To play out his story, Marcus said Geithner would have to deal with the state, federal and local regulations that he contends stymie business, and then the public official may understand the challenges that small business people face.

Hyperbole aside, Marcus said the administration's poor performance warrants the Democrats being voted out of office. He did not, however, call for Geithner to resign.

Marcus is no longer with Home Depot , and now runs a charity called the Marcus Foundation.

He said that George W. Bush started the spending, but “he’s a novice when it comes to this new guy. They write checks for $10 million the way I write checks for breakfast.”