COLUMBUS, OHIO - Today, during an appearance on Meet the Press, John Kasich failed to share Senator Robert Portman’s shortcomings during a debate on whether he would add to the Republican ticket and help Governor Romney carry Ohio.
Senator Portman is largely unknown to Ohioans, and when they get to know him, they’ll learn Portman was the architect of the failed Bush economic policies that gave tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires and outsourced jobs from Ohio and several other states. Aside from sharing Governor Romney and John Kasich’s lack of support for the auto rescue that protected nearly 850,000 Ohio jobs, Portman’s extreme, ideological views against women are also a liability for the Republican ticket.
BACKGROUND
Senator Robert Portman is Largely Unknown to Ohio Voters and Would Not Significantly Help Romney Carry the Buckeye State
· Senator Portman Largely Unknown, Job Performance Rating Remarkably Low. When voters were asked about Senator Robert Portman’s job performance in a November 2011 Public Policy Poll, he was given a bleak 25% approval rating while 24% disapproved, and 51% of voters couldn’t say one way or the other. [Public Policy Polling, 11/10/11]
· In four Ohio Senate elections held between 2000 to 2010, Robert Portman garnered the least votes out of all the winners. In 2010, Senator Portman won with only 2,167,742 votes. In contrast, his Republican predecessor Senator George Voinovich won in 2004 with votes. In 2006, Sherrod Brown won with 2,257,485 votes. In 2000, Mike DeWine won with 2,666,736 votes. [Ohio Secretary of State Website, Retrieved 6/2/12]
· Senator Portman’s Ability to Help Mitt Romney Win Ohio on the Presidential Ticket Would Be Minimal, if at all. A November Quinnipiac poll found that in a straight matchup with Mitt Romney, Barack Obama held a slight edge 46%-44%, but when Portman was added to the Republican ticket, President Obama pulled even further ahead, 47%-43%. [Qunnipiac Poll, 2/15/12]
As OMB Director, Portman Presided Over Run-Up To Financial Crisis And Did Not See Collapse Coming
· February 2008: Portman: US Fiscal Health “Relatively Strong.” In February of 2008, Portman told the Financial Armageddon blog that the United States’ fiscal health is “relatively strong.”
· Portman continued to say that President Bush had left a solid base for “the next president and the next Congress to deal with the real problem, which is the unsustainable growth in mandatory spending.” [Financial Armageddon blog, 2/2/08]
· August 2007: Portman: Economy Is “Strong And Growing.” During an August 2007 interview on CNBC, Portman was asked about the state of the US economy. Portman responded, “the economy’s strong and growing.” [CNBC, Kudlow and Company, 8/3/07]
· Portman: Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis Will Not Have “Real World Impact” On The Economy. In a July 2007 briefing on the economy and budget, Portman was asked what impact the sub-prime mortgage crisis would likely have on OMB projections, and economy in general. Portman responded, “it’s an issue of concern…but it’s such a small part of our economy now…that I have a hard time imagining that that would have a real world impact on our economy that would affect this projection.” [Press Briefing by Director of OMB Rob Portman on the Budget, 7/11/07]
Portman is a Dedicated Outsourcer, Increasing the Trade Deficit Under During His Watch
· Tapped To Be Bush’s Trade Representative, Portman Was Criticized For Being A “Dedicated Outsourcer.”“In a surprise move, President Bush on Thursday tapped one of his closest congressional allies, Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to be the next U.S. trade representative, giving the administration an insider’s influence in steering trade pacts through Congress. … Just the same, Alan Tonelson, a research fellow with the U.S. Business and Industry Council, which represents companies affected by free trade and opposes current free-trade policies, called Portman’s nomination a ‘slap in the face to the U.S. domestic manufacturing base.’ ‘Rep. Portman has been a dedicated outsourcer throughout his career in Congress,’ Tonelson said in a statement.” [Congressional Quarterly Today, 3/17/05]
· Portman Described Himself As The “Quarterback” Of The CAFTA Effort. In an interview with reporters after the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has passed the House by only two votes, Portman described himself as the “quarterback” of the effort to pass CAFTA. [CNN, Inside Politics, 7/28/05]
· US Trade Deficit Increased 6.49% From 2005 To 2006 – Under Portman. The US trade deficit increased 6.49% between 2005 and 2006, when Portman served as USTR. The balance of US trade with the world for 2005 was -$767,479 million. The balance of US trade for 2006 was -$817,302 million. [US Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Retrieved 5/13/09]
Portman Has Been Consistently Inconsistent On Supporting the Auto Rescue that Protected 850,000 Ohio Jobs
· Senator Robert Portman Thought The Auto Bailout Was “Not A Good Deal For Ohio. “Many Republicans voiced opposition to the loans, including current U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, whose spokesman said yesterday that Portman still thinks ‘the auto bailout was not a good deal for Ohio.’” [Columbus Dispatch, 5/25/11]
· Portman Called The Plan To Rescue General Motors A “Lousy Deal.”Portman issued a statement on the General Motors Bankruptcy Plan: “The General Motors bankruptcy plan Washington announced today is a lousy deal for Ohio. Taxpayers, including hard working Ohioans, are investing $50 billion in a GM plan that we now find includes shutting down plants in Mansfield, Parma, and Columbus, Ohio. The reason for this unprecedented taxpayer bailout and government intervention was to preserve jobs. Instead, for our $50 Billion taxpayer investment, thousands more workers will see their jobs disappear. Ohio deserves better than this.” [Rob Portman For Senate, via Internet Archive, accessed 3/9/12]
· Today, Portman Claims He Always Supported the Auto Rescue. In 2011, Portman revised his previous statements on the auto rescue, noting he ““would have supported a government bailout of General Motors to avoid the bankruptcy…” [The Dayton Daily News, 5/26/11]
Portman Shares Romney and Mandel’s Radical, Ideological Views Toward Women
· Portman Called The Blunt Amendment A “Legitimate Issue,” About “Religious Freedom.”In an interview with Chris Matthews, Portman said, “And that is not the issue that was addressed in the Blunt amendment. The issue was about religious freedom, as you know. And it`s a legitimate issue.” [Hardball, MSNBC, 3/5/12]
Portman Voted In Support Of The Blunt Amendment.Robert Portman was the lone Ohio Senator to support the Blunt Amendment. [Columbus Dispatch, 3/4/12]