Wisconsin Democrats are firing back at Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s released of revised jobs numbers for 2011.
Earlier Wednesday, the state’s Department of Workforce Development released a jobs report based on a different measurement method using quarterly census data, which the Walker administration maintains is superior to the usual monthly surveys. The quarterly figures were released weeks ahead of the normal schedule, before the federal government finishes its own review of them for a national report.
Walker released a new campaign ad Wednesday touting the numbers as “bad news for Tom Barrett,” his opponent in the recall: “The government just released the final job numbers, and as it turns out, Wisconsin actually gained — that’s right, gained more than 20,000 new jobs during my first year in office,” he says in the ad.
In response, the Democrats are filing a complaint with the state Government Accountability Board, alleging that Walker’s state offices illegally coordinated with his campaign, in order to release the data itself and to tape the ad. On a conference call with reporters, state Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate said: “Does anybody on this call really believe that the DWD Secretary did not consult with Governor Walker before putting out these numbers? Does anyone believe that putting out these numbers three weeks before the election does not have anything to do with the recall? This is absurd.”
Walker campaign spokeswoman Ciara Matthews told TPM, “The production of the ad was not finalized until after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran the story which is featured in the ad,” referring to on-screen text taken from that newspaper’s story from Wednesday morning. “Friends of Scott Walker is not currently capable of time travel in order to accomplish what DPW is alleging.”
