If you are 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’s 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 did not get invented on its own.”
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Comments
Really a Government loan and
Really a Government loan and some grants that makes him a hypocrite, he still built his business and Government contracts aren't a handout if he is working, plus he obviously was the lowest bidder. Liberals of course like to point out the "irony" of it all. I don't mind welfare as long as the people are working to get off the program, but since Obama has just changed over 10 years of ensuring that people in the system worked to get off.
It doesn't surprise me that Liberals line up behind the President and yet if a Republican makes the same comment they line up to condemn what was said, because the President said something that was condescending to the American public and has made many such comments to the American public over his Presidency that have been brushed aside by the mainstream media and allegedly "taken out of context" by everyone but Liberals; although the majority took it in a manner that was condescending.
As a business owner, I can
As a business owner, I can tell you first hand that an SBA loan can make or break a small business, and it represents credit that a business could *NOT* get somewhere else commercially. As a result of our SBA loan, we bought and rehabbed a building and hire more people.
We rely on the power cables, the roads, and many other public utilities either run or managed by government. Unless a business builds 100% of its infrastructure and is self-insuring, it is getting help from the government, which means the rest of us.
Who pays for the people, the
Who pays for the people, the roads, and the infrastructure? Liberals are effing morons this guy (Obama) basically give a backhanded compliment and people still support him. Hope that socialist mentality works out for you.
The guy in this ad is a
The guy in this ad is a perfect example of what Obama was saying in his speech. Yes, he came up with an idea and developed a business but he couldn't have done that without government loans, government education, government roads, government contracts, etc etc. All of those things are funded by taxes we all pay. For him to then come out against those same government programs that made his business possible is hypocritical.
I agree with you that Welfare should help people work towards supporting themselves and it has for years. I'm unaware of anything Obama has done to change that. Please enlighten me.
the point is, Nick, is that
the point is, Nick, is that he *didn't* build the business on his own. He got help. The government, representing society, gave him a leg up. For him to turn around and pretend he's a totally self-made man is, to say the least, churlish, not to mention hypocritical.
Just like Craig "I was on
Just like Craig "I was on welfare and nobody helped me" Nelson. These people think that anybody else accepting help from the government is a handout to scum but them getting help from the government is them taking the initiative to take advantage of programs. Just more conservative hypocrisy. Typical.