Why Does Jon Husted Knowingly Lie, Especially On a Government Social Media Account?

It would be nice if, instead of issuing knowingly false tweets, Husted admitted they have thus far failed Ohioans. If he did, I’d stop criticizing him (and DeWine).

Last Wednesday, Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted tweeted on his official government Twitter account about his faux official government visit to Lucas County (Toledo). He apparently toured Libbey Glass, which has been in the Toledo area for 136 years. Husted then ended his tweet by noting that “[b]usinesses come here because Ohio is full of opportunity. Ohio is #TheHeartOfItAll.  #InDemandOhio.” Now, before I detail Husted’s lie, I want to take a moment to criticize the visit.

Too often, politicians use taxpayer time and funds to engage in what are really political events aimed at helping them get elected to office. I can only imagine the millions of dollars Ohioans have been billed for the various government paid trips Husted has made around Ohio to raise his name ID, ingratiate himself with business owners and their workers, and hobnob with local elected officials all aimed at paving his pathway to winning the Governor’s Office in 2026. To be fair, Husted isn’t the only career politician to have mastered this grift. They ALL do it, but that doesn’t make it right. The practice, as well as Husted’s private sector corporate job boondoggle, should end.

In terms of Husted’s lie, I won’t assume Husted sees the monthly U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) jobs data that I put out every month despite following me on Twitter. I do assume that, as Ohio’s Lieutenant Governor and the Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, Husted receives the monthly jobs data produced by BLS and published by his own Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. Thus, he knows damn well that businesses aren’t coming here, Ohio isn’t full of opportunity, and Ohio isn’t in demand. 

Since Husted became Ohio’s Lieutenant Governor in January 2019, Ohio has only netted 70,800 private sector jobs over more than five years, or just about 14,000 jobs per year. For a state with 11.7 million people and a private sector with 4.8 million workers, that is a rounding error. Ohio’s private sector recovery from the pandemic is among the weakest in America. Specifically, Ohio’s recovery is the 37th best and the worst among long-term trifecta Republican states. In total, Ohio’s private sector has only added 38,700 jobs since 2019 (rest were jobs recovered after the severe DeWine-Husted pandemic shutdown).

Even worse, in Lucas County, where Husted posted his bragging tweet, the private sector hasn’t grown in over five years; rather, it has LOST a net of 700 jobs since January 2019 when Husted was sworn in. That simply isn’t something to brag about, especially on an official government account in which knowingly false political boasts should be banned. No matter how you slice it, the DeWine-Husted Administration’s record when it comes to the private sector is pathetic. It would be nice if, instead of issuing knowingly false tweets, Husted admitted they have thus far failed Ohioans, but have identified what the issues are that hold Ohio’s private sector back and the policy changes needed to fix those issues. 

If he did, I’d stop criticizing Husted (and DeWine) and do everything I could to help them get those fixes in place. What I can’t do is stand by silently as Husted lies again and again as Ohio's dead state walking status grows. I'd also respect Husted (and DeWine) for shooting straight with Ohioans for a change. And, God forbid the JINOs (Journalist In Name Only) do their job and ask a few tough questions from time-to-time.

P.S. Listen to my latest spin on The Bruce Hooley Show where we discussed Joe Biden's foreign policy debacles, the Left's hatred of democracy, and the economy.