Romney: Perry doesn't deserve credit for Texas job growth

Texas Governor Rick Perry's job creation record came under fire Monday, as rival Mitt Romney said Texans benefitted from blind luck more than Perry's policies and fellow Texan Ron Paul said the Lone Star state's debt has nearly tripled on Perry's watch.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney, whose frontrunner status has been challenged by Perry's August entrance into the race, conceded that there are "some wonderful things that Texas has going for it that the nation could learn from."

But, he argued, "I think Governor Perry would agree with me that if you're dealt four aces that doesn't make you necessarily a great poker player."

Those four aces, he said, included "zero income tax, low regulation, right to work state, oil in the ground and republican legislature."

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"Those things are terrific," he said.

But, he added, job growth in Texas has not been exclusive to Perry's tenure.

"There has been great growth in Texas," he said. "Under Ann Richardson, growth was under two percent a year, George Bush three percent a year. Those are all good numbers. Texas is a great state. If you think that the country is like Texas going swimmingly well, then somebody who has done that is just terrific. But if the country needs a turnaround, that's what I do."

"I was going to say you were doing pretty good until you got to talking poker," Perry fired back at Romney. "But the fact is the state of Texas has led the nation. While the current resident of the White House is overseeing the loss of 2.5 million jobs, Texas during my period of governor has created over a million jobs."

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Rep. Ron Paul, a fellow Texan, was quick to "put a little damper" on Perry's claims.

"I'm a taxpayer there. My taxes have gone up. Our taxes have doubled since he took office," Paul said. "Our debt has gone up nearly triple. So no, and 170,000 of the jobs were government jobs."

"I would put a little damper on this, but I don't want to offend the governor because he might raise my taxes or something," Paul added.

[americalvet]

4 aces = poorly paid non-union workers leading to exceptionally high levels of mnimum wage workers, low taxes that lead to high percentages of kids not getting health care, more Republican idiots in the legislature, and oil making big companies obscenely wealthy while wrecking the environment. Seems they also keep getting dealt jokers for governor. Not such a great deal is it.

[netjunkie1]

Perry said last night that the stimulus program gained "zero jobs".
Maybe not in Texas, but the Congressional Budget Office stated that the stimulus program "saved or created between 1,000,000 and 3,000,000 jobs".

[jose_z1]

so he got 4 aces when he came in - guess what? he still has 4 aces...

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[netjunkie1]

Then he is cheating, nobody can draw 4 aces over and over...I just bet that Merc paid alot more than $5000 to Perry for that signature which gained them multiple millions.

[bobnjersey]

[While the current resident of the White House is overseeing the loss of 2.5 million jobs, Texas during my period of governor has created over a million jobs."]
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and what percentage of those jobs are 'living wage' jobs ... above the poverty line? c'mon yosemite sam ... show me the real numbers ... not just how many jobs you're taking claim for creating.

[tsigili]

Romney is creating things to talk about, that are not necessarily true or valid.

[PR_in_Alabama]

there was a lot of topics were the truth was just given a HECK of a spin. Who can believe on this BOZOS?

[ReckonedTruth]

STILL nothing of substance being said, that hasn't been said before by the GOP and now the tea party circus. Why should we continue to truth them? These people are sounding just like bush 41 and 43 and here we are right back at Door number one..aren't there any other OPTIONS AMERICA? Newt is the most dangerous of all on the panel. If he is elected presient he would put us in another war, that would make THREE was people.

At this point I wouldn't want to change in mid stream, I rather continue with President Obama, primarily for the reason of what he inherited from Bush 43 two terms. So four years is not enough time to put this nation back on the right track as far as economics, plus, I like the fact the President went after Bin Laden with intelligence and found him and killed him and we lost no mulitary involved. However, when Bush 43rd had the opportunit to gt Bin Laden DIDN'T, he used the excuse that Bin Laden is hiding in a cave and didn't want to look for him. I like the ideal this President is aware how much money is being wasted on two wars we are engaged-and we CAN'T WIN.. and we can have that money spend monthly millions RETURN back to the America to help our economy, we have spent trillions over the years on wars its TIME to STOP..

[displeased2]

I think I read Perry cut 49,000 education-related jobs. That's perfect for molding the young for all those minimum wage jobs.

[kevjustice]

i look at perry and i see a guy that should be a used car salesman. he would sell a 1974 pinto(with an exploding on impact gas tank) to grandma. anything for a buck.

[janeteleanor]

By reading these comments you sure can tell who they are AFRAID OF.

[bobnjersey]

[By reading these comments you sure can tell who they are AFRAID OF.]
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everyone should be afraid of ignorant authoritarians who spew nonsense talking points and incongruent statements that the other ignorant authoritarians in the room gobble up like kids in a candy store.

one such incongruent example would be the idea that you all want the government out of your lives ... but you're all upset that the government hasn't solved the economic issues and fixed unemployment.

which one do you want ... the govt to fix your problems ... or the government out of your life?

[americalvet]

Great that Perry could take time off from demanding that the Federal government give him more money for fighting fires (caused in part by extreme heat) so's he could dis the Federal government and deny global warming.

[kevjustice]

texas has no state taxes. that attracts business the most. if the u.s. government had no taxes there would be no military, no social security, no medicare, no military/fed worker retirement checks, etc. they said the same thing about how wonderful candidate g. bush was and that did not work out too well.

[retiredgustav]

Workman's comp is optional and it is imposible to sue your employer if you are hurt on the job (Entergy v Summers).
Unemployment in Texas is at 8.2% and climbing. However many counties are over 10%.

[netjunkie1]

I have family in Texas, if you live in the suburbs, then you pay low taxes, but very high public utilities...don't let them mislead you, you get to pay one way or the other.
Property was cheap when I visited as well everywhere except the major cities. NASA was fun though.
The major issues with Texas is the fact the pay is low and the esteem of employee employer relationship is akin to slavery.
Then there is that sun tanning weather, the majority of the adult population has little education really ranked lowest in the country,
religious dogma, with big oil, dictates policy there as well.