Raj Goyle fundraising plea: wrong facts

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Recently candidate for U.S. Congress from the fourth district of Kansas Raj Goyle sent out a fundraising email that distorts facts in order to stir up protectionist fears about the world economy.

The email pokes fun at Republican rival Mike Pompeo using so-called facts that were shown to be false and misleading during the primary election campaign.

The Goyle email mentions Kansans who “lost our job to Mike Pompeo’s factory in Mexico.” Goyle and his campaign believe that Kansas jobs were shipped to Mexico at Pompeo’s direction.

What was found to be true is this: A company that Pompeo once managed created a small number of jobs in Mexico, at the request of a client. It was a condition of obtaining the contract.

Doing that not only allowed a Kansas company to gain a new contract and new business, it also created more than twice as many jobs in Kansas.

We have to recognize that manufacturers compete globally. Goyle may not recognize this, or he may not care.

Free trade, too, benefits all parties. This transaction is evidence of this: creating new jobs in Mexico also created new jobs in Kansas. The choices made available to Pompeo’s company did not include placing all new jobs in Kansas. The choices were: A) some new jobs in Mexico and twice as many new jobs in Kansas. Or: B) no new jobs at all, anywhere.

Goyle may not be aware of the competitive pressure that manufacturers face. After all, his job in the Kansas Legislature can’t be outsourced. But beyond not having an understanding of economics and the realities of the way the world works, we still ought to be able to expect one thing: that Raj Goyle will tell the truth.

Other coverage: Goyle assails Pompeo over aviation jobs, outsourcing at Old Town labor rally.

Comments

11 responses to “Raj Goyle fundraising plea: wrong facts”

  1. Anonymous

    Does it matter what they call it? And is it a lie if they believe creating a job outside of America is outsourcing. I’m usually a avid reader of yours but you’ve become nothing more than a loyal pen of the Pompeo campaign. It’s disgusting! No matter what I’m never voting for Pompeo because he created jobs in another country. A outsourcer by any other name is still an outsourcer. This OutSourcerer must have cast a spell on you! Shawn Smith 2010

  2. sue c.

    You bring up interesting information, Bob. This mis-truth was repeated often during the primary.

    Goyle may not know that we are in a global economy.

    I guess since he has never worked in the private sector before, or created any jobs, I can understand this ignorance. But he might want to get a bit more educated on the topic since he is trying to run on “creating jobs.”

    By Goyle’s standards, any American business that branches out to other countries; McDonalds, KFC, Coca-Cola, etc, should just bring all those jobs back to the good old USA!

    Thank goodness there is a person in this race, Mike Pompeo, who knows what it is like to run a business, create jobs, and also to compete globally.

    I am tired of elitist, public sector candidates like Goyle. They know nothing and spout only more rhetoric, fear mongering, and deception.

  3. Lauren

    Anonymous – Outsourcing is when existing jobs are moved to other countries. Mike Pompeo created new jobs in Kansas, as well as a few in Mexico. If he hadn’t accepted the contract, Kansans would have been without the jobs. Mike has nothing to be ashamed of and his job creation and hands-on business experience should be praised.

    I support the candidate that knows how to create jobs, period, and has actually done it, creating hundreds of Kansas jobs. Talk is cheap, but Mike’s shown he understands competition and how business is run. I’d rather support Mike than his opponent, who hasn’t worked a private sector job. Goyle’s career for the ACLU and Center for American Progress is a liability.

  4. sstewart

    Just have to agree with suec and lauren. I know that I am so sick of hearing this lie about Pompeo. Hartman repeated this over and over until I was sick of hearing it.

    Do Hartman and Goyle have the same PR outfit? It is beginning to sound oddly familiar.

    Get some new “dirt” Goyle. Of course, I am sure that is coming. He has millions of dollars from out of State to do it with too.

    Goyle is slinging mud, and turning this campaign ugly, while Mike is not.

    Remember this people: Goyle “threw the first punch!” To quote Goyle’s friend, Marty, who worked with Hartman on the primary “dirt machine.”

  5. Anonymous

    Mr. Weeks, enough is enough, are you cashing checks from the Pompeo campaign or are they paying you in cash? I used to find the Wichita Liberty emails interesting but now they are becoming soapbox Spam. We get it, you are a Pompeo supporter but how about singing his praises instead of constantly bashing his opponents.

    Stay on task!

  6. sheila martin

    Raj is living in a glass house. When all the facts come out about his funding the mud will hit the fan! Look for the casino money and pharma for his selling out his community to the smoking ban. Bye Bye Raj!

  7. Amira

    Just an FYI: Pompeo threw the first punch when almost instantly after the primaries he called Goyle a “towelhead”. This is blatantly offensive and a mistruth, since Goyle is neither from the middle east, nor Muslim. Pompeo started the mudslinging which is not surprising since Goyle is a middle-of-the-road candidate to his very radical republican self. I’m not a Pompeo supporter and I’m getting sick of reading your bias articles. Goyle might not be the perfect candidate, but at least he has a chance of making laws that will suit most Kansans. Pompeo wouldn’t have a chance at accomplishing anything because he doesn’t know how to work both sides of the aisle. Give it up already, Bob.

  8. Ann H.

    Amira, when did Pompeo call Goyle a towelhead? I would like to see the evidence as I find this hard to believe.

  9. Truth

    Bob Pinkstaff called Raj the derogatory name…read the whole article if you must reference it.

    In regards to outsourcing – Mr. Weeks has hit the nail on the head. Also, it is not outsourcing, because jobs were not taken from one place & moved to another. Jobs were created here, as well as there.

    I’d also point out that Thayer/Nex-Tech has customers from all over the world…wonder if the people in those countries complain as loudly about those companies “outsourcing” to the U.S. as some people here do.

    In addition, not only did that particular contract bring jobs to Wichita, it is still creating jobs for Nex-Tech today, as well as bringing other customers in, who also look around at the other small machine shops in Wichita & start doing business at those places as well.

    Mike may not be a perfect man, but he will be able to represent Kansas better than Goyle will by a long shot.

  10. Mike Shaw

    Businesses create jobs as long as govt. stays out of the way. For the 30 years I’ve been aware, govt. has been slowly, incrementally strangling businesses with stricter regulations. The idea is the same one Reagan used to kill the Soviet Union, make them overspend. Our own govt. is making us overspend on energy and transportation, and unions are making labor too expensive for anything to be made here, thus good paying manufacturing jobs go overseas. No wealth is created and the country will collapse. We need employees in D.C. that understand this and will roll back regulations that hinder businesses. Raj has no experience managing a business and does not understand how businesses work.

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