DNC chair: Texas economy no credit to Perry

One day after Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz hammered Perry's record on job creation and accused him of making "inaccurate" comments about President Obama's economic accomplishments.

Wasserman Schultz, speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," told Norah O'Donnell that she was "incredibly proud" of Mr. Obama's efforts at turning the economy around - and argued that Perry does not deserve credit for Texas' strong job creation record.

Texas's unemployment rate is 8.2 percent, about one point less than the national average, and 40 percent of the nation's new jobs since June 2009 are in Texas, though many are low-wage.

"There is a dramatic contrast with the governor of Texas" when it comes to his record versus the president's on job creation," Wasserman Schultz said. "Not the least of which is that it is extremely difficult for him to deserve credit for that job creation when you have rising gas prices that created oil jobs that he had nothing to do with, when you had military spending as a result of two wars that created military jobs that he had nothing to do with, when you have the Recovery Act championed by President Obama that created jobs in Texas that he had nothing to do with."

She continued: "So it is way overblown to suggest that the job creation in Texas is squarely on the shoulders of [Perry's] policies."

Perry announced his bid for the 2012 Republican nomination in South Carolina on Saturday with a speech grounded in attacks on President Obama. The Texas Republican enters the race as one of the frontrunners for the nomination, and many have already pegged him as the biggest threat to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's candidacy.

In his Saturday speech announcing his candidacy, Perry accused Mr. Obama of "downgrading" American financial stability.

"The fact is for nearly three years, President Obama has been downgrading American jobs, he's been downgrading our standing in the world, he's been downgrading our financial stability, he's been downgrading our confidence, and downgrading the hope for a better future for our children," he said.

When asked about those comments, Wasserman Schultz defended Mr. Obama's record and called Perry's statements "inaccurate."

"I am incredibly proud of President Obama's accomplishments," she told O'Donnell. "This is a president that took on the health insurance industry and reformed healthcare to make sure that every American could have coverage and insurance companies couldn't drop you or deny you coverage; took on Wall Street, made sure that banks were not ever again too big to fail; made sure that we began to get our economy turned around -- so I think Americans are appreciative of the hard work and effort and accomplishment that President Obama has made."

"Certainly those accomplishments are not reflective of any of the governor's inappropriate comments," she said, adding that Perry's comments were "inaccurate."

[bamissfa]

Wow. The DNC Party Chair is also in denial>> "Wasserman Schultz, speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," told Norah O'Donnell that she was "incredibly proud" of Mr. Obama's efforts at turning the economy around -"

I'm speechless.

[iamproteus]

"I'm speechless."
Now, if this extended to the written word, we'd all be grateful.

[haddada-2009]

Nobody believes Vermont like this. Do the flamin lobs really think that the unemployed person wakes and says "gee" I have just lost everything but because I may get free healthcare I am going to vote for Obama" NOT! it's the economy stupid! Smoke and mirrors the usual democrat campaign mode

[luadda22]

by imnotimportant August 14, 2011 7:55 PM EDT
RICK PERRY IS ROBBING THE POOR.

___________________________________________________________________
Before you start pointing fingers, make sure you are pointing in all the right direction. President Barack Obama's 2012 budget proposed to cut in half funding for home energy assistance to poor households in Texas and across the country. Find out the total story (not just reports from CBS and the DailyKos). Maybe Texas is just preparing for reductions in federal funding or maybe not, but Obama will be just as much to blame as Perry (but the way the assistance was signed into law in Texas by the "evil" G.W. Bush), or do you have a electrical bill that's due you need help with.

[imnotimportant]

Its one think to cut money to the poor because you just dun't have it. This is not good but not immoral.

What is immoral is when you take money intended to go the poor and you launder it through a rainy day fund and you use it to bay for tax cuts for the rich.

[nosocialists]

Debbie Wasserman is an evil PIG. I live in Florida and can contest to this dizzy B*h.

[imnotimportant]

Debbie Wasserman is hot and unlike Bachmann and Palin, she's smart.

[imnotimportant]

RICK PERRY IS ROBBING THE POOR.

Rick Perry takes money set aside by Texans to help pay poor people's utilities, and uses it to cover tax cuts, this is a good thing? A Christian thing?

Every Texan is required to pay an extra dollar from their power bill. It funds the Low Income Utility Assistance Program.
Of 146 million collected, only 66 million will be used for this purpose. 80 million collected for poor people is going to pay for previously approved tax breaks.
By 2013 over 900 million dollars collected by utilities will for poor people be turned over to help fill tax shortfalls.

