Texas Gov. Rick Perry has had some game-losing fumbles, but his campaign ad faulting Barack Obama’s remark about “lazy” America isn’t among them.
Put simply: Yes, Obama did say that American laziness is keeping foreign nations from investing here. And self-styled “fact checkers” who suggest Perry lied are wrong.
Here is the question Obama got during a conference in Honolulu:
Interviewer: “I think one related question, looking at the world from the Chinese side, is what they would characterize as impediments to investment in the United States. And so that discussion I’m sure will be part of whatever dialogue you have. And so how are you thinking about that?”
Obama replied: “Well, this is an issue, generally. I think it’s important to remember that the United States is still the largest recipient of foreign investment in the world. And there are a lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity – our stability, our openness, our innovative free-market culture.”