Many of you may have seen the GOP talking point which went out today: GOP governors elected in 2010 did 50% better on reducing unemployment than Dem governors elected in 2010! And it's true, as far as it goes; but would you be surprised to find out that this is a result of cherry-picking data?
I knew you wouldn't... Follow me below the fold.
NOTE: There doesn't seem a public rebuttal to this yet, and we need to get one out fast. Please recommend!
Unemployment reduction in states which elected GOP governors in 2010: -1.35%
Unemployment reduction in states which elected Dem governors in 2010: -0.95%
Doesn't look good for Democrats, right? So, on a hunch, I ran the 2011 GDP data for those same states. Guess what? Dem governors elected in 2011 did TWICE BETTER than the GOP governors of that year in improving GDP!
Here are the 2011 GDP numbers (yes, I know it should be called "GSP"):
Here is the spreadsheet I made with the numbers.
Average 2011 GDP growth of states which elected GOP governors in 2010: 0.84%
Average 2011 GDP growth of states which elected Dem governors in 2010: 1.65%
Also note that while Dem governors elected in 2010 underperformed the GOP governors in cutting unemployment, they still matched the national unemployment reduction average; but when it comes to GDP, the 2010 class of republican governors actually underperformed the national average by a very large margin (2011 national GDP growth was 1.5%)
Another way to put it is: Dem governors run a full-spectrum economic recovery, improving both unemployment and GDP more than the national average, while GOP governors are one-trick ponies.
Jobs matter, but so does economic performance. Dem governors are better on GDP than GOP governors are on unemployment.
Spread the word! There doesn't seem a public rebuttal to this yet, and we need to get one out fast. Please recommend!
P.S. I haven't asked for recommends before, but I think this story has to be countered fast and hard. Sorry for pushiness...