What Tom Corbett’s Bad Week Says About The Governor’s Race

By ONORATO FOR GOVERNOR

PITTSBURGH – One week ago today, Tom Corbett said the following:

“People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment. They’re literally telling – I’ll come back to work when the unemployment runs out. That’s becoming a problem. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are just gonna sit there and…I’ve literally had construction companies tell me, I can’t get people to come back to work, until – we’ll come back when unemployment runs out.”

That statement says more about Tom Corbett and his campaign for governor than it says about jobless Pennsylvanians. It confirms long-held suspicions about Tom Corbett as a candidate and prospective governor.

Corbett Lacks Any Experienced Knowledge on the Economy
Tom Corbett has no experience balancing a budget or handling economic issues.

“When you make a political gaffe and seem uncaring about unemployed workers, it is bad. When you do based on a clearly incorrect reading of the state’s job picture and workforce, it is a lot worse…. That is the key point here: The Republican nominee for governor is wrong, according to even the most anti-government, anti-tax think tank around, about whether the jobs are there. And that is an awfully important thing to be wrong about when running for governor.” [Capitolwire, 7/10/10]

Corbett is Out-of-Touch
Corbett is out of touch with Pennsylvania families, so he is not prepared to offer solutions to the challenges they face.

“It’s hard for anyone to spin Corbett’s gaffe as anything less than a clueless statement that demonstrates a severe disconnect between economic harsh realities and the leadership skills it takes to deal with them.” [Patriot-News, 7/13/10]

Corbett Makes It Up as He Goes Along
When Corbett was first challenged to identify the companies to which he was referring, he initially said it was a candy company, then his spokesperson said it was a plumbing company. He later returned to anonymous companies that numbered from 3 to 4 all the way up to 7 or 8.
“Corbett is still taking heat from his remarks last week that several companies had told him they couldn’t find workers because they were happier on the dole. When asked, the campaign refused to divulge the names of the companies, but did offer Capitolwire a clue: one was a Camp Hill candy company. Reporter Laura Olson tracked down the candy maker: Warrell Corporation, makers of Pennsylvania Dutch Candies. An official there said Corbett didn’t quite have it right.” [Philly.com/Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/15/10]

Corbett Is Not Ready for Prime-Time
Corbett is not prepared to run for governor, much less be elected to the office.

“It’s entirely possible that Tom Corbett is simply not ready for prime time. The big question about Corbett during the primary season was how he would handle the focus of being in a competitive, high-profile race,” said Mark Nevins, a Democratic campaign strategist. [Patriot News, 7/13/10]

Onorato Understands the Issues and Connects with Voters
Dan Onorato has run Pennsylvania’s second-largest county for six years, revitalizing its economy, creating jobs and reforming government. He appreciates the struggles of working people and has spent his career fighting on their behalf.
“Onorato visited Scranton on Thursday, outlining a plan for economic recovery that includes overhauling the corporate tax structure, creating a better-trained workforce and making regulatory agencies more accommodating to businesses… Before Onorato left for college, his father lost his longtime job as machinist, and Onorato said he can still see the ‘pain’ and ‘fear’ in his father’s eyes. ‘I remember watching that and seeing that and what it meant to him,’ Onorato said. ‘So when I hear somebody make a comment like the unemployed should blame themselves because they’re not looking, that’s outrageous.’” [Citizens-Voice, 7/16/10]

OPINION LEADERS CRITICIZING CORBETT

“Bad job on jobs” (Philadelphia Daily News, 7/13/10)

“Those unfilled jobs” (Intelligencer Journal, 7/13/10)

“Unemployed, not Lazy” (Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/14/10)

“Politicians shouldn’t point finger at the unemployed – they are missing real issues” (Patriot News, 7/15/10)

“Corbett’s gaffe a sign of a bigger problem” (Public Opinion, 7/15/10)

“Corbett, AG, lacks evidence” (Times-Tribune, 7/15/10)

“Corbett’s clueless” (Herald Standard, 7/15/10)

“In unemployment debate, just the facts will do” (Citizens Voice, 7/15/10)

“Ignoring Reality” (Beaver County Times, 7/16/10)

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