Kasich Speculated on Meet the Press that Ohio Unemployment Would Spike, Instead Today’s Jobs Report Continues Near 2.5 Year Ohio Recovery
COLUMBUS, OHIO - Despite Governor John Kasich’s wrong prediction two weeks ago on Meet the Press that “we’re going to see in all probability some unemployment increases in Ohio,” Jobs and Family Services today reported another decrease in Ohio’s unemployment rate.
WATCH KASICH’S PREDICTION HERE:
Today’s report extends Ohio’s economic comeback that began a full year before Kasich took office. In January 2010 Ohio’s unemployment rate peaked at 10.6%, while today the number continues a near continuous 2.5 year decline to 7.3%. In response, Chairman Chris Redfern released the following statement:
“Governor Kasich’s wrong prediction that Ohio jobs would trend in a negative direction this month highlights just how wildly out of touch he and Mitt Romney are on Ohio’s economy.
“For the past two weeks, Kasich has attacked the President, blaming him for what he expected to be negative news today on Ohio’s unemployment front. But with today’s good news, Kasich’s already changed his tune, reversing his doom and gloom statements in an attempt to take credit for Ohio’s economic comeback that started well before he even took office.
“Thanks in part to President Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown’s efforts to rescue the auto industry, we’ve experienced almost 2.5 years of near continuous job growth in Ohio. When President Obama took office, our economy was losing more than 700,000 jobs a month, spiraling out of control as the economic security of millions of Ohioans and middle-class Americans vanished. Thanks to the vision and swift action President Obama, Senator Sherrod Brown and Democrats took to address the economic crisis, today Ohio continues to move in the right direction.”
BACKGROUND
During Last Two Weeks, Kasich Predicted Ohio Job Numbers Would Be Negative
- An Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Report Showed Ohio’s Unemployment Rate Dropped to 7.3% in May. The Department of Job and Family Services released Ohio’s latest unemployment figures today. Ohio showed a drop in unemployment from 7.4% in April, to 7.3% in May. [ohiolmi.com, Retrieved 6/15/12]
- John Kasich “Frightened” Ohio’s Unemployment will Increase. In an appearance on Meet the Press, John Kasich discussed his fears of rising unemployment in Ohio. The governor talked about how “the numbers that just came out, they frighten me,” and that “we’re going to see in all probability some unemployment increases in Ohio.” [Meet the Press, 6/3/12]
- Nearly two weeks ago, Kasich predicted unemployment would spike in Ohio. During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, Governor Kasich said “I believe we’re going to see in all probability some unemployment increases in Ohio. We’re down to 7.4 percent, down from 9.1, which is great.” [Politico, 6/3/12]
- Kasich Doubled Down on his Gloomy Unemployment Prediction. Following a bill signing ceremony, John Kasich reiterated his concerns about Ohio’s upcoming unemployment rate numbers. [Ohio Capital Blog, 6/5/12]
Ohio’s Economy Has Been Recovering For Nearly 2.5 Years
- Ohio has witnessed nearly 27 straight months of declining unemployment. Under President Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown’s watch, Ohio’s unemployment rate has seen near continuous drops for 27 months. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Retrieved 6/2/12]
- Kasich Takes credit for Ohio jobs his administration did not create. John Kasich took credit on Fox News for the creation of 45,000 jobs in Ohio since January 2011. PolitiFact Ohio rated his claim as Mostly False, arguing that the governor’s policies have not had time to affect Ohio’s economy, and that those new jobs are due to an upswing in the business cycle. [The Plain Dealer, 9/12/11]
- The Ohio job recovery began in January 2010, a full year before Kasich took office. Ohio’s unemployment rate began to drop steadily starting in January 2010 from a peak of 10.6%, thanks to the policies of President Obama, and Senator Sherrod Brown. John Kasich did not take office until January 2011. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Retrieved 6/2/12]
Like Mitt Romney, Kasich Failed to Support the Auto Rescue that Helped Protect 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]
- 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]
- As recently as May 2012, one of Kasich’s top advisors still expressed opposition to the auto rescue. Doug Preisse is one of Kasich’s top political advisors. In May of 2012, Preisse authored a letter to the editor in the Columbus Dispatch doubling down on Republican opposition to the auto rescue. [The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2/29/12; The Columbus Dispatch, 5/26/12]
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