Well, it probably didn’t mean to, but that’s what happened.
Bush swung though Ohio (20 electoral votes) yesterday for his 15th trip since taking office in 2001. The purpose of his speech in Cleveland was clear: tout the strength of the economy.
You can read the speech yourself and see how unpersuasive it is, but that’s not the point of this post. I was far more entertained by a quote from the state GOP.
From today’s edition of The Note:
Ohio Republican Party spokesman Jason Mauk told ABC News, “Nobody would argue that the economy is struggling here but we are also seeing positive numbers on state levels — just not on employment directly. Part of the President’s message is reaching Ohioans, especially the 4.4 million Ohioans that benefited from the President’s tax cuts.”
There’s a few things wrong with that statement, but the funny part is that Ohio has over 11.3 million people. Mauk said Bush’s tax cuts helped 4.4 million Ohioans. Even if we take him at his word, this means 6.9 million Ohioans — or almost 62% — did not benefit from Bush’s tax cuts.
So there you have it. Even Republicans are admitting that the tax cuts benefited a fortunate few while offering nothing for the majority of us.