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Romney’s Obama Attack Gets Sidetracked
By Sarah Huisenga
Updated: July 19, 2012 | 7:36 p.m.
July 19, 2012 | 7:09 p.m.
ROXBURY, Mass. – After two consecutive days of strong attacks on President Obama for his comments touting government’s role in fostering new businesses, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s message was decidedly more muddled on Thursday when a local television station here reported that one of the local entrepreneurs selected to illustrate Romney’s point got help from local government.
On a campaign stop, Romney sought to rebut Obama by highlighting the success of an auto repair shop started by a local entrepreneur. “This is not the result of government,” Romney told reporters, referring to Middlesex Truck & Coach after he toured the shop. “This is the result of people who take risk, who have dreams, who build for themselves and for their families.”
Company owner Brian Maloney, 69, agreed with Romney’s assessment. “I take umbrage at the suggestion that people don’t start and build businesses,” Maloney said. “I started out with 500 bucks and worked with my hands to afford grad school at night. My wife supported me. Started a little body shop and was able to bring together people, one at a time.”
But in an interview with Boston-based reporter Jon Keller of WBZ-TV, Maloney acknowledged that his business received some government help. “The only way I was able to come here, because I had no money, was with an industrial-revenue bond,” Maloney said in the interview. Industrial-revenue bonds are typically issued by local and state governments to attract new business to an area. They create low-interest loans for new development and startups....
nationaljournal.com |
