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Fear of defense cuts could help Romney in Virginia
Mitt Romney’s effort to overtake President Obama in the crucial swing state of Virginia may depend on how effective he is at convincing voters he can limit the economic damage from pending defense cuts.
The Republican presidential candidate will give a foreign policy address at the Virginia Military Institute on Monday, looking to highlight what he calls President Obama’s “taking a meat cleaver to the military.”
Under a deal between the Obama administration and Congress to raise the nation’s borrowing capacity last year, leaders agreed to implement $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board reductions over the next decade if a broader debt reduction solution is not achieved. Nearly half of those cuts would come from the defense budget, a cash cow for Virginia.
Both parties agreed to slash defense as a consequence of a failed deficit deal. But Romney has said Obama bears most of the responsibility because he failed to lead effectively during the fiscal crisis.
And analysts said that attack is helping the GOP challenger in the Old Dominion, where polls recently have tightened.
“Politically, in Virginia, it works,” said Jeremy Mayer, a political scientist at George Mason University. “Virginia understands how dependent the economy here is on military spending. It’s almost a statewide message.”
Northern Virginia is a hotbed for defense contractors, and further south in the Hampton Roads area, the military is the backbone of the community.
The Romney campaign is rolling out the likes of Virginia defense contractor Joe Travez, of Ashburn-based Prototype Productions, in the buildup to the Republican’s foreign policy speech in Lexington.
“Every night I go to sleep worrying about the future for all my employees,” Travez said. “Every day I wake up wondering when [the Obama] administration will lead on Capitol Hill.”
Tuesday
October 7th, 2012
Is it too simple to just say I like this picture of Romney? He is exuberating life in midstride. I hope he wins.
Rightwingfeather
October 7th, 2012
Yeah, ‘cept that little pesky Warn act that Obama is acknowledging and asking those contractors to ignore it at our (the taxpayor’s) expense…
http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-warn.htm#.UHIu5qNy3yI
Bad Brad
October 7th, 2012
Virginia, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Sacramento, L.A., Etc, Etc. That’s my market, and that’s what everyone’s talking about. Couple that with his energy policies, and his I’m a fag so I should be able to marry my gerbil bull shit and he’s rather polarizing. And now, for your enjoyment, Barry’s fav song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaS-EydfJ3g
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Doc
October 7th, 2012
I just can NOT comprehend how anyone that would claim to be NORMAL could possibly vote for Obama.
And don’t get me started on the PAULBOTS that think HE still has a chance and will run the risk of re-electing Obama because of their FU*KED UP vision of a Ron Paul win. I think they are as much a danger to our country as the OBAMABOTS!
Unruly Refugee
October 8th, 2012
Those people in the picture look so happy to see the guy who can put an end to the most dangerous hoax in history and stop the raping of America by 0bama.
Maudie N Mandeville
October 8th, 2012
The backlog of veterans’ disability claims has jumped by 179 percent during President Barack Obama’s first term in office, reaching 883,949 outstanding claims, according to Veterans Administration (VA) statistics.
MaryfromMarin
October 8th, 2012
@Maudie–
Why should BHO or his administration care anything at all about veterans? What can they do for HIM?
BILL
October 8th, 2012
lots of jobs hanging on defense spending.
is this a good thing or a bad thing ?
if obama can appeal to the welfare crowd with obamphones, can’t romney do the same thing here to the defense contractor crowd ?
just saying !