Chairman Rob Gleason
For Pennsylvanians dispirited by three years of a stalled economy, there’s hope on the horizon—real hope, not the kind found only on a campaign signs. In just one year, in November 2012, all Americans will have the opportunity to render a verdict on the Obama presidency. And if his record thus far is any indication, in one year, we’ll make him a one-term president and head boldly in the direction of prosperity.
There’s no doubt that it’s been a tough three years. 14 million Americans are without work, and over 9 million more cannot find enough work to meet their needs. In Pennsylvania alone, the unemployment rate is 8.2%. With the national unemployment rate at 9.1% we’ve had it slightly better here in Pennsylvania, thanks to the job-friendly policies enacted by Governor Tom Corbett, Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley and members of the Republican legislature.
It’s notable that the difference between prosperity and economic demise are direct descendents of good policy and bad policy. Governor Tom Corbett passed a fiscally responsible budget on time that forces Pennsylvania government to live within its means. This budget does not raise taxes by a single cent and also contains business incentives and tax credits to keep more jobs in Pennsylvania. Working with members of the legislature, Governor Corbett also signed tort reform into law to bringing fairness to the Pennsylvania court system and provide a meaningful incentive for employers to set up their shops within our Commonwealth. This fall, between executing a plan to harness the power of our Marcellus Shale resources and passing education reform, Governor Corbett has not stopped working for Pennsylvania taxpayers.
Let’s contrast that with the failed economic leadership from President Obama and Senator Casey. President Obama and Senator Casey worked together to push a $830 billion stimulus that swelled our already bloated debt and did nothing to keep our unemployment rate below 8%, as the President initially promised. Then, of course, was ObamaCare, the government takeover of our healthcare system that has sent small and large businesses alike scrambling to cope with the massive new regulations that this monstrosity will bring. Finally, under the Obama-Casey plan families have been constantly living under the threat of higher taxes and increased government control.
The conclusion is simple: Pennsylvania unemployment has remained below the national average because the Corbett-Cawley team has successfully implemented fiscally responsible policies that combat the Obama-Casey addition to taxing-and-spending.
Governor Corbett and Lieutenant Governor Cawley came to Harrisburg and did exactly what we elected them to do: rebuild Pennsylvania.
Contrast that with President Obama, who promised that under his leadership things would be different. He promised unemployment would stay below 8 percent. He promised he would the cut deficit. He promised to control our national debt. Americans were willing to take a risk on such an untested candidate, because it seemed the strength of his resolve could compensate for the weakness of his resume.
It did not. When Candidate Obama became President Obama, ideological dogmatism quickly replaced rational pragmatism. The failing economy became an excuse to push liberal pet projects through a stimulus that created few jobs but hundreds of billions in debt.
Then, even as Americans continued to hurt from the economy, he pushed Obamacare and cap-and-trade to the detriment of the economic recovery. Attempting to cross off a few items from a liberal laundry list of priorities, he flouted the will of the people and the needs of the unemployed.
With a record like that, the Obama Campaign knows it can’t win on the facts. And as Election Day 2012 grows closer, Team Obama will continue to resort to desperate tactics. For a while, they claimed the economy was on the “upswing”—a laughable claim indeed. Then, they started blaming Republicans for inaction on the economy. In truth, though, House Republicans have passed over a dozen bills that would directly spur job creation, yet Senate Democrats and the President simply say no.
When President Obama attempts to discredit Republicans and his eventual opponent—rather than run on his own record—he tacitly admits he has failed. He wants another four years in the White House, but doesn’t want to talk about what he did in the last three. The President has an impossible case to make. He has to convince Americans to repeat the failed experiment that is his Presidency.
But 2012 will be a choice—a choice between a President who has left us divided, disheartened, and worse off; or a Party that has prioritized the economy above all else. While the President handcuffed job creators with regulations, mandates, and threats of taxes, the Republican Party has remained dedicated to getting the economy moving by ending oppressive government policies.
2012 will be a choice between a President who has produced three years of record budget deficits and racked up over $4 trillion of new debt; or the Republican Party, which has produced a plan to balance the budget, end wasteful spending, and save Social Security and Medicare for future generations.
More to the point, it will be a choice between more of the past three years or a new direction for the next four. And a quick look at the facts makes that an easy choice to make.