MA Governor Deval Patrick Dishes on a Potential Chris Christie Presidential Bid; Talks Up President Obama’s Plans for Job Creation

Posted by erik devaney

The national news media, the Internet and the Twittersphere are all abuzz with speculation about whether or not New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie (R), will run for President. As Virginia Governor and chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Bob McDonnell, said on NBC’s Meet the Press, Christie has “a lot of people who are well-respected in Republican circles who think he’d be the right guy.”

Appearing alongside McDonnell on the recent airing of Meet the Press was Massachusetts Governor and Democrat, Deval Patrick. When asked to comment on Governor Christie’s potential bid for the presidency, Governor Patrick initially praised the New Jersey Republican.

“I like Chris, he’s one of my favorites,” said Patrick.

This comment from Governor Patrick prompted Governor McDonnell to ask, “Did you hear that endorsement?” Patrick’s comment also garnered some attention from the Twittersphere:

Governor Patrick clarified that he does not endorse Governor Christie and then went on to explain why the New Jersey governor would not be a good choice for the presidency.

“… he’s been governor for, what is it, a year and a half, two years?” Patrick commented. “I think unemployment in New Jersey is higher even than the national average.” Patrick also stated that Christie has “unfinished work in New Jersey,” which he needs to complete “in order to have proof points for the case he wants to make.”

Prior to dishing on Governor Christie and the unemployment rate in New Jersey, Governor Patrick spoke about the Bay State’s own economic situation. “In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we’re growing jobs faster than 44 other states, our unemployment rate is well below the national average… and going down,” he said.

Governor Patrick then drew a parallel between how Massachusetts has been able to create jobs at the state level and the strategy that President Obama is currently using to accomplish the same thing at the national level. “…we have a strategy and it’s a strategy about investing in education, in innovation and in infrastructure,” said Patrick. “And frankly, that’s exactly what the President has been talking about at the national level. That’s what the stimulus bill has been about and that’s what the jobs bill accelerates.”

Several people turned to Twitter to voice their approval of Governor Patrick’s performance on Meet the Press, including Senator John Sapien of New Mexico.

However, not everyone is praising Deval Patrick and his recent appearance on Meet the Press. One person even calls out the show’s host, David Gregory, for changing the subject when Governor McConnell put Patrick in a tight spot.

The controversial change-of-topic occurred after Governor Patrick defended President Obama’s efforts in trying to fix the economy. “I think that we’ve been asking the President to fix the economy with one hand tied behind his back.” Patrick said. “We’ve been saying, in effect, make it so the government has no role in regulating excesses on Wall Street…”

Eventually, McConnell would jump in and cut Patrick off. “But, Deval, we did, we did regulate Wall Street,” he said “…you got CEOs around the country saying that’s one of the things that’s killing our ability to invest, that’s why there’s capital and jobs on the sidelines.”

At this point, David Gregory interrupted McConnell and changed the subject to healthcare.

With job creation a key focus for the 2012 presidential election, it is clear that Governor Patrick wants to convey the message that Governor Christie — who is a GOP favorite despite not being an official candidate — does not have adequate experience in creating jobs. Instead,  Patrick wants to showcase that President Obama’s job creation strategy is a sound one, as it has already been effective at the state level in Massachusetts.

What do you think, New England Post community? Is Governor Patrick correct in his assessments of Governor Christie’s and President Obama’s job-creating abilities? Leave a comment below!

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