Putting down one person to lift up another

You can make excuses by calling it clumsy stump-speech rhetoric.

But most people will see it as a moment of clarity in which President Barack Obama's deep misunderstanding about how private enterprise works and what, exactly, drives Americans to greatness, came forth for all to see.

He actually said this in Roanoke, Va.: "If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."

To which entrepreneurs everywhere said: "I beg your pardon."

And, within the hour, Obama campaign apologists appeared in force online and over the airwaves trying to unsay it. "Look at the context," they purred. "The president was referring to 'roads and bridges,' not 'businesses.' " Tellingly, however, no correction from the president.

Nice try at revision. But the fuller context of his statement shows the president said exactly what it sounded like he said:

"I am always struck by people who think, well, (their success) must be because (they were) just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because (they) worked harder than everybody else.

"Let me tell you - 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.

"The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together."

The phrase "you didn't build that" clearly refers to businesses, and it clearly belittles those with the entrepreneurial spirit to make those businesses happen. It's a consistent variation of the president's "rich versus poor" theme in which he takes a minority of citizens and scapegoats them to further a political goal.

Only now the president has moved to a fresh front in his class warfare rhetoric by advancing the crazy idea that entrepreneurs don't fully appreciate all that the government does for them.

In fact, if there is one group that treasures good government - that is, a government dedicated to creating a level playing field with fiscal balance and stability - it is risk-taking entrepreneurs.

If you want to lump people into stereotypes (like the president so often does), a fairer observation would be to say that it is those citizens who have zero personal stake in our government and economic system who tend to be disconnected from the country in an unhealthy way. Paying no income taxes and using government programs like a lifestyle instead of a lifeline produces generations cheated of the opportunity of tasting the fruit of the American experiment.

But I don't want to go there. Playing Obama's blame game is not particularly helpful.

We need to break the cycle of ignorance about America's economy, and we will never do it if we continue to treat those with less as a political constituency that can be held together only by tearing down the achievements of others. It's a perverted spin on the American experience.

The truth is, a variety of ingredients go into entrepreneurship and American initiative. Instead of slamming people by knocking their risk, their smarts and their hard work, why wouldn't this president be proud of his fellow successful brothers and sisters and embrace policies that teach others the skills and will to do the same?

Celebrating traditional American values, like "be all you can be," as the Army slogan goes, would be a positive step.

One thing for sure: Stepping on one American to build up another is not the answer.

Sherman Frederick, former publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and member of the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame, writes a column for Stephens Media. Read his blog at www.lvrj.com/blogs/sherm.