In His Republican National Convention Speech, Kasich Avoids His Failure to Support Most Significant Part of Ohio Recovery
COLUMBUS, OHIO- During his speech tonight at the Republican National Convention, Governor Kasich touted Ohio’s recovery that began nearly a year before he took office, while conveniently ignoring the significance of President Obama and Sherrod Brown’s auto rescue which put Ohio on the path to recovery in the first place.
While John Kasich regularly credits his Administration for their effort to “retain jobs,” it seems they feel the rules are different for President Obama and the nearly 850,000 jobs the auto rescue helped to protect. In response, Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern released the following statement:
“The American auto industry is helping to spur growth across Ohio because President Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown ignored the pundits and politicians like Mitt Romney and John Kasich and invested in American workers. Meanwhile, John Kasich said ‘we shouldn’t throw good money after bad,’ aligning himself with Mitt Romney, who famously believes we should have ‘let Detroit go bankrupt’. As we continue to hear more and more announcements from General Motors and Chrysler about the thousands of jobs being and created and retained by the auto supply chain in 80 of 88 Ohio counties, it’s clear that our state is on a path to recovery, despite Governor Kasich and Mitt Romney’s failure to support the most significant economic investment we’ve had.”
BACKGROUND
Kasich and Romney Failed to Support Auto Rescue That Protected Nearly 850,000 Ohio Jobs
- As a talk show pundit, Kasich failed to support the auto rescue. As a guest host on the O’Reilly Factor, talking about the auto rescue, Kasich said, “if they’re not going to be viable, we shouldn’t throw good money after bad.” [O’Reilly Factor, 12/9/08]
- On The Stump, Kasich Criticized Auto Rescue Efforts. Speaking about Americans’ attitude towards politicians at the Lake County Republican Party Convention in August, Kasich said, “So we don’t trust the politicians then we find out there is bunch of them in Washington hatching up these schemes. They’re gonna run an automobile company, they’re gonna tell us which doctor we’re gonna go to.” [Lake County GOP Convention, 8/29/09]
- Kasich: Government Shouldn’t Run a Car Company. At a September Tea Party event in West Chester, Kasich said, “What’s happening is there’s a handful of people who’ve taken control of things for too long who are now trying to be in a position to run our lives, that’s what we don’t want. They want to tell us how to run a car company. They want to tell us how to do medical care. They want to – and they’re bankrupting our children.” [West Chester Tea Party, 9/5/09]
- Mitt Romney believed that we should “let Detroit go bankrupt.” In a New York Times Op-Ed, Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney advocated in favor of letting the American auto industry go bankrupt. He told readers that “if General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.” [Romney Op-Ed, The New York Times, 11/18/08]
Auto Rescue Championed By President Obama Helped Protect Nearly 850,000 Ohio Jobs
- The rescue of auto industry helped protect 850,000 Ohio Jobs. Politifact Ohio confirmed that 850,000 jobs are indeed tied to the auto industry in Ohio. Without the auto rescue, these jobs may have been threatened. [The Plain Dealer, 3/14/12]
- 1 in 8 Ohio jobs are tied to the auto industry. Politifact Ohio states that based on a report by the independent Center for Automotive Research, nearly 850,000 jobs are tied to the auto industry, which is “roughly 12% of the state’s workforce”. [The Plain Dealer, 3/14/12]
Jobs Created And Retained In 80 of 88 Ohio Counties
- While Kasich downplays significance of auto rescue jobs, he takes credit himself for “retained” jobs. Kasich regularly takes credit for “job retention” efforts for which he claims his Administration is responsible. John Kasich and his non-profit JobsOhio took credit for creating and retaining 82,785 jobs in the state of Ohio in 2011. [http://jobs-ohio.com/images/jobsohio_overview.pdf , accessed 6/3/12]
- Automobile industry jobs found in 80 of 88 Ohio counties. According to the Ohio Department of Development, auto industry jobs are present throughout 80 of 88 Ohio counties. Half of all Ohio auto industry jobs are located in 10 counties. [Ohio Department of Development, “The Ohio Automobile Industry,” February 2011]
