As we approach Election Day, it's becoming more and more important for the Obama-loving media to give credit to the President for the economies of swing states governed by Republicans that are doing better economically than the rest of the country.
Candy Crowley did her part on CNN's State of the Union Sunday by asking Governor Bob McDonnell (R-Va.), "Don’t you credit President Obama at all for the good fortune that Virginia has?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST: Let me talk to you a little about the swing state of Virginia, and I want to show our viewers your unemployment rate which has basically stayed two to three points below the national unemployment rate. It’s a success story really. Okay? You like this. I understand that. But, but, even as you embrace it as a Republican governor, does it not make it difficult for Mitt Romney, who has the same problem in other swing states, to come in and say, “The economy is terrible and, you know, you need to elect a new president?” Because Virginia is doing very well under President Obama.
Actually, I think it makes it easy for Romney to go to a state like Virginia and say, "See how much better your doing under Republican leadership. Imagine how much better you'd be doing if the federal government employed the same economic policies."
McDonnell agreed:
GOVERNOR BOB MCDONNELL (R-VIRGINIA): Yeah, I don’t think it undermines his argument at all. Two reasons. One is as well as we’ve been fortunate to do with the lowest unemployment in the southeast, I tell people, “Think how much better we’d do if we had President Romney.” And number two, I think that there’s something going on with Republican-governed states. Seven out of the ten states, Candy, nationwide that have the lowest unemployment rates, Republican-governed states. Eleven out of the fifteen with the best…
Crowley wasn't having any of this and instead interrupted her guest:
MCDONNELL: Well I ask you, “What would you point to that would lead you to say that that unemployment?” The only thing I can say is he had a seven, he had nearly trillion dollars in stimulus, and that was one-time spending. Did it help us in the short-run…
CROWLEY: Did it help?
MCDONNELL: …with healthcare and education spending? Did it balance the budget? Sure. Does it help us in the long-term to really cut, cut the unemployment rate? I’d say “No.” But we’ve done a lot of things. Republicans and Democrats in Virginia doing some things that I requested on economic development and targeted tax cuts and other things that I think have made a difference. So, I’d say Republican governors are doing some things that are making a difference, and that’s why I’m trying to get more of them this year.
Crowley continued to press the point:
CROWLEY: So just a tiny bit of credit to the President?
MCDONNELL: Well sure. I think there’s national policies that have had some impact, but I can tell you this: if we didn’t have all these attacks on Virginia’s energy industry, we’d be in a lot better shape. This president on coal, natural gas, nuclear, not letting us drill off-shore, the Environmental Protection Agency’s over-burdensome regulations on coal and natural gas, have made it much more difficult for us. We’d be lower on the unemployment rate if we didn’t have these policies.
Crowley then changed the subject.
Prepare yourself for more such nonsense like this.
The reality is that many Republican-led states are indeed doing far better than the rest of the nation, and Obama's fans in the media need to somehow convince the American people that his policies are working better there than in Democrat-run states because of him and not the governors at the helm.
Yes, it's quite a feat, but they're going to do their darnedest to pull off this three card monty.
