Saying that Mitt Romney's record on jobs creation "makes George Bush look like the best thing since Franklin D. Roosevelt," Democratic Party Chairman Philip W. Johnston denounced the Romney administration's lack of "substantive economic policy" while Massachusetts continues to lose jobs faster than any other state in the nation.

"With the news last week that Massachusetts has lost another 9,500 jobs, we find ourselves in the midst of nothing less than a catastrophic situation in this state," Johnston said. " Meanwhile, the governor has not developed a single economic policy of substance. Mitt Romney is starting to look like the Paris Hilton of state government: He may look good, but there's not a lot going on inside."

Johnston recalled how during his 2002 gubernatorial campaign Mitt Romney promised to use the first 60 days of his administration to scour the country, luring top companies into the state. "More than 400 days have now passed and, unless you count the vacation days spent at his homes in Utah or New Hampshire, I haven't seen much traveling by this governor. Meanwhile, under his administration, the state has now lost more than 50,000 jobs. That is nothing less than a complete disaster for the state and the families who are impacted by the exodus of jobs from Massachusetts."

While the governor touted his "anti-outsourcing" initiative today, Johnston noted that the company that Romney helped create, Bain Capital, invests in a company that specializes in setting up outsourcing for companies. According to a Boston Business Journal article, Bain Capital even hired E5 to ‘offshore' a business management system that previously would have been done in-house or outsourced to a local company [ Boston Business Journal 10/22/2002]. "I would think the governor should practice what he preaches," Johnston said.

The Democratic Party chairman also questioned why the governor's ‘economic czar' Robert Pozen, who left the administration late last year, has never been replaced. "In the early days of his administration, when Mitt Romney announced the appointment of Bob Pozen, he touted the significance of this appointment as vital to the state's economic recovery. So why has this position been vacant for months? There is no one in that administration who is responsible for economic development in the midst of a serious recession. That is nothing less than reprehensible."

Johnston suggested that an entire office be staffed with the responsibility of directing substantive economic policies for the state. He suggested that a strong partnership be formed with the state's public higher education system in order to implement worker re-training. "Much more needs to be done with small businesses in Massachusetts. As we have witnessed, Mitt Romney has been supremely unsuccessful in luring big businesses into Massachusetts, as he had once promised," he added.