Job Creation Contradicted

All election campaigns are fraught with contradictions. An enormous one I’ve noticed in this presidential contest relates to “job creation”. The point that the Republicans are trying to make is that, to cut unemployment we need less government since it is the private sector and not government that crates jobs. Government only interferes making it harder. So the mantra on the Right is “government can’t create jobs”. Having repeated this, with the next breath Governor Romney talks about all the jobs he created while Governor of Massachusetts and Speaker Gingrich takes credit for the jobs that he created while Speaker. Maybe I’m missing a point but, if while you were in government, under your leadership, jobs were created, then it is not much of a stretch to conclude that at least in your mind, governments do indeed create jobs. Very many, in fact, when you were in charge and even more when again you take the reigns.

My disappointment is not with the contradiction as much as with the media. When interviewing a candidate who makes contradictory statements, the interviewer doesn’t require that the contradiction be explained. In this case, does or does not the government create jobs and in either case, how? This would be called a “gotcha” question and the interviewer criticized by the proponents of the candidate for asking it. Unfortunately there is a tacit understanding that the interviewer will not ask tough questions of their interviewees for fear that if they do, no one will agree to be interviewed by them. So the politicians will continue spewing talking points no matter how contradictory without challenge.