New Hampshire Business Owners Not Sold On Romney
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 12:33PMBy Janie Amaya
A group of small business owners in New Hampshire attacked GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Friday for displaying a record of inconsistency over the years, and said that his plan to help them is unclear.
“Politicians often say that small businesses need certainty and consistency to grow and I’m sure Mitt said that when working with Bain Capital. Well, right now it is very clear there is nothing consistent, nor certain about Mitt Romney,” said Mason Donavan, a part owner of the Dagoba Group in Salisbury.
Donavan said that Romney’s opposition to President Obama’s American Jobs Act represents a turn-about for the former Massachusetts Governor, who once supported a $2,000 tax credit for small businesses to hire people who had been unemployed for longer than six months. Obama’s bill would provide $4,000 tax credits to businesses who hire the long-term jobless.
Donavan added that under Romney from 2003-2007, Massachusetts’ economy grew at just one percent, compared to the national level of five percent during that same period.
“We really do need a president that’s out for the small business, that’s there for small businesses and has a record of job growth,” Donavan said.
Small business owner Peter Hoiriis of Manchester said he doubts whether Romney’s 59-point jobs plan can help reduce the nation’s 9.1 percent unemployement rate. Hoiriis also waged a common complaint against Romney; that he’s inconsistent on the issues.
“I’m questioning Romney where he really stands,” Hoiriis said. “I have an old business affiliation with him from twenty years ago, and it just seems that it’s hard to target what he supports or doesn’t.” Hoiriis did say, however, that Romney would be “worthy of listening to.”
Though Romney is ahead of the rest of the GOP field in the Granite State, a new poll released today shows his lead slipping. According to the survey, conducted by Magellan Strategies, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich trails Romney by just two percentage points.
Given the news, Romney will likely need to win over as many small businesses as he can to win the primary, which is less than eight weeks away.
Spinning
We also took on the spin room. As a first time observer, this reporter found the spin room a little over the top. Non-press and non-politicos should know that the spin room is exactly what it sounds like. A whole lot of well-trained professionals rehashing everything that just happened on the debate with their particular spin. The branded message comes out in full force. The various surrogates and officials who have given their endorsements to a particular candidate come out and talk them up or slam their opponents. Everything is scripted or creating a script out of unscripted things that were said. When did politicians at this level need trained PR professionals to fight their battles for them? Didn't they just finish fighting this battle at the podium?
The spin room defines herd mentality. You try not to get caught up, but these candidate are what we report on day to day so it's tricky. You try not to nod or shake your head and just ask the good, hard questions (I am sure this the other meaning of the term "press" as in "full court") Just observing, and sticking my microphone in faces I observed all the good, bad, and downright ugly of Spin Alley. Some surrogates had well rounded speeches, some went for their opponents knees. But only one person I was able to record managed to seem human. She didn't come across that way because of the way she propped up her candidate; it wasn't because she didn't tear down other candidates; it wasn't that she wasn't spinning--she was. I didn't make this observation because I have a position on her candidate. But Elizabeth Edwards came across as genuine the moment a photographer knelt down on the ground to shoot up at her profile and she stopped her spin, looked down, and said, "That is such a lousy angle for me and every woman, just so you know,"she laughed. "Every woman will say that, right?"
And we all nodded.