Perry, Romney Both Claim Better Jobs Record In Debate
Sep 7, 2011 2 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
The Texas governor sparred early and often with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whom he has overtaken as front-runner since joining the race a month ago. With Perry trying to defend that position and Romney trying to reclaim it, the two came armed with zingers to take each other down a peg.
“Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt,” Perry quipped, in a stinging reference to the former Massachusetts governor who lost the presidential election to George H.W. Bush.
Romney immediately shot back that “George Bush and his predecessors created jobs at a faster rate than you did.”
Romney, in response, chalked up Texas’ success to its oil and gas sector and policies maintained by a Republican legislature, which he said Perry could not claim credit to. “It would be like Al Gore saying he invented the Internet,” Romney said.
To distinguish himself, Romney stressed his experience in the private sector over his experience as Massachusetts’ governor. But Perry, while praising Romney’s business record, said “his public-sector record did not match that.”
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman sided with Perry when he turned to Romney and said, “47th just isn’t going to cut it, my friend,” a reference to the rank Massachusetts had among the 50 states in creating jobs during Romney’s term.
But he also sought to rebut Perry’s claim to be chief executive of the country’s top job-producing state.
“I hate to rain on the parade of the great Lone Star State governor, but as governor of Utah, we were the No. 1 job creator during my years in service,” Huntsman said.
