California Conservative

Predictably, it didn’t take much time for the unions to attack Meg Whitman’s first campaign ad. Equally predictably, their attack doesn’t have any credibility when it comes to creating jobs since unions don’t create jobs. Here’s their statement:

Brown’s allies in labor slammed the ad. Steve Smith, spokesman for the California Labor Federation, called it “patently offensive” that Whitman, a billionaire, suggest that she understands working families’ struggles.

“Meg Whitman’s life of wealth and privilege means she’s never had to worry about losing her home, paying household bills or affording to put her kids through college,” he said in a written statement. “We need real solutions to the jobs crisis, not slick soundbites that fit neatly into a 30-second TV ad. And we certainly don’t need a billionaire telling our state’s unemployed that she understands the ‘human cost’ of joblessness.”]

Since when did unions have a clue about creating jobs? Admittedly, they’re great if you need a bunch of thugs. That said, they’re pretty much worthless when it comes to knowing how to create jobs.

While I’m sure Ms. Whitman doesn’t know what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck, I’m equally certain that unions aren’t part of the solution to creating jobs in a vibrant economy.

Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College and former GOP national official, agreed.

“The lesson of the campaign so far is that an early start is better,” he said. “Obviously, Jerry Brown needed to conserve his resources and didn’t want to spend a lot too early, but the fall campaign has started. If I was advising the Democrats, I would tell them to get into gear.”

Let the unions defend Jerry Brown all they want. Unions aren’t held in high esteem outside of union halls. By defending Jerry Brown, they’re tying him to public employee unions. These days, public employee unions are less popular in California than gas-guzzling SUVs.

Good luck selling that.

Technorati Tags: Unions, Jerry Brown, SEIU, Pensions, Democrats, Meg Whitman, Job Creation, Republicans, Election 2010

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog