Gov. Dannel P. Malloy brought out the sharp elbows Friday ahead of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s visit next week to lure jobs away from Connecticut. “I hope he remembers all three points that he wants to make,” Malloy said.
Malloy’s comment was a nod to a gaffe Perry made during a 2011 presidential debate when the Texas governor was unable to remember one of the three federal agencies he sought to cut if he were elected.
The episode occurred during a CNBC debate between Republican contenders for the GOP nomination that eventually went to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
“It’s three agencies of government, when I get there that are gone: Commerce, Education, and the um, what’s the third one there? Let’s see,” Perry stated on national television, in what CBS later called a cringe-worthy moment. “…I can’t, the third one, I can’t.”
Malloy was out of state earlier this week when Perry announced he planned to tour Connecticut and New York next week and launch a television ad campaign designed to encourage employers to relocate to Texas.
The $1 million ad campaign and the tour are being paid for by TexasOne, a public-private marketing corporation that seeks to promote business relocation in Texas. The ads, which began airing this week in both states, end with a shot of Perry saying “Texas is calling. Your opportunity awaits.”
While Malloy’s spokesman simply called Perry’s visit “a lame publicity stunt,” Malloy, who was asked about the issue Friday after an unrelated event, alluded to the debate.
“A couple of things: I hope he remembers all three points that he wants to make, I hope he has a good time, and I hope he spends a lot of money,” he said.
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