GOV. RICK SCOTT’S TEA PARTY AGENDA IS DRAGGING DOWN FLORIDA’S RECOVERY AND DRAGGING DOWN GOP TICKET
The Republican Party of Florida is already being forced, 2 years out from the next gubernatorial election, to spend their resources in ads trying to defend Gov. Rick Scott — the most unpopular governor in the country — in a desperate attempt to stop him from dragging down the entire 2012 GOP ticket. Unfortunately for Floridians, Gov. Scott’s record on the economy is nothing to brag about: under his extreme Tea Party agenda, Florida continues to lag behind as the rest of the country benefits from the economic policies championed by President Obama. Read the facts to learn for yourself and remember, this isn’t the first time the GOP has been forced to thrown down money to stop Rick Scott from damaging the Republican brand:
Under Gov. Rick Scott, Florida’s unemployment rate continues to be higher than the rest of the country. At 9.6-percent, Florida’s unemployment rate is higher than states like Ohio (7.7-percent), Texas (7.3-percent) and neighboring Georgia (9.2-percent) [Bureau of Labor Statistics, last modified 3/13/2012].
Under Gov. Rick Scott, Florida’s unemployment rate is nearly 10 points higher than the national average. At 9.6-percent, Florida’s unemployment rate is nearly 10 points higher than the national average of 8.3-percent. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, last modified 3/13/2012]
Under Gov. Rick Scott, Florida has the 45th highest unemployment rate in the country. Only 6 other states have a higher unemployment rate than Florida. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, last modified 3/13/2012]
POLITIFACT: Jobs numbers look bad for Gov. Rick Scott, jobs promise “Stalled.” “But the news isn’t so great for Gov. Rick Scott, who made creating 700,000 jobs in seven years his top campaign promise. Even though the state’s unemployment rate is down, actual job numbers are down, too — 38,600 jobs lost in January… PolitiFact Florida continues to rate his promise Stalled.”[Politifact, 3/14/2012]
Gov. Scott turned away money for high-speed rail which could have created 20,000 jobs. “Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday rejected the federal government’s offer of $2.4 billion to build the line — prompting cheers from his tea party base, and harsh criticism from leading Florida Republicans and Democrats…Backers of the project estimated the line ultimately would have created more than 20,000 jobs in Florida [Times/Herald 2/17/11]
The Governor campaigned on his 7-7-7 jobs plan but has abandoned his pledge since taking office, telling reporters: “I Could Argue That I Don’t Have To Create Any Jobs.” “Recently, Scott told a radio station in Central Florida, ‘I could argue that I don’t have to create any jobs. I just have to make sure we don’t lose any jobs.’” [Column, Sun-Sentinel, 11/13/11]
Less Than A Year Into His Term, One of Scott’s Own Companies He Recently Sold His Stake In Announced They Were Moving Out Of Florida. “Well then, how embarrassing for the guv that Solantic, the company in which he had a multimillion-dollar investment until recently, is moving its executive team from Florida to Tennesseee.’” [Column, Sun-Sentinel, 11/13/11]