Fact Check – Governor Deval Patrick – Democrat Convention Speech – Pinocchio is Blushing!

Governor Deval Patrick (MA-D) speaks to Democrat Convention Party Goers - we've run out of Pinocchio's!

Massachusetts Governor, Democrat, Deval Patrick, gave the 9 o’clock hour speech at the DNC Convention in Charlotte last night, a rousing, come-to-meeting, call-to-arms riff that was short, sweet and to the point – however – chock full of, and shall we say, exaggerations and outright fibs.
The full text of the speech is available at The Huffington Post, an excerpt from that blog is shown below:

In Massachusetts, we know Mitt Romney. By the time he left office, Massachusetts was 47th in the nation in job creation—during better economic times—and household income in our state was declining. He cut education deeper than anywhere else in America. Roads and bridges were crumbling. Business taxes were up, and business confidence was down. Our clean energy potential was stalled. And we had a structural budget deficit. Mitt Romney talks a lot about all the things he's fixed. I can tell you that Massachusetts wasn't one of them. He's a fine fellow and a great salesman, but as governor he was more interested in having the job than doing it.


When I came to office, we set out on a different course: investing in ourselves and our future. And today Massachusetts leads the nation in economic competitiveness, student achievement, health care coverage, life sciences and biotech, energy efficiency and veterans' services. Today, with the help of the Obama administration, we are rebuilding our roads and bridges and expanding broadband access. Today we're out of the deficit hole Mr. Romney left, and we've achieved the highest bond rating in our history. Today—with labor at the table—we've made the reforms in our pension and benefits systems, our schools, our transportation system and more that Mr. Romney only talked about. And today in Massachusetts, you can also marry whomever you love. We have much more still to do. But we are on a better track because we placed our faith not in trickle-down fantasies and divisive rhetoric but in our values and common sense.

(HuffingtonPost)

In the first Paragraph, it is a given that Patrick should know Romney – they passed each other on the way in and the way out of Massachusetts. For example, Romney wanted to cut taxes across the board in Massachusetts, which would have helped businesses, middle and lower income families, as he had walked into a fiscal mess – but, the Democrats, worried that he might gain political advantage, stopped him in his tracks (Boston Globe, 04/26/2005)
Romney also had closed a 3 million dollar budget deficit by the time left office Boston Globe on Romney not seeking reelection

Romney left Massachusetts with a rainy day fund intact – in fact a surplus, which - which Deval Patrick ran through upon taking office – (Boston Globe Fact Check on Baker and Patrick 2010 Governors race) – the amount was in dispute, the amount that was in the rainy day fund, as well as the amount Governor Patrick ran through immediately upon taking office.

On wanting and doing the job of Governor Mitt Romney never took a salary during his time as Governor, he was asked to run by the State Republican Leadership

He was inclusive of both women and all ethnic groups – ask: Jane Edmonds, former Massachusetts Secretary of Workforce

Jane Edmonds is a self-described liberal Democrat and an African-American civil rights activist from Massachusetts, Politico reports. But more than that, she's Mitt Romney's friend. "I adore the guy," Edmonds told Politico. "I have seen him behind closed doors in Cabinet meetings. I have seen his compassion. I'm at a point in my life that the character of the human being we entrust to be president is important to me. He would make an excellent president."

(Desert News). Jane Edmonds was not the only woman or Democrat in Romney’s administration.

Deval Patrick’s speak to roads and bridges crumbling: the Big Dig comes to mind – of course, that billion dollar project was not begun by Mitt Romney, he inherited the mess – and fixed it (Springfield Republican) - without pointing a finger at anyone.

He reformed the corrupt and Democrat led Turnpike Authority (Boston Globe) and actually fixed crumbling roads, monies which went into politicians pockets went back to the state.

No need for link – the Massachusetts Supreme Court passed Gay Marriage under Romney’s administration – Deval cannot take credit for that, nor can the Democrats. (Except one can hazard to guess accurately that the Massachusetts Supreme Court is made up of - Democrats)

Romney cut income taxes, which put more money into the pockets of individuals and families as household income rose under Romney’s Leadership Pew Research
On Job creation in the state: the Boston Globe:Patrick often stretches the Truth while critiquing Romney on jobs(2006) – No Kidding – Stretches the truth is nice.

Romney brought education to its pinnacle, insured school choice, brought into play the charter schools, of which Deval Patrick sings praises as if he had something to do with it, and teed of the Teachers Unions, who would suffer if there was competition, he also did not push granny under the bus, or the poor, as he cut administrative positions that were unnecessary – not the necessary budget – (getting rid of the much expected cronyism in government job creation in Massachusetts in all areas)

Although Massachusetts Statistically did rank 47th, there was little place to go –as the unemployment rate was in the 4 percentile, jobs were plentiful,, businesses were in good shape, at least those who stayed after Romney Left realized the full impact of "tax and spend gone wild" (Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts legislature) – because, Romney had to fight against the State’s Business taxes, which made Massachusetts the 4th highest for taxes Globally, and remains there today. Businesses do not readily come to Massachusetts, and since Romney left, so did millions of Massachusetts residents, seeking jobs, seeking a better life, seeking relief from the continues rounds of new taxes put into place by Governor Patrick to pay for expanded services and government. This is why Massachusetts lost a congressional seat with the 2010 census – go figure.

Deval Patrick has taxed Massachusetts to the brink – 19 new taxes passed alone in July of 2010 –including taxes on cable, wireless and other means of delivering entertainment, phone service and electricity to ones homes – he increased the sales tax, the income tax, and a tax on dogs. Everyone was hiding their grandmothers – she was the next “tax” on Devil’s list.

If Patrick were telling a smidgen of truth, he might have reversed the problems, he created, with the issues Romney helped and fixed, and that would have eliminated a plethora of errors.

As a citizen of the Commonwealth, and someone who did not care to learn to much about Governor Romney (as said Citizen was continuously looking at New Hampshire as a possible Haven), it is a process that one does when one vets a candidate – and Deval Patrick is something that happens when one does not vet a candidate. He flew into Massachusetts, on “yes we can”- sound familiar? – He’s the protégé of one David Axelrod (sound familiar?), and as Governor, the Commonwealth is in decline – he likes the job, his salary is available online.

No-one is fact checking the Democrats whose outrageous and inflated speeches only match their enormous egos (all politicians must have this as a prerequisite – well not all). The only one spotted so far was CNN those 4.5 million private sector jobs created by private industry (not Barack Obama) resulted in a net job gain of 300,00 over a period of years – not a huge plus.

Finally Deval Patrick cut Veteren's Benefits, it is the first item on the chopping block of those who suddenly found religion when it comes to the U.S. Military.
Additionally, there were some charges against Mitt Romney that went unanswered, this was due to time, and frankly space - if one were to Face Check Patrick, one would need greater bandwidth. It is the time of the season (political) when parties come together to - party - it's a national election - however, stretching the truth to this extent is just not acceptable. Especially from a man who won reelection by 1 point, with the help of a Democrat turned Independent until after the election was won, by that one point. Of note: one might also consider that Deval Patrick, a brother-in-arms, with Barack Obama, both under the tutelage and mastership of David Axelrod, might employ similar tactics while governing and stretching the truth- yes, yes they do.