First, I watched and carefully listened to the President's speech. It was indeed taken out of context, although his explanation was awkward. I was a business consultant and know that all businesses need to be propped up by good infrastructure, good tax policy and good regulatory policy. Second, small businesses are especially vulnerable to failure in the best of times, let alone the worst of times. Their failure is a combination of many factors - not just what the President does or what Congress fails to do. All too often, big businesses squeeze out small businesses which destroys competition and innovation.

It is "ironic" that this president is complaining that his comment was taken out of context after his campaign and its supporters in the media have done the same thing to Romney many times. A perfect example is about "Romney doesn't care about poor people". Romney was CLEARLY talking about how the middle class needed more support as there was already support for the poor, but that is not how the Obama campaign and the news media played it. They just snipped away until they had a quote they wanted.

I was a business consultant and know that all businesses need to be propped up by good infrastructure, good tax policy and good regulatory policy. Hows that going for you fella? With a GDP running at 1%, I'd say not very well, unless I'm taking the index out of context.

Obama really believes what he says. That was his main problem and the overriding theme of his speech. His attempts to walk those comments back have been lame for a reason. He still believes in them. The Chicago Hyde Park Liberal in him came out loud and clear.

Please Patch, I go to your site for local news. I find your national coverage superficial and without insight. If you want to be a hyper-local web site, stay local. Cover local races. We get enough national information. You are not serving your readers or your business model (whether or not you are aided by the government.) There are other local sites that stick to their path and maybe I will simply stay with them.

Comment was taken in context and the President doesn't want to own it. Of-course he thinks government played the supporting role in private business; he's a Democrat.

Obama spoke like someone who has never worked in the business world, never built a business for himself, and achieved political success through government programs. When he said "somebody else made that happen" he was seeing things through the perspective of a government funded career--taking and spending other people's money.

For one of the most eloquent, if not the most, orators we have seen this was just plain stupid. I have had my own business for 14 years and I did take offense. When he has to meet a payroll on his own and stick to a budget (of his own money) then I think he can speak more to the small business owners.

Patch, while I realize you're posting stories like these (as well as your 'best hotdog / sushi / haircut' polls) in order to drive up pageviews by the serial commenters, your site would be exponentially improved if you stuck exclusively to local news. Wasn't this supposed to be the whole point of the Patch model? Please don't drive us away to other sites for local news, of which there are plenty.

Mr. Obama knows nothing regarding business. Maybe he should try working? He never even attended any of the Senate meetings and never even finished his term as he promised. We could use a business minded man in office.

Another eloquent and famous orator with no connection to this campaign-

Personal property is the effect of society; and it is as impossible for an individual to acquire personal property without the aid of society, as it is for him to make land originally.

Separate an individual from society, and give him an island or a continent to possess, and he cannot acquire personal property. He cannot be rich. So inseparably are the means connected with the end, in all cases, that where the former do not exist the latter cannot be obtained. All accumulation, therefore, of personal property, beyond what a man's own hands produce, is derived to him by living in society; and he owes on every principle of justice, of gratitude, and of civilization, a part of that accumulation back again to society from whence the whole came."

-Agrarian Justice Part Three - Thomas Paine

Actually, the best answer may be "all of the above". Unfortunately, too many people forget that it is difficult for businesses, even the largest ones, to justify making the sort of investment that creates true innovation. It is just too costly. Many of the most significant advancements are due to the federal government's investment in research. So, to those who oppose federal government spending, how do you propose to sustain (or actually to reclaim) America's position as innovation leader of the world?

What a silly poll question. The State cannot create jobs. Redistribution of jobs is not synonymous with creation of jobs.

Wealth creation necessarily precedes job creation. Since the State cannot create wealth, how does it follow that the State can create jobs?

You can't post a misquoted quote and then ask us to discuss it's validity. Come on Michael Sewall, have some integrity!

Here's the quote, in full context of the speech:

"If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be ‘cause I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something: There are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were 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 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."

I would love to respond to poll but there is no option for "all of the above". There is no "most" for every situation. As President Obama said we are all in this endeavor together.

" If you had a business you didn't build that" What a joke. ~ Mitt Romney 2012~

"If you were 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 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 didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."
"The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires."

Patch, that was pretty shoddy to leave out some pretty important comments from this speech even if you did give a link. The way this poll was framed, within an article leaning toward the negative, the results will be skewed. Of course most of the people responding already have their minds made up, but for those who don't, this article tilts them in a way that may be misleading.

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/01/620141/romney-billboard-small-business-obamacare/?mobile=wp

Mislead much?

What was taken out of context, I've heard that quite a bit and still am left without knowing. I heard the entire speech, and am tired of the Obama apologists to his rescue. You guys must have alot of holes to cover for him, credit downgrade, enormous failed stimulus, record unemployment, record foreclosures, strip malls growing weeds.

