Before answering that question, please read this:
Virginia Governor and Mitt Romney surrogate Bob McDonnell (R) on Sunday floated what may turn into a Republican talking point if the economy continues to improve: It wasn’t President Obama who made it happen, it was the GOP governors.
“Look, I’m glad the economy is starting to recover, but I think it’s because of what Republican governors are doing in their states, not because of the president,” McDonnell said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Now, just a few points. First, I thought Bob McDonnell always says that government doesn’t create jobs at all (even as he dubbed his LG Virginia’s “Chief Jobs Creation Officer” – lol). But now, Republican governors like him are magically creating jobs? Hmmm.
Second, of course, is the utter absurdity of claiming that state governments like Virginia’s are on a par with the federal government in terms of having things like, oh, the ability to print money, raise armies, provide Medicare and Social Security to tens of millions of Americans, build interstate highway systems, spend trillions of dollars, etc., etc. In contrast, Virginia’s two-year budget is about $85 billion, about what the federal government spends on just one agency (the Department of Health and Human Services) in just one year. Delusions of grandeur on Bob McDonnell’s part, perhaps?
Third, it turns out that “Maryland created eight times more private-sector jobs than Virginia last year, throwing a wrench into Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s theory that his Republican-controlled state is friendlier to business than his Democratic rival to the north, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.” Also worth noting is a report which found that “federal spending lifted Virginia’s economy.” Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising given that:
No state has a higher share of its economy fueled by federal procurement. And Virginia is second, behind Alaska, in the per-capita flow of federal money to its borders. Altogether, federal spending accounted for 38 percent of the Old Dominion’s economic activity in 2009, according to a report by Federal Funds Information for States.
Fourth, another report found that “state spending has a positive impact on growth, while Republican governors are associated with lower rates of economic growth.” Whoops.
Finally, the fact is that state government cuts in jobs – including here in Virginia – have been a significant drag on the economic recovery, certainly not a boost as lyin’ Bob McGimmick claims.
Now, back to our original question: Is Bob McDonnell completely delusional, or is he just flat-out lying? Feel free to discuss in the comments section.
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