Friday, July 22, 2011

Palin's Jobs Record Beats All Others in the GOP Field

Pennsylvanians4Palin has compiled a very impressive amount of data on the employment numbers of Alaska, Utah, Minnesota, Texas, and Massachusetts during the governorships of Sarah Palin, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry, Tim Pawlenty, and Mitt Romney.

There's much more at the link, but here's a summary:
During Sarah Palin’s governorship (December 2006 – July 2009)

· Alaska ranked 2nd in the nation for job growth.
· Alaska ranked 3rd in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Jon Huntsman’s governorship (January 2005 – August 2009)

· Utah ranked 4th in the nation for job growth.
· Utah ranked 12th in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Rick Perry’s governorship (December 2000 – May 2011)

· Texas ranked 4th in the nation for job growth.
· Texas ranked 23rd in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Tim Pawlenty’s governorship (January 2003 – January 2011)

· Minnesota ranked 33rd in the nation for job growth.
· Minnesota ranked 17th in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.

During Mitt Romney’s governorship (January 2003 – January 2007)

· Massachusetts ranked 47th in the nation for job growth.
· Massachusetts ranked 34th in the nation for change in the unemployment rate relative to the national average.
More charts & data HERE

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22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Context is everything, my friend.

But as of today, Palin isn't running. The train is leaving the station, and Sarah's not on it.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

That chart shows that the Unemployment rate WENT DOWN only in MA under Romney. it went down by 1.0%

Unemployment rate WENT UP for:

Palin 1.8%
Huntsman 2.9%
Perry 3.8%
Pawlenty 2.2%

Right Wingnut said...

Anon, The data reflects the employment #s relative to the national average to account for differences in national economic conditions.

During Palin's term, the unemploymeny rate went up 1.8% in Alaska, but 5.1% nationwide.

Romney underperformed the nation as a whole during his term in unemployment and job growth.

hamaca said...

Both RWN and Martha are very correct.

Looking at absolute numbers only tells a limited story. Looking at the numbers relative to a benchmark, such as national average, gives a truer picture.

Unfortunately, we'll never be able to compare apples to apples. As alluded to by Martha, we can only do so when comparing performance in the same context/same set of circumstances, e.g. Romney as governor of Alaska during the same time period or vice versa.

Anonymous said...

i dont think you can really compare states especially alaska against others like mass or texas. It doesnt say much really.

Anonymous said...

TX or MA has milions in population while alaska has like 20 people living there. When those eskimos go fishing and catch a fish, palin notes it down as job creation

hamaca said...

Another point to consider in terms of context is that 4.6% is a very low unemployment rate. Most economists will consider around 6% to be a healthy balance nationally. Too low and supply/demand of labor is out of balance resulting in salaries being high as companies bid them upwards in search of limited talent. One result can be inflation. Other results can be people being willing to spend too much too quickly on certain items, e.g. houses.

Therefore, any competent governor in Romney's position, while certainly wanting to keep the state competitive for companies to locate there, would not focus on the unemployment rate as would a governor e.g. in Alaska during Palin's time during which she was able to show better-than-average results as indicated by RWN.

hamaca said...

Anon...very funny.

While it's true that Alaska's population would be equivalent to something like the nation's 17th largest city, it is nonetheless a full-fledged state with its own unique set of characteristics.

Anonymous said...

LOL...it was joke, congrats to palin on her less than stellar record, and she even did it with only a half term, if palin had stayed in all the way, she would be numero uno all the way!!!

craigs said...

Alaska is economically smaller than Arkansas.
Remember what Ross Perot said about Arkansas? It's like a big general store. Well, Alaska under Sarah was like a small general store and comparisons with states like Massachusetts are , well, just ridiculous

CraigS

craigs said...

As to the numbers, I think Texas was ranked number 1 in job growth.....but the biggest percentage of jobs were minimum wage or less. Kind of economy that Indonesia and Guatemala would love. Massachusetts is number 1 in medical care and education, thx to Mitt, and those jobs are high income jobs.

CraigS

Ohio JOE said...

"Alaska is economically smaller than Arkansas." Then, Mrs. Palin's record is even more impressive because a small amount of people getting work represents a larger per centage of people getting. However, even as a Palinite, I do not credit Mrs. Palin for creating a job for person X. I do credit her for promoting capitalism and thus she created an economic climate where people could get jobs.

Similarly, it was easier to get a job in the Bush years because he lowered taxes and he was not a Socialist.

Right Wingnut said...

...and to this day...two years after she left office, job growth is still robust in AK relative to the nation.

And they has a $12 billion surplus last year too.

Anonymous said...

Good post RW. Interesting numbers that I am sure nobody in MSM would ever report on.

jerseyrepublican

Anonymous said...

well its mighty convenient that the governors are fully responsible for job increases but have absolutely no responsibility and blame job losses on the ethereal national market.

How is that possible?

All I can say is that Romney's 4.6 looks so appealing in today's market.

Lori*

Anonymous said...

On the MA number - 4.6% unemployment rate is in the range of what economists call "Full Employment" - a level where those looking for work have little difficulty finding it.

Right Wingnut said...

I see a lot of spin here in the comments, but the numbers are what they are.

Doug NYC GOP said...

Alaska's economy was booming prior to her election as Governor and during her brief term, she didn't do anything to screw it up. For that she gets rightful credit.

Right Wingnut said...

Perhaps Alaska's economy was booming, but the unemployment rate was 1.8% above the national average when she took over, and 1.5% below when she left office. And as I already mentioned, they're still sitting pretty 2 years later. What other state can claim a $12 billion surplus right now?

Ohio JOE said...

Well said, RW!

Anonymous said...

eskimos 4 palin 2012!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I know you don't care to hear from me, but I plan to say something, anyway.

Mitt Romney was Governor in MASSACHUSETTS. About 85 percent of his legislature was Democrat, and they overrode his line-item vetoes pretty easily. His record looks good from my perspective.

AZ