[imnotimportant]

There are some that will say that this is dishonest. However Rick Perry took 80 million of the money citizens donated to help poor and he put it in a rainy day fund (which he did).
But what these people won't tell you is (according to fox news)....
"AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Rick Perry agreed Tuesday to use $3.2 billion from the state's reserve fund to close a deficit in the current budget, according to a statement from Perry's office."

80 million of this came from money given to help the poor

[imnotimportant]

It doesn't matter how he launders it, it's still stealing.

[krisd999-2009]

He is right, the job creation is not Perry's doing. It's the No income and corporate tax that is creating jobs in Texas. Government never creates jobs. Government can only destroy by getting in the way with taxes and red tape.

[RobAla]

Who do you think lowered the taxes in Texas, President Obama? Perry has created an environment which is friendly to business. You are right about government created jobs. It is a losing situation. Every government created job is based on money confiscated from he private sector, and it also involves huge government administrative crap. Some federal programs are made up of 80% administrative stuff with only 20% on the money going to the purpose of the program. Government created jobs are never as efficient as private sector jobs.

[imnotimportant]

RICK PERRY IS ROBBING THE POOR.

Rick Perry takes money set aside by Texans to help pay poor people's utilities, and uses it to cover tax cuts, this is a good thing? A Christian thing?

Every Texan is required to pay an extra dollar from their power bill. It funds the Low Income Utility Assistance Program.
Of 146 million collected, only 66 million will be used for this purpose. 80 million collected for poor people is going to pay for previously approved tax breaks.
By 2013 over 900 million dollars collected by utilities will for poor people be turned over to help fill tax shortfalls.

[BaselessCritique]

I have a lot of respect for Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and she
s exactly right. Anyone who knows anything about the Texas economy knows that it cycles up and down with the price of crude oil.

If were giving Perry credit for the increase in oil production jobs, we might as well give him credit for gravity.

[dantom39]

Not only is that hag a 2 bagger and the 2nd most hated woman in America she is for sure stuck on stupid.

[themooniac]

She forgot to mention that Bush directed a lot of pork to Texas when President which is why the Bush camp thinks Rick Perry is a scumbag for claiming credit for the mythological "Texas Miracle" (which consists of nothing more than a bunch of corporations that are able to pay minimum wage in Texas due to their unregulation).

[akwriter]

When you have to resort to slander to make your side "look better," you prove that you have no argument. Your comment about Wasserman being the 2nd most hated woman in America is only your opinion....and obviously your opinion has nothing to do with reality, so crawl back into your slime pit and don't waste any more of our time.

[slappy-mcjohnson]

by fairtax71

Nobody wanted the President to fail. He started off with a Healthcare bill that the maj. of the public was against and ramrodded it through.

-----------

Fairtax - were you alive in 1993? What passed what almost exactly what the REPUBS had come up with as an alternative to Hillarycare, mandate and everything.

Apparently, they have short memories, weren't alive, or have been successfully brainwashed to forget in the meantime...

.

[akwriter]

So, you're saying that the Repubs wanted universal health care including a national mandate back then, but now now.....Hmmmmm....interesting how they try to turn the facts around.

[slappy-mcjohnson]

Yes, indeed, that's a fact.

[bbglow]

Somewhere, somehow, the republicans will need to explain how current exceptional corporate profits are not translating into American job creation and how additional corporate tax cuts are going to translate into anything other than more corporate profits. The company that eliminated my job is expanding operations in China and creating jobs in China. They now have three offices in China compared to one office when I was laid-off. These jobs are service jobs related to the construction industry and somehow, these Chinese based offices, besides contributing to work within China are also contributing to work being performed on American soil, however, the reverse is not apparently allowed. My only conclusion is that Corporate America has abandoned the American worker for less expensive labor abroad despite the fact that the American worker contributed heavily to their initial and existing wealth. Or, is it also political? Are they withholding job creation in America because they don't want a democratic administration to receive credit for putting an end to the too-big-to-fail initiated recession. Could the republicans kindly provide an answer? Is the media afraid to fully examine this destructive republican angle? P.S. The American worker understands it is nonsense to claim that fear to invest in America is a result of uncertainty. So that some can expect more, others must accept less. Would someone kindly inform the republicans that their mantra is nonsense?

[arthanyel]

Well said and very on point.

[arthanyel]

CaptainSmollet - conservative propaganda. Name one thing that has happened since Obama was elected that is moving jobs overseas. Corporate taxes have been CUT. I ndividual taxes remain CUT. ADDITIONAL cuts were implemented for R&D. And the only new regulations that have been IMPLEMENTED (Republicans have denied funding to mplementthe rest) are on the credit card industry ( which did nothing to US jobs) and the health care act provisions that impact insurance companies. All large employers already provide health insurance to their employees and none of them were noticeably impacted by the Health Care Act.

So try using real facts.