Verbatim: Small Business Fuels Discourse During 2010 Midterm Election Campaigns

Periodically, GoodBiz113 puts its ear to the rail to listen to what politicos, pundits and others have recently said about small businesses and our integral role in growing the U.S. economy. Today, just eight days before the critical 2010 midterm elections, we share some views with you, our loyal readers.

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"Now, I want to just say a little bit about Ron, because so much of the reason we're here is to make sure that he continues to do the outstanding work that he's doing on behalf of south Florida. They have lived here for 25 years. This is where they raised their family...

"This is where Ron helped run a small business. That's who he's been fighting for since he got to Washington -- families and small business owners -- because he's part of them, he understands them." -- President Barack Obama, on a campaign stop in South Florida to support second-term Rep. Ron Klein [D.-Fla.], who aims to beat back challenger Allen West [Miami's CBS4.com, Oct. 11]

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"The Small Business Jobs Act is helping the private sector move the ball forward on job creation and economic growth... I'm pleased to see these SBA loans made to local businesses, and I expect that this law will continue to expand private-sector lending in the near term through the incentives it provides for small community lenders." -- Rep. Tim Walz [D-Minn.], teaming with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken [D-Minn.], and Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison [D-Minn.] to announce that more than $18 million in loans will go to small businesses throughout Minnesota, helping many of them remain open and creating nearly 100 jobs [TradingMarkets.com, Oct. 11]

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"Spending within our means, looking at our long-term structural deficits, supporting small businesses." -- Small-business owner-turned-Congresswoman Betsy Markey [D-Col.], summing up her top goals as she seeks a second term representing citizens of Colorado's Fourth District [Capital News Connection, Oct. 15]

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"I'm working with your local leaders to provide the kinds of investments to create jobs, so you're strong again and our Main Street businesses keep their doors open." -- Three-term U.S. Senator Patty Murray [D-Wash.], who has helped secure millions of dollars to repair Howard A, Hanson Dam and replace Seattle's South Park Bridge [Seattle Times, Oct. 17]

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"If Republicans in Congress have their way, the millions of women who will benefit from our small-business lending programs -- from the consumer protections in the Financial Reform bill, and from the tax cuts that have helped them through a challenging economic time -- would be left without these benefits... There is an important choice for women in this country to make about whether that is the direction they want the country to move in." -- White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki [ABC News, Oct. 18]

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"The President knew when he came into office that he was going to have to take immediate and bold action, or we might fall down in a hole that we could not get out of. The President takes office in January of 2009. And within 30 days, passes the Recovery Act.

"Now, in the first 100 days of the Recovery Act, that gives tax relief to more than 110 million people, cuts taxes for small business eight different times. In that 100 days, authorizes 3,000 transportation projects, starts on the path to improvement...

"And it doesn’t stop with the Recovery Act. Already this year, the President signed the HIRE Act, which gives specific incentives for companies to hire people who have been unemployed for a period of time, and gets through the Small Business Jobs Act, which brings up to 16 the number of times he cut taxes for small business, reduced the capital-gains rate to zero for anybody starting their own business or investing in a small business." -- Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, during the second edition of his White House White Board [White House, Oct. 19]

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"I look at the jobs issue as a step-by-step process. The Recovery Act stopped our economy from going off a cliff and saved the jobs of millions of teachers, police, firefighters, first responders and others. I also have seen firsthand how it has created private-sector jobs across Wisconsin -- whether it is building a new bridge in Medford, a water sanitation system in Wisconsin Rapids, or a senior center in Plymouth.

"The next step was the HIRE Act, which gave businesses that hired workers that had been unemployed for 60 days a tax break.

"And now we have passed the Small Business Jobs Act to free up credit, so small businesses -- responsible for the majority of job creation in our country -- can expand and create jobs.

"I want to continue these targeted efforts with a jobs tax credit, which would extend and expand the HIRE Act tax break by making any business that hires new workers, expands hours or expands payroll, eligible for a tax break. As we continue to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression, this type of tax break will help businesses next year when they are in a better position to hire." -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold [D-Wis.], during a Q&A interview [Telegraph-Herald Online, Oct. 21]

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"I think that would be a terrible mistake... Our economy depends on a financial system in which everyone competes on a level playing field, and everyone is held to the same rules—whether you’re a big bank, a small-business owner, or a family looking to buy a house or open a credit card." -- President Barack Obama in his weekly address, warning that if Republicans take control of Congress this November, they would repeal consumer protections in the Frank-Dodd financial regulatory reform legislation, which he called "one of the most important victories" he has achieved in office. [Weekly Address, Oct. 23]

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"Clark, an attorney and mother of two, is a respected legislator from St. Cloud who was first elected in 2005. Endorsed by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Clark has been a strong advocate for small-business owners, and pushed for the development of angel investor tax credits in the state." -- Editorial endorsement of Tarryl Clark [D-Minn.], who is challenging two-term U.S. House Rep. Michelle Bachmann [R-Minn.] to represent voters in Minnesota's Sixth District [Star Tribune endorsement, Oct. 24]

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"Barbara Boxer's top priority is to create jobs and turn our economy around. She is fighting to provide more loans to small businesses, provide tax breaks to the middle class, cut our deficit in half by 2013, rebuild our roads and bridges and make California the hub of the new clean-energy economy.

