Terry McAuliffe isn’t exactly a stranger to job creation.
…well, scratch that. T-Mac wouldn’t know a real job if John Foust offered him one.
Of course, when McAuliffe isn’t in China building golf carts cars and shipping jobs overseas, His Excellency is right here in Virginia explaining away how 0.1% job growth is awesome (and you’re just not smart enough to figure it out):
“She (Clinton) should embrace the Obama economic policies that have moved the country forward, absolutely,” said the governor, Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, a close friend of both Mrs. Clinton’s and former President Bill Clinton’s. “Go through the numbers, look where we are today. Things are booming.”
The definition of success? 0.1% job growth. I mean, blistering — right?
McAuliffe’s reaction to such news? Sell it, baby!
“I think they need to do a much better job of explaining their successes,” said Mr. McAuliffe, who was the chairman of Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. “I don’t get it.”
So when it comes to job creation, it’s nice to listen to folks who — you know — actually have created jobs. That’s where guys like Pete Snyder come in and burst McAuliffe’s johnny-one-note on Virginia’s economy:
I don’t get it either, Terry. I don’t understand with Virginia’s economy spiraling downwards under your watch you could possibly call things “booming”. Do you really believe that economic activity that only brings along growth of 0.1% is “booming”? With all of your praise for Barack Obama’s economic policies — of which, both sequestration and the President’s regulatory attacks on Virginia’s coal industry have had a devastating effect on our growth — how could you really be looking out for Virginia’s economic best interest?
Let me tell you all the truth. Governor Terry McAuliffe is proving that he is just too close to President Obama and Hillary Clinton to stand up for Virginia’s economy. While Virginians are hurting, instead of fighting for Virginians and acting in our best interest as Governor, Terry still wants to be a partisan mouthpiece for the DNC and a cheerleader for the very policies that have cratered our economy.
There you have it. A very unserious governor vs. a very measured and serious Pete Snyder, an entrepreneur with the street credentials to back up the talk.
Governor McAuliffe, on the other hand, can count his legislative successes this session on his left elbow — meaning none. Probably time to focus on the job of governing rather than the art of politics… Hillary can wait, Terry.
UPDATE: IJReview lays it on thick:
The state’s growth rate remains anemic, despite having a relatively low unemployment rate of just 4.8 percent. The slow rate of growth could also potentially be attributed to decreased compensation for the jobs that have been added, compared to the jobs that were originally lost.
Other governors were less than enthused with the economic policies that McAuliffe was touting. Fellow Democrat and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said, “most importantly the wages still haven’t started rising.”
Ouch.
UPDATE x2: America Rising PAC isn’t happy about Governor 0.1%’s comments either…
So while McAuliffe is choosing to focus on partisan attacks, Virginia’s economy is grinding to a halt. And yet all McAuliffe can focus on is getting his pal Hillary into the White House to continue these same failed policies.
No oxygen for McAuliffe this week, folks… and just when the Governor ought to be shining towards the end of session, we have absolutely nothing — nothing — from the Governor’s Mansion of any substance.
