Bush v. Hoover

Sean Cockerham has big news - the governor should not really take credit - or blame - for job creation numbers on his watch.

Watch out! Once you let out a big secret like this, you never know when they're gonna get you.

This is one of those odd things, though ... of course it's the overall state of the economy that controls job creation and loss, in the larger sense. If you're riding a boom, that's good luck, not good management.

At the same time, though, good government, especially on a local level, does play an important role in job creation. Not in the way that most Rs like to go on about (low wages, low taxes, no unions, no environmental regs, etc.). If you look at the States that have followed that plan (especially in the South - Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana), you'll see that they have high unemployment, low wages, and high job instability. Real job creation takes place in cities and states with a good quality of life index. Good education systems, so you have smart, trainable and flexible workers; good land use planning, so that it's a pleasant place to live; moderate taxes that are stable, so that you can count on services and plan your expenses ...&c.

When the economy starts moving, job creation happens in places that are primed for it.