Coincidence?
PolitiFact crunched the numbers and Scott Walker was out of state at least 44 percent of the last five months -- ignoring his day job to test the warm, inviting presidential waters. Meanwhile, Wisconsin is dead last in job creation in the Midwest and on pace for record layoffs under Walker. His in-state job approval is also plummeting, down eight to 41 percent.
Any Port in a Storm? Portman Seeks Refuge from Record of Outsourcing American Jobs
If Rob Portman wants to remind us what a patent failure he was as United States Trade Representative under President George W. Bush, he's doing a "heckuva job." Portman is in the fight of political life this election cycle and he's making sure the hardworking men and women of Ohio know that he's on their side by cracking down on currency manipulation. “It is critical that any new trade agreement include effective tools to fight back against a practice that has resulted in the loss of millions of American jobs,” said Portman in a statement. It sure sounds like a reasonable message, if you completely ignore the messenger. Portman simply has no standing to talk about protecting American workers.
WisPolitics: $4.9 million in WEDC loans delinquent
Not only is Scott Walker's scandal-plagued, privatized job agency funding companies that are shipping Wisconsin jobs overseas, but it has a growing problem of loan delinquency. While Walker is out of state laying the groundwork for his presidential bid, his record as governor is crumbling beneath him at home. From WisPolitics.com:
The value of WEDC loans that are considered delinquent more than tripled in the last quarter. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has been criticized for the number of delinquent loans in recent years. The numbers prepared for Thursday's board meeting show the value of those loans jumped from almost $1.3 million in the second quarter to $4.9 million.
National Journal: Walker’s lacking governing record is a disadvantage
While Scott Walker travels around the country trying out right wing sound bites for his presidential ambitions, he's letting his job responsibilities back home in Wisconsin fizzle out with layoffs on track to reach 10,000 this year -- the highest number since Walker took office. National Journal took a look at GOP governors running for president in 2016 and found that each -- especially Walker -- has had their popularity crater amid lackluster results. NJ asks, “Can you be disliked by a majority of your constituents back home and still make the case for being president?”
WEDC: Walker’s Expensive Corporate Welfare Failure
Eaton Corporation, a company awarded money by Scott Walker's Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), has announced the upcoming layoff of 93 workers at it's Watertown plant. The company previously faced criticism when it outsourced jobs to foreign countries shortly after receiving millions from WEDC. Eaton is just one example of the failures that have plagued Walker's WEDC -- including the governor's beloved Kohl's -- since its start.
MEMO: What To Expect In Nashua
TO: Interested Parties FROM: Brad Woodhouse, President, American Bridge 21st Century RE: What to Expect in Nashua DATE: April 17, 2015 Republican presidential candidates are descending like a swarm of locusts on Nashua, New Hampshire, this weekend for the NHGOP’s First in the Nation Leadership Summit. With more than 20 candidate events scheduled in addition to Friday and Saturday’s speaking slots, American Bridge will be working overtime to document every word from targeted candidates and continue our work holding Republicans accountable for their extreme positions and words. Here’s what we’re expecting to hear.
AP: Walker’s Wisconsin still lags nation in job growth
Key Point: “The state lags in job growth and its budget faces a shortfall. It's a record that complicates Walker's path in early primary states as he sells himself as a reformer. “Wisconsin has added private-sector jobs at a lower rate than the national average since July 2011 - six months after Walker took office. Walker promised in the 2010 campaign that if elected his policies would create 250,000 private sector jobs. But only about 145,000 such jobs were created over his first four years."
MEMO: Chris Christie’s Terrible Economic Record
Tonight, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will deliver his State of the State address. We hope he uses this chance to come clean about his serious money problems: his credit has been downgraded eight times. He hasn’t saved enough for retirement. And his security detail is costing him 18 times what it did 5 years ago. Why should he talk about his money problems during the State of the State? Because they have nothing to do with his bank account – we’re talking about New Jersey taxpayers’ money here. Since Chris Christie took office in 2010, he’s been playing fast and loose with taxpayer money. He has mismanaged the budget, resulting in New Jersey’s credit has been downgraded eight times – no New Jersey governor had ever presided over that many downgrades. He’s spending 18 times more on his personal security today than when he took office, for a total of almost $1 million, or nearly $33,000 per month. He’s cut $2.4 billion in pension payments he promised to make because his budget projections were wrong. And the list goes on...
MEMO: Scott Walker’s Mess
Scott Walker is set to give his State of the State address tonight, and the truth is, he doesn't have much good news to report. Walker rode into Madison in 2010 dead-set on giving the state a massive Tea Party makeover. And he did. Walker's vision for economic growth in Wisconsin consisted largely of massive tax cuts for the wealthy and the privatization of state's economic development program. To pull off his tax overhaul, Walker, implemented the largest education cuts in state history. But even that wasn't enough -- now the state faces an astonishing $2.2 billion budget shortfall. And just in case you questioned his ideological rigidity, Walker insists that slashing property taxes remains his number one priority this year. So what programs will he cut next to try to solve his colossal budget problem? That remains a mystery. As for his privatized economic development agency, well that hasn't gone much better. WEDC has been wrought with controversy, giving Wisconsin taxpayer dollars to companies that ship jobs overseas, and tearing through executives. Moreover, Walker didn't even come close to delivering on his promise to create 250,000 jobs in his first term, and Wisconsin continues to lag behind other states in the midwest and across the country when it comes to employment growth.
BREAKING AUDIO: Perdue's Closing Argument
Asked today about whether his company was closing down American plants as they opened others overseas, Perdue quickly responded, "Sure, we closed down plants all the time..." Listen to the breaking audio above. It's an interesting closing argument -- no pun intended -- to cap off what's been a disastrous last month for David Perdue's campaign, as a series of events shed light on both his business career and his worldview. His downward spiral began when an old deposition surfaced, revealing that Perdue himself had admitted, "I spent most of my career" outsourcing. Asked the next day how he would defend that record, Perdue looked shocked -- "Well defend it? I'm proud of it!" he replied.