Minnick Dismisses Small Business Owners

Press Release

"Running a 3 or 4 or 5 person firm is not a small business", says Walt Minnick on KBOI-AM

"That shows once again the elitist attitude of the Democratic Party," replies Raul Labrador, small business owner

Democrat Congressman Walt Minnick showed breathtaking arrogance by dismissing the thousands of small business owners of Idaho and the United States on live radio yesterday by claiming that owner operators of small businesses with relatively few employees were not businessmen at all.

The Labrador for Idaho campaign was contacted by the owner of Golden Years, Inc., Dan McKnight, an Afghan war military veteran, who after hearing Minnick's remarks stated, "Congressman Minnick has lost touch with the struggles of the small business owner in Idaho."

Following is a partial transcript between Minnick and Labrador with attached audio file:

Minnick:

"Raul, let's get serious--running a three or four or five person law firm, a trial law firm, an immigration law firm, is not a small business. Let's be forthright: You are a trial lawyer, an immigration lawyer--you're not a businessman; it's different than what I did."

Labrador:

"That shows once again the elitist attitude of the Democratic Party. Saying someone who at one point had nine employees in my law firm; that I was not a small business owner."

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) claims a membership base of about 350,000. The US Department of Commerce in 2006 indicated there were 30,700 businesses in Idaho with 10 or less employees. The recession of the last two years may have negatively impacted these figures.

"From 2008-2010, the period Walt Minnick and Barack Obama have both been in office, the Idaho Department of Labor reports Idaho's rate of unemployment has climbed from 4.2% to 9.0% today. Statements such as these from Walt Minnick show him to be out of touch with every day Idahoans who are trying to create jobs," concluded Raul Labrador.

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