Short hits: Corrections and clarifications

1. A column of mine stated, “as the Maine Center for Economic Policy reports, the ”rate of job growth — in the public sector, private sector, or total, has trailed all but a handful of states. … From January 2011 to April 2012, Maine ranks 44th in private sector job growth and 45th in total job growth.”

In fact, Maine actually ranks 46th in total job growth and 45th in private sector job growth over the January 2011 to April 2012 period.

I regret the error. If you see a factual error, please let me know and I will correct it.

2. U.S. Senate candidate Rick Bennett claimed that Angus King gave $6000 to the Democratic National Committee the day after Olympia Snowe announced she would not run for re-election. However, as a copy of King’s credit card statement indicates, this timing is incorrect. Moreover, the funds were donated for a reception with President Obama, who King has publicly supported for re-election and who he endorsed in 2008. Former Governor King says he did not attend the reception.

Related to this, in a tweet, I stated that King had also contributed to Olympia Snowe. However, a search of the campaign contribution database, Opensecrets.org (a truly excellent resource), reveals this is not the case. Again, I regret the error.

3. While many have the very strong impression that federal spending surged during the Obama administration, the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch offers a correction, which is clearly expressed in a chart.

They also note that:

Before Obama had even lifted a finger, the CBO was already projecting that the federal deficit would rise to $1.2 trillion in fiscal 2009. The government actually spent less money in 2009 than it was projected to, but the deficit expanded to $1.4 trillion because revenue from taxes fell much further than expected, due to the weak economy and the emergency tax cuts that were part of the stimulus bill.

Amy Fried

About Amy Fried

Amy Fried loves Maine's sense of community and the wonderful mix of culture and outdoor recreation. She loves politics in three ways: as an analytical political scientist, a devoted political junkie and a citizen who believes politics matters for people's lives. Fried is Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. Her views do not reflect those of her employer or any group to which she belongs.