As former Rep. Tom Perriello points out, nobody can make Romney's numbers add up, and if anything independent groups analyzing Romney's plans are being TOO generous to him by assuming very high economic growth rates. According to Perriello, "not a single independent group has been able to make Mitt Romney's numbers work; all of them so far are spelling disaster for the middle class." Meanwhile,, Romney's "hiding a lot of information about his own taxes and his tax proposals." But the bottom line is that Romney's plans will mean a big tax increase for the middle class, while President Obama will protect the middle class, according to "study after study."
More broadly, Perriello argues, this is all a question or priorities, whether we're going to invest in education, infrastructure, and innovation - a "smart growth strategy" - as Democrats advocate, or squander that money on tax cuts for millionaires, as Republicans advocate, is the best way to go.
On the latest jobs numbers and the economy, Perriello says there's still a ways to go, but it's "a heck of a lot better to be adding 160,000 jobs a month," as we did this month, than losing 740,000 jobs a month, which is what President Obama inherited. Unfortunately, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is about to go on a 5-week recess without acting on President Obama's jobs bill - a bill that would put people to work "tomorrow." Not to mention the fact that President Obama helped save the auto industry, while Romney advocated letting it go bankrupt.
Why haven't we had more economic growth? Tom Perriello points his finger directly at Eric Can'tor and other Republicans, who have obstructed every single effort to move our economy forward and create jobs (I'd add that they also held the entire economy hostage to their absurd, irresponsible refusal to agree to a normally routine debt ceiling increase).
Finally, on his political future, Tom Perriello says he's enjoying the policy side and is not feeling the passion right now to run for statewide office and has no plans to do so at this time.
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