Greg Sargent – Strawman Slayer

It’s one thing when Greg Sargent was peddling his shallow political analysis with Josh Marshall and the other clowns over at Talking Points Memo.

But for whatever reason, The Washington Post decided their newspaper was a proper forum for Sargent to spout his nonsensical drivel. And he doesn’t disappoint.

His latest piece is a perfect example of this. The headline reads:

Mitt Romney: Okay, businesses do need government, after all

WHOOSH!

Another strawman slayed by Sargent!

You see, one must operate under the assumption Mitt Romney said at some point, “Businesses do not need government at all!” Of course, Romney said no such thing so Sargent’s ongoing commentary is bogus.

Sargent talks about Romney’s comments and attempts to compare them to what President Obama said. Here is what Romney said:

“I know that you recognize a lot of people help you in a business. Perhaps the bank, the investors. There is no question your mom and dad, your school teachers. The people who provide roads, the fire, the police. A lot of people help. But let me ask you this. Did you build your business? If you did, raise your hand. Take that, Mr. President! This is what’s happening in this country.”

Sargent claims this is an “AHA!” moment:

This is hard to distinguish from what Obama himself said in his “controversial” remarks: individual success doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it is also enabled by a smoothly functioning society that is kept running by government. What this confirms is that the radicalism discerned in Obama’s speech by Republicans is a pure invention.

Actually for those that can think outside a left wing echo chamber, it’s quite easy to distinguish from what Obama said. The reason why is it goes back to the strawman Sargent erected. Whenever conservatives talk about smaller government or limited government, liberals claim we’re saying, “No government” which is absolutely absurd. A country with no government is an anarchy.

The real problem with what President Obama said (and don’t let the context crap fool you. Read what RB had to say about that) is that it displays his total lack of understanding of a free enterprise system.

Businesses do not exist because of government.

Government is able to function because of business, trade and free enterprise.

The government cannot run without taking in tax revenue and it is that tax revenue that is generated by our free enterprise system.

President Obama has it completely ass backwards. He seems to think if you’re a businessperson you owe your success to the fact that government exists. His argument is no different from the leftist trope floated by Elizabeth Pocahontas Warren.

Mitt Romney and other conservatives can easily articulate the role government has in our society. But to say to the small businessman who has built something successful that he/she:

1. Didn’t make it happen because they worked harder than others
2. If you have a business, you didn’t build that. Someone else made that happen.
3. Should be thanking the government for their success

underscores how dangerous this man’s policies are for the this country and what he will do with four more years unencumbered by not being able to run again. He has no clue how business works yet he wants to take over more and more.

Greg Sargent believes what the President believes but they don’t say it out loud. Obama did. Now he’s starting to pay the price for it and that is why the shrieking about “context” is already reaching a fever pitch.

They’re trying to do the “context” thing and slaying strawmen because it otherwise puts them in the position of having to defend the indefensible.