Bachmann Super PAC slams Perry's spending record

North Carolina-based Keep Conservatives United, a super PAC supporting Michelle Bachmann, has released a commercial critical of Gov. Rick Perry that the group says they plan to start airing in South Carolina.

The ad cites a Star-Telegram story from July that compared Perry's spending record to his predecessor, George W. Bush.

The ad notes that state spending more than doubled since Perry took office in 2000. Here's some context from our article that the ad leaves out:

When Bush was governor, total state spending rose 13.3 percent every two years on average. Adjusting the figures for population growth and inflation, that growth rate was 2.3 percent.

Perry took the reins in December 2000. From then until 2011, spending increased an average of 16.8 percent every two years. Once adjusted for population and inflation, that rate falls to 4.2 percent. Adjusted spending figures in the just-passed 2012-13 budget are not yet available.

When Perry touts his record on spending, he more often focuses on general revenue, which makes up about half the state budget. That's the part of the budget that the governor and Legislature have the most control over.

When general revenue spending is examined by itself, the trends match better with the fiscal conservative image that Perry promotes. Though general revenue spending has grown with nearly every budget since Perry took office, it actually fell over the last decade an average of 0.6 percent every two years once those numbers are adjusted for inflation and the state's booming population growth. It rose during Bush's tenure.

You can read our full story here. We also posted a graph that shows how Texas spending has changed under Bush's and Perry's terms here.

Here's the ad:

-Aman Batheja

Comments

[Bob Thornton]

LOL: The Teabaggers are eating their own!

[Rogan]

It's called "Primaries" - they don't compete for the top job by patting each other on the back any more than socialist - er sorry - I meant Democrat presidential wannabes do.

[EFC]

Candidates trash each other out and then 'wholly support' the chosen one, aka Senator Hutchison when she ran for govenor. So was all that rheteric lies?

[charlie wilson]

You idiots are going after the wrong people! Decide the republican candidate on merits and capabilities, and cease the rediculous mud slinging. The goal is to get Obama and his merry band of fools out of ofice, and you will not get that done deviding the party!You are acting like the people we want out of Washington, not in!

[IDGem]

After reading the misspelled words in these responses, there is a case to be made for increasing education funding. Please, please, please use a dictionary.
We already knew that Perry had a reality problem, this is no surprise.