"With so many people out of work, it's shocking that her opponent still wants to go back to the job-killing policies of yesterday. Polices that led to 700,000 job losses a month and the crisis on Wall Street due to deregulation.

"Boxer is working hard to reverse those policies and replace them with smart, targeted initiatives that create jobs here at home -- jobs for today and tomorrow...

"Boxer knows that small businesses are the lifeblood of strong local economies. This is why she supported the Small Business Jobs Act, so that small businesses can expand and create jobs. This legislation includes a provision based on a bill authored by Boxer that would create a $30 billion small business lending fund to help community banks extend credit to small businesses.

"The legislation will help small businesses compete for large federal contracts, increase the maximum size of SBA-backed loans and reduce the fees associated with these loans. The bill also includes $12 billion in tax incentives to help small and medium-sized businesses expand and create new jobs.

"Boxer strongly supported the economic Recovery Act that will help provide nearly 65,000 small-business loans, including 9,600 loans to Californians worth $5.2 billion in lending authority. These loans will make it possible for successful small businesses to expand, hire more employees and further stimulate our local economy." -- Former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer [1991-1998], endorsing U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer [D-Cal., pictured above with supporters] for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate [San Jose Mercury News, 10/24/2010]

SOURCES: ABC News, GovTrack.us, OpenCongress, San Jose Mercury News, Seattle Times, StarTribune,com, Telegraph-Herald.com, The White House
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Verbatim: 2008 Candidates Champion Small Business

Every week, GoodBiz113 features influencers who are propelling the interests of small-business owners, entrepreneurs, consultants, self-employed folks, artists, etc. Following, are comments made by some of the nation's leading politicos on the 2008 campaign trail.

* "Medicare is one of the great policy success stories in modern American history. We have a health care cost problem, not a Medicare problem. The problem that Medicare faces is the same problem that every family and small business in America knows all too well, and that is that health care costs are rising dramatically. Private premiums are up 78 percent during the Bush administration. There is no question that tackling spiraling health costs is a top priority for families, business and government. We absolutely must get a handle on our health spending to preserve American competitiveness. We also need to strengthen Medicare to allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into it. And a prescription drug benefit." -- U.S. Senate challenger Kay Hagan [D-North Carolina, pictured], in response to a News & Observer [Raleigh, N.C.] reader question about Medicare Part D

* "I know we're not running against George W. Bush, but we are, in fact, running against the very Bush economic policies that John McCain wants to continue and is promising to continue... Policies that call for more taxes for companies that send jobs overseas, while providing no relief for a 100 million middle-class families. Policies that call for taxing your heath care benefits as if they're income. Policies that call for another four billion dollars in tax cuts for the Exxon Mobil's in the world, as if they need it." -- Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, addressing a crowd in Marion County, Fla., last week [reported by The Bulletin: Philadelphia's Family Newspaper]

* "Washington sprung into immediate action when Wall Street was in trouble, but there's been no help for struggling homeowners on Main Street and no solutions for middle-class families and small businesses hurt by the failed economic policies of the last eight years... And now we find that the $700 billion bailout is being used not to solve the problem, but to hand-pick winners and losers on Wall Street. That's an outrage. Taxpayer dollars should be helping taxpayers, not going to pad the bottom lines of the Wall Street bankers whose bad bets got us into this mess. This is exactly why we should never have passed this bill without proper accountability. And it's time for Congress to take action." -- Minnesota DFL U.S. Senate challenger Al Franken [reported by GoodBiz113 on Oct. 29, 2008]

* "We're going to help small businesses. We're going to help the middle class. We're going to get health care under control. We're going to get government spending under control, because it's time for a change." -- U.S. Senate challenger Bruce Lunsford [D-Kentucky], before a crowd of supporters in Bowling Green [WBKO, on Oct. 24, 2008]

* "As voters head to the polls just two days from now, the stakes for New Hampshire couldn't be higher. We have the chance to turn the page on a failed economic agenda and instead stand up for small businesses and middle-class families again. In the last month, the need for a new economic direction has grown even more urgent. Families who were already struggling to pay for everything from gas to groceries now tell me they're worried about whether they will be able to retire or send their kids to college. And business owners are worried about whether they will be able to buy inventory or make payroll. Now, more than ever, we need meaningful change in Washington. And to do that, we need a new senator with the experience and the will to tackle the challenges we face..." -- Democratic U.S. Senate challenger Jeanne Shaheen, in an editoral she wrote for New Hampshire's Union Leader, Nov. 2, 2008]

* “The last eight years have proven that the philosophy of the Republican Party and how they managed this economy has been wrong. Eight years of believing in an economy based from the top down. [It] doesn’t work. We’ve got a terrible economic crisis in this country, but we’re going to fix it.” -- Democratic U.S. Senate challenger Jim Martin, during a campaign stop in rural Danville, Ga. [Chattanooga Times Free Press on Oct. 30, 2008]

* "Don't lose hope. The country is going to turn the page and we're going to get a fresh start." -- Democratic U.S. Senate challenger Mark Warner, to 200 employees at Geico Insurance in the Corporate Landing office park, in Virginia Beach, Va. [The Virginian-Pilot, on Oct. 30, 2008]

* "...After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and twenty-one months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are one day away from change in America. Tomorrow, you can turn the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street. Tomorrow, you can choose policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy so that everyone has a chance to succeed; from the CEO to the secretary and the janitor; from the factory owner to the men and women who work on its floor. Tomorrow, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at a time when we need hope. Tomorrow, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need." -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, addressing supporters yesterday in Jacksonville, Fla.

