Posted on 06/03/2012 1:46:18 PM PDT by Steelfish
Romney Surrogate McDonnell Says Obama Stimulus Plan Helped Virginia
By Dan Eggen June 3
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) wandered off script somewhat Sunday as a surrogate for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, conceding that President Obama’s stimulus measures helped his state weather the economic crisis.
McDonnell, a potential vice presidential candidate who has sought to walk a tightrope between conservatives and moderates, acknowledged on CNN’s “State of the Union” that federal assistance aided Virginia in balancing its budget, but said it had no positive long-term impact.
“Did it help us in the short run with health care and education and spending to balance the budget? Sure,” McDonnell said. “Does it help us in the long term to really cut the unemployment rate? I’d say no.”
The remarks were part of a war of words between Obama and Romney surrogates in the wake of Friday’s disappointing jobs report, which showed just 69,000 jobs added in May and a slight uptick in the unemployment rate to 8.2 percent. The numbers slowed in part because of continued losses in public-sector jobs and continued weakness in construction.
Romney adviser Ed Gillespie said the stumbling economy and weak performance by the Obama campaign boded well for the Republican candidate’s chances in November.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
what a shocker news flash that free money helps pay for things you otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford
Ya, like the 535 million helped the owners of Solyndra, esp. the bonuses they took while they were in bankruptcy.
I am glad McDonnell continues to demonstrate why he should not even be considered for the #2 slot. It would be a huge mistake. He is milquetoast.
Sometimes I think that both political parties see a definite train wreck coming for the next administration and that both political parties are trying to lose the race.
He is a short version of Romney.
His thesis on women will kill his chances of even rising to the top.
It’s a two party system. Voters vs. Politicans. The R and D sleep with each other.
like Odungo
Which probably means he’s a shoo-in.
You are correct sir. It matters very little who we vote for. Yes, there are a few glimmers of hope in the house but over all they are ALL against us.
When we send someone on our side to DC tend tend to be corrupted post haste.
I fear there will be no peaceful way to stop the advancement of our government.
I was really fooled by this guy. What a disappointment he is.
Sounds like he has “foot-in-mouth” disease to me.
I think there’s a pretty clearcase, guy, for that sort of thought.
Should he have lied about it?
Of course Porkulus paid for a bunch of state workers and helped states balance their budgets. Even after a bitter fight, SC accepted the money for that reason.
He was right, though, that it made no long term difference.
It was a waste, and just encouraged the excesses of the states to continue.
That has come to a screeching halt since the Repubs took over the House in 2010.
Completely. I hope he enjoyed getting my vote for his current position, because he won’t get another one.
He simply said it was a short term fix without any long term benefit and that Obama had nothing to do with the lower unemployment rate in his state or all the other states that have Republican leadership. Unemployment rates are lower because of the Republican leadership. That’s what he said. They are manipulating his words.
I watched this interview. Candy Crowley practically begged him to admit Obama helped his state.
Each time McDonell denied it, until the very end when Crowley said “not even a little bit.” McDonnell said in the “short term it helped balance a budget...”
It’s a game with the media. Get the soundbite so the media can run stories and Obama can use it in ads or on the stump.
Of course. He's absolutely correct, and the posters on this thread who appear so naively to be "taken in" by the sinister spin of the story's headline must be temporarily bereft of logic and common sense.
Either that, or they just didn't bother to read the story. But then, what else is new?
Romney needs to clean out his staff pool if he really wants to be President. His staff make really, really stupid statements.
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