Wolf rips Corbett's fiscal management in new ads
One of Gov. Corbett's key campaign arguments, that he has been a responsible fiscal steward of state government, is called into question in ads by Democrat Tom Wolf that cites a cash-flow crunch and credit downgrades.
Democrat Tom Wolf unveiled a pair of new television ads Monday that blast Gov. Corbett for recent blows to the state's fiscal condition and its economy, while also charging that Pennsylvania's rate of new-job creation has dropped during his administration.
One of them, "Three Days," opens with a picture of the governor and the assertion that "things keep getting worse under Corbett. On Sept. 16, it says, "budget deficits" force the state to borrow $1.5 billion "just to keep the lights on." Three days later, the state's unemployment rate ticks up for the second month in a row. And on Sept., 25, Pennsylvania's credit rating was downgraded for the fifth time in two years. In between, the add slams Corbett with a labor-oriented think tank's report that the state has slipped from 9th in the nation in job creation to 47th in the past four years.
The tagline: "Why would we give Tom Corbett another four years?"
The state government indeed did face a shortfall because revenues did not come in at projected rates so it took out a short-term loan to pay bills; this is a common tactic in administrations of both parties when projections aren't met and does not necessary mean the budget will not balance at the end of the fiscal year next June.
The state unemployment rate did edge up fractionally in August and September, though it is lower than when Corbett took office. Harrisburg's credit rating was indeed downgraded. As for the job creation rate, other studies have found the state is in the middle of the national pack; it depends on what time periods are used as reference points.