Medina calls BS... but her numbers are what may be BS...

The Texas Tribune must be trying to create some buzz... I have no idea whether it is getting good traffic but I doubt it... now they have published a cuss word on their website in a story previewing the debate on Friday to try to gin up some interest (link). Excerpt follows...

So, in sum: Medina needs to make it to the highlight reel after the debate to keep people talking and to fuel her grassroots campaign; Perry wants an empty highlights reel; and Hutchison wants something that hurts Perry, either directly or by helping Medina. Her best outcome is to win outright in March; second best is for Medina to force a runoff between Hutchison and the incumbent governor. And Medina's best chance might come in this debate.

While Hutchison and Perry have been debating opponents for years and have been gorging on policy and state arcana and going through mock debates to try to get ready, Medina's cramming but not practicing. "I just don't like role-playing and I don't want to have anything to do with it," she says. "But if Perry starts saying something incorrect about jobs, I want to throw the bullshit card. I have to have facts and data to be able to do that."

It might be Medina that needs to have BS called on her. Empower Texans has the facts that she will probably try to call BS on, but it might backfire because the facts are strongly behind Rick.... (link). Excerpt follows...

Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken today released figures showing that Texas created more private sector jobs than any other state in the nation over the last 10 years and has the lowest unemployment rate among the 10 largest states in the nation. Pauken cited the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics January 22, 2010 release of Current Employment Statistics for December 2009 showing Texas created 724,300 more net private sector jobs as compared to December 1999, the largest private sector job gain nationwide over the last decade.

Pauken also noted that among the 10 largest states as ranked by civilian labor force size, Texas was well ahead of all other large states in private sector job growth with a percentage net gain of 9.30 percent as compared to December 1999. Florida was the only other large state to realize a net gain in private sector employment over the same period with 259,500 net jobs gained for a percentage net gain of 4.31 percent from December 1999 to December 2009. The other 8 large states showed a net loss of private sector jobs over the same period.

Nationally, over the last decade, the private sector experienced a net employment loss of 1.408 percent or 1,549,000 jobs lost.

At the last debate Rick seemed to get tripped up on his claim that Texas created 70% of all jobs in America... but his numbers were 100% accurate in the time frame he was using. The numbers both Kay and Medina plus the moderators were using were 2009 exclusively... so everyone was telling the truth... and everyone was leaving out things...

Politics is very much a what have you done for me lately issue and 2009 was not great for Texas or anywhere else... but Rick can still say that Texas is the best during his tenure over all.... and since the national recession started...

I have said it many times but it is this pro jobs pro economy message that will win the election for Rick. Nothing Medina or Kay can use will work against Rick if people believe correctly that Texas has a better economy than the rest of the country... so both of them are going to have to try to criticize Texas and plant doubts about our state's success.