Media: Once Bitten, Twice Shy on Texan Bloviators

It is gratifying that so many are already speaking out against Rick Perry and his Presidential campaign. This contrasts with Bush, where we suffered from a national press that acted like it was his lapdog.

Take, for example, that hotbed of Marxism, The Houston Chronicle, which has enough journalistic integrity to remind us that Texas's recent job creation has nothing to do with Rick Perry, though he is quick to claim credit.

According to their online edition, there are 10 reasons why:

1. Rising oil prices) Glad to see Texans admit that much of the wealth in their state was already there in the ground when they arrived; swaggering Republicans have nothing to do with it. (Same for Alaska, Sarah)

2. Government growth) Ouch, that one must be galling to Randian purists. But as the Chronicle notes, government jobs grew twice as fast as private sector jobs since 2000. Teabaggers aren't going to like that.  Such jobs expand the tax base, and create ancillary jobs in Texas just like everywhere else.

3. Military spending) The feds ratcheted up military spending since 2001, back when Bush the Lesser completely missed the 9/11 warning signs. But since that time, TX has had more than its share of taxpayers' money, from other states, pour into the state's huge military facilities.

4. No housing bubble) This is fairly involved. Read the Chronicle's take on it. But note the irony; Texas has strict regulations on mortgages. The downside is home ownership is very low, but hey, no disaster as in other states. Why? Because of strict and enforceable regulations, exactly what conservatives claim are a drag on the economy.

5. Cheap Immigrant labor) Now this is one area conservatives love; docile, cheap, non-unionized workers with few rights, no benefits, no pensions, no strikes, and no worker's comp claims (see chart below). And these low-paying and low-skilled jobs are a major portion of those Perry claims he created.

There are five more reasons, some of which Texas politicians could ostensibly take at least some credit, such as the state's high-tech industries. But the Chronicle's argument is that these too are long-standing conditions; maybe someone can take credit, but it ain't Perry.

As far as current conditions are concerned, Perry needs to explain his state's poor socio-demographic standing, as the chart below reveals (From Texaswatch.org).

Not a record I would want to run on.

Wasn't the Last Texas Governor Bad Enough?

Rick Perry has announced he is running for President, to the delight of some, and the horror and disgust of others. So it looks like we are going to be hearing a lot more about this guy. Democrats, and his Republican opponents, will need to get out in front on Perry and his Texas Mirage. Don't wait for Obama to make the case.

Lets do a quick review of the Perry's record as Governor; the one he has already set about to distort. First, the folks at The American Dream, hardly a far-left bastion, offer 14 reasons why Perry would be a "really really bad President." Among them: Texas has the highest percentage of workers at the minimum wage of all 50 states. The site's main complaint is that Perry has raised taxes even while the state has increased its debt and failed to address unemployment, poverty, and poor educational achievement. The takeaway is that most Republicans are going to hesitate when they see his record.

Jason Cherkis writes that the "Texas Miracle" includes low-wage jobs, crowded homeless shelters, and budget shortfalls. Joshua Holland echoes this sentiment, warning us to get ready for a "boat-load of spin" as Perry's campaign strategy will be to distort his "abysmal economic record."

Finally, Paul Krugman notes a beggar-thy-neighbor element to Texas economic policy. Offering an appealing mix of jobs, low taxes, low wages, and cheap housing will attract both corporations and desperate workers.  As Krugman puts it:

What Texas shows is that a state offering cheap labor and, less important, weak regulation can attract jobs from other states. I believe that the appropriate response to this insight is “Well, duh.” The point is that arguing from this experience that depressing wages and dismantling regulation in America as a whole would create more jobs — which is, whatever Mr. Perry may say, what Perrynomics amounts to in practice — involves a fallacy of composition: every state can’t lure jobs away from every other state.

We are only in the middle of 2011; the election is not until next year, ferchristsake. We'll be seeing Perry strut and swagger from here on out. He is a combination (as in the worst) of Michelle Bachmann and Mitt Romney.

Let the pushback begin.

Voter Suppression Heading Your Way

On Sunday, July 24 I wrote about voter suppression, specifically as it relates to denial of voting rights for ex-felons. I also said that I would revisit the numerous state bills currently under consideration that are intended to make it harder to vote. 

Unfortunately they are not hard to find. One excellent summary comes from Sarah Jaffe who captures the intent of these state bills in her article, 11 States Trying Really Hard to Keep Poor, Black, and Student Voters From Voting. Her list is as follows: Kansas, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, Maine, and Rhode Island. 

First, Jaffe cautions, this list is far from complete; it is only the 11 worst offenders in an even longer list. Second, these states are fairly or deeply red. No surprise, except for Rhode Island. Jaffe provides some background on how that came about.

Wisconsin, home of the great progressive, Bob La Follette, continues to disappoint. Despite a long blue tradition, Republicans in the state legislature keep pushing an anti-middle class agenda. 

Now, despite the strong and encouraging push-back from unions, teachers, and working families, and despite his own dismal approval ratings, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is aggressively pursuing the only tactic that can work; make it harder for your enemies to vote you out of office. Read Meredith Clark's analysis on this at Seven Ways Scott Walker and the GOP are Still Trying to Screw Wisconsin's Poor, Working Class, and Just About Everyone Else. 

Wisconsin has just passed a voter ID law. Most of us in the middle class might not object to laws requiring a photo ID in order to vote. We do not appreciate how and why such laws can be relatively onerous and expensive for society's poor, elderly, handicapped or otherwise marginalized. Americans have a hard time turning out to vote under the best of circumstances, which is why Wisconsin's restrictive voting law matters, and why Republicans push for such legislation in the first place; they know exactly what the impact will be. 

So now, just to show us what a mean-spirited prick he really is, Governor Walker is working on a plan to shut down multiple DMV offices around the state. Not only does this come right after requiring voters to get official state ID's if they want to vote, it appears the closures are concentrated in Democratic strongholds.

What kind of Kafkaesque crap is that?     
I hope they recall his sorry ass.

Texas Miracle, My Ass

So what is it with Republican voters and swaggering Texan Governors? The last one should have been a warning. Rick Perry is said to be considering a run for President. His supporters seem to think his record as TX Governor is something to run on.

Here's Rachel Maddow taking down Perry (starts at about the 8:30 mark). Among the highlights:
   --Wages have been nearly flat since 12/07, lagging behind NY, CA, and the national average.
  --TX has a higher percentage of workers earning minimum wages than any other state.
  --The median hourly wage in TX is $11.20. Yikes! Even if one assumes a year-long, full-time workweek, that is barely $23,000. And that is the median: many are earning significantly less.
  --TX has the highest percentage of citizens without healthcare in the country, currently over 25%.

Near the end of the clip, Maddow reviews Perry's amazing hypocrisy when he railed against Washington's irresponsible stimulus, but quietly took $billions that shored up 97% of the TX budget shortfall.

She might have added an item that Perry's cheerleaders, and most of us, ignore. Texas has a huge advantage over most states, it has nothing to do with Perry, and it can be stated in three words: oil and gas. That advantage is a fortuitous accident of nature.

Joshua Holland also provides a withering analysis of the so-called "Texas Miracle." Highly recommended.