GoodBiz113's take: Small business needs advocates and, as reflected here, we have a strong number of them running for election. These fine candidates deserve our support tomorrow, so get out and vote! Then, after the ballot-counting dust settles, the returns are in, and the pundits have finally retreated -- till Jan. 20, 2009, anyway [Inauguration Day] -- take a good look at Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan for Small Business. It's the consummate, win-win-win playbook for growing America's small businesses.

SOURCES: News & Observer, The Bulletin: Philadelphia's Family Newspaper, Al Franken for Senate, WBKO, Union Leader, Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Virginian-Pilot, Obama for America
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Facing Campaign Financing Fraud Charges, Sen. Norm Coleman Tries to Smear Minnesota DFL Challenger Al Franken

This week, a Republican businessman in Texas by the name of Paul McKim filed a lawsuit this week against Nasser Kazeminy. Kazeminy is one of Sen. Norm Coleman's biggest donors and closest friends. In fact, he's the same man who flew Coleman on his private jet to vacations in the Bahamas and Paris.

Only a small portion of the lawsuit has anything to do with Norm Coleman -- but the part that does is incredibly serious. McKim's sworn affidavit, since corroborated by a second lawsuit, describes an effort to funnel $75,000 to Sen. Coleman's wife.

So, are the allegations true? That's yet to be determined. Still, no one at the Al Franken for U.S. Senate campaign reportedly knew a thing about this lawsuit, and had never even heard of this company or Paul McKim, until they read about it in the newspaper.

Then came yesterday. Instead of answering these very serious allegations, Norm Coleman released a TV ad, blaming DFL challenger Al Franken for the lawsuit. It shows Coleman, seated on a couch next to his wife, Laurie, as he looks directly into the camera and says, "This time, Al Franken's crossed the line... I'm fair game for his ugly smears. My wife and family are not."

"It's his most dishonest ad of the year," wrote Andy Barr, Al Franken for U.S. Senate's communications director, to campaign supporters today. "That ad is up on TV right now. And it's a despicable lie. Franken had nothing to do with this lawsuit. Norm Coleman, faced with sworn allegations of a conspiracy to funnel him improper payments, is trying to deflect blame by lying about Al Franken in a TV ad."

According to the Star Tribune, Coleman called this an "11th-hour attack" on his re-election campaign. The Star Tribune also reported that, "within an hour [of the ad's airing], Franken abruptly canceled an appearance at a campaign rally in Minneapolis to hustle over to a DFL Party news conference, where he denied the accusations and called Coleman's remarks 'insulting to voters.'"

There, Franken looked directly into the camera and flat-out discredited the notion of any wrongdoing. "Senator Coleman looks the people of Minnesota in the eye and lies," he said. "I'm being blamed for crossing a line and I didn't do a thing. And our campaign didn't do a thing."

"It has been a long campaign, and a tough one," noted Barr. "Norm Coleman has sunk to historic depths to smear Al Franken and make this election about something -- anything other than his own record and the issues that affect the people of Minnesota."

DSCC Issues Memo: "It's Time for Norm to Go"
These lawsuits come within days of a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee memo, rhetorically asking, "Does Norm Coleman deserve to be re-elected?"

It goes on to highlight a handful of compelling numbers reflecting Coleman's service as Minnesota's senior U.S. Senator in the seat once held by the late Paul Wellstone:
* 52 free trips paid for by special interests
* Over $600,000 from big oil and drug companies
* Living almost rent-free in the $1,000,000 home of a Washington insider
* Ranked the 4th most corrupt senator in Washington
* Coleman voted nearly 90% of the time with George Bush -- together, running up a $10 trillion national debt

The DSCC memo cites dozens of credible sources -- including specific votes that Coleman has cast -- and then concludes, "It’s time for Norm to go."

GoodBiz113's take: We agree: It is time for Norm Coleman to go. After all he's done for George W. Bush, big corporations and myriad special interests, he should be able to land at least one or two consulting and/or lobbying gigs. Now, it's time for small businesses, entrepreneurs, farmers, etc., in Minnesota and across the nation to have real champions in the U.S. Senate. Al Franken will aptly fill Paul Wellstone's seat with integrity, vision, ingenuity, compassion and, very likely, some terrific post-Bush era humor, too.

SOURCES: Al Franken for U.S. Senate, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Star Tribune
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