- General Motors restarted additional shift at Lordstown plant for Chevy Cruze production; 1,200 jobs added. General Motors announced that it was restarting the overnight shift at their Lordstown facility near Youngstown. The additional shift begins in anticipation of GM’s decision to build the Chevy Cruze at the Lordstown plant. [The Columbus Dispatch, 2/23/10]
- General Motors announced additional 400 jobs, $260 million investment in Toledo plant.Officials at General Motors made the decision to invest $260 million in and add 400 jobs at their Toledo Powertrain Plant. Many of the jobs would consist of new hires, since GM has exhausted their list of laid-off employees from other plants. [The Toledo Blade, 5/10/11]
- GM to add 30 new jobs at Toledo Transmission Plant. GM officials announced the decision to invest $83 million in the Toledo Transmission Plant for use in new Buick and Chevrolet models. 30 new jobs will be added because of the investment. [The Toledo Blade, 7/13/11]
- DE-Cal, Inc. created 40 jobs, with possibility for 100 positions total, in Youngstown. DE-Cal, Inc., a metal-fabricating company which supplies the auto industry, among others, opened a Youngstown facility with 40 full-time workers. It could eventually employ 100 people, with a payroll of $6.2 million. [The Youngstown Vindicator, 8/2/11] www.vindy.com/news/2011/aug/02/ready-to-hire/
- Chrysler announced plans to invest $72 million in Perrysburg Plant. Officials at Chrysler announced plans to invest $72 million at the Toledo Machining Plant in Perrysburg, OH. The investment will allow the facility to retain 640 salary and hourly jobs. [Associated Press, 8/23/11]
- Automotive plant announced plans to add 150 new jobs. Rieter Automotive, a carpet and noise-dampening material supplier for Chrysler, GM, and Ford, announced plans to invest $8 million at its facility in Oregon, OH. The investment will create 150 new jobs in addition to the 300 existing jobs. [The Toledo Blade, 10/8/11]
- Chrysler announced plans to create 1,100 new jobs in Toledo, $1.7 billion investment. Chrysler officials announced the addition of 1,100 new jobs on a second shift to its Toledo Assembly Complex starting in 2013. The plant will begin producing four new vehicles, and the area will likely see between 400 and 500 additional new jobs for parts suppliers. [The Toledo Blade, 11/17/11]
- Ford to move 1,300 jobs to Lorain from Mexico. Ford announced its intent to move 1,300 jobs from Mexico to its Ohio Assembly Plant. While not directly receiving a portion of the auto rescue package, Ford benefits from the substantial auto supply chain on the ground in Ohio, which was aided by the auto rescue. [The Toledo Blade, 12/7/11]
- Wrangler facility added 50 jobs in Toledo. In order to keep up with demand, the Toledo Assembly Complex added 50 employees. The additional jobs will be added on the Wrangler line. [The Toledo Blade, 2/28/12]
- GM announced new $343 million investment at transmission plant, $47 million at powertrain plant. GM officials announced a new $343 million investment at the Toledo Transmission Plant, which will be hiring for the first time in a decade, as well as a $47 million investment at the Defiance Powertrain Plant. GM will add up to 650 jobs at its Toledo Powertrain Facility. [The Toledo Blade, 2/28/12]
- GM converted 100 temporary employees to permanent employees. GM and UAW officials announced plans to turn 100 temporary employees into permanent employees at the Lordstown plant. The announcement was made in light of good sales numbers for the Chevy Cruze. [The Youngstown Vindicator, 4/25/12]
- Chrysler could add another 300 jobs at Toledo Assembly Complex. In addition to the 1,100 new jobs announced late last year, UAW officials projected that 300 additional jobs could be added to the previous total. These jobs would be part of the new second shift at the Toledo Assembly Complex. [The Toledo Blade, 6/19/12]
- GM will build 2015 Chevy Cruze at Lordstown. GM officials announced their decision to build the next generation of Chevy Cruze at the Lordstown plant, making a $200 million investment to upgrade the plant. They also announced the investment of $20 million to upgrade the Parma Metal Center. Both investments will protect up to 5,000 jobs in the area. [The Plain Dealer, 8/23/12]
###