The editors of Patchhave allowed this site to spin out of control. This should be a local site for local issues. There are plenty of other venues for discussion of national issues. Every time one of these loaded "polls" is posted it brings out the same extremists (both left and right) who argue among themselves and drive everyone else away. It is time that you take some responsibility for your content.

What is extreme, somebody with an opinion?

@Gary: I'm pretty much in the middle. I just find the Patch really lacking on their journalistic integrity in this case. I, too, am tired of the editors seemingly trying to drum up readership by these "polls". I want good, unbiased coverage on local issues.

I hope I am not taking this out of context but I copied the entire section from the "About Us" section on the Patch.com website. Notice the recurring theme of local, local, local. There is no reference to bogus "polls" about national politics. Local politics yes, state perhaps, but this is way out of bounds.

"What is Patch?
Simply put, Patch is an innovative way to find out about, and participate in, what's going on near you.

We're a community-specific news, information and engagement platform driven by passionate and experienced new media professionals. Patch is revolutionizing the way neighbors connect with each other, their communities, and the national conversation.

We want to be the most trusted, comprehensive, and relevant news and information resource in your community. What can you do on Patch?

Keep up with news and events
Check out photos and videos from around town
Learn more about local businesses and the people behind them
Participate in discussions
Share your perspectives via our Local Voices blogging platform
Submit your own announcements, photos, and reviews"

Me: "Notice the recurring theme of local, local, local."

The economy is a local issue, is it not? If you think that the economy is not local, go to the State of Illinois employment center on Oakton Street near the Subaru dealership and see the crowds.

The folks complaining about Patch articles are trying to avoid any discussion of the economy. In other words, they are Democrats coverning up the twin disasters of Obama and Quinn.

The United States is information hungry................on Barack Obama and the left wing media is going whack-o because the President is now being exposed for what he is................a Marxist. The documentary 2016 is breaking all attendance records:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2012/08/25/Box-Office-Aug-25-2012

Yes, Obama is a marxist. His father was actually Frank Marshall Davis, a member of Communist Party USA.

Take a look at the photographs of Obama and Frank Marshall Davis side-by-side, then compare photographs of Obama and Barack Obama, Sr. side-by-side. The resemblance of President Obama to Davis is obvious. Obama does not resemble Barack Obama Sr. at all.

And now you know why Obama's birth certificate is such a mystery. And his college records remain sealed because Obama was a member of marxist organizations during his college years.

Obama is no different that Fidel Castro, except for the beard and uniform.

Richard Schulte...I just wet my pants. Your comments are insane. I may never stop laughing!!!

Mr. Schulte, you have no idea what the truth is. When you have a blood test proving this man is Obama's father, get back to us. Until then, stop wasting space on this website. Neither campaign has been honest, but this birther conspiracy defies all common sense. Blaming Romney for someone's death is one thing, but this constant attack on Obama is a farce and should be embarrassing for anyone who buys into it.

No RB, not the grassy knoll or area 51! I'm interested in those things. How about the fake moon landing instead?

Richard Schulte : Ignoramus. Extraordinaire.

Is Obama a marxist?

"Along the way and throughout his life, as D'Souza shows, Obama has had a string of surrogates influencing him, people D'Souza calls "Obama's Founding Fathers." These include the Communist writer and activist Frank Marshall Davis, terrorist Bill Ayers, anti-Israeli crank Edward Said, Jeremiah Wright, and Brazilian Communist professor Roberto Unger. This series of father figures were in and out of his life at various intervals. The common thread among them, unfortunately, is that they marinated the young man in the swill of Marxist, anti-colonial propaganda, endorsed by the near-mystical specter of his missing father, that can be diluted thusly: the United States of America represents the greatest threat to mankind in the world and must be taken down."

Conclusion: Obama is a marxist.

Read more:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/review_2016_obamas_america.html#ixzz24eSSCheA

"Governor Romney has correctly noted that 92.3% of the jobs lost under Obama were women's jobs. But in an effort to distract from the fact that their mishandling of the economy has had dire affects on the lives of women, Democrats plan to highlight at their convention Sandra Fluke to remind us that Obamacare will provide women with "free" contraceptives. You'd have to be even more innumerate than the President is to believe that a benefit worth about $9 a month -which you will in fact be paying for through that benighted legislation-beats the opportunity to earn a living."

Just the facts.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/sleeping_with_the_enemy_in_the_war_against_women.html#ixzz24fT2Hi5Y

I love to prey on the young and gullible. They taste so good.

Let's see---Does Schulte watch Fox News? Of course he does!! Has he read Mein Kampf cover to cover? Three times? Is he very, very confused about Liberals' contempt for stupid people? you betcha!!