Boston (CNN) -- Mitt Romney is a smooth salesman. When he was a candidate in 2002, his pitch to the people of Massachusetts was that he could fix all that ailed us. As the Bay State's top salesman, he said, he would "bring great jobs here." He claimed he would at last be the governor to reform state government. We bought it. Most of us now would warn, "buyer beware." Under Romney, the Massachusetts economy sputtered to 47th in the nation in job creation -- and that was in relatively good economic times. Real wages declined (while rising across the nation). Instead of helping workers and small businesses adjust to changes in the global economy, Romney cut critical work force training programs and millions in economic development funds. Instead of promoting Massachusetts to attract jobs, he used the state as a punchline on the national Republican political circuit.
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Massachusetts governor: Romney failed to deliver as governor
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He says state's economy suffered, and Romney didn't reform state government
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Patrick: His major achievement, health care law, is one he now shuns discussing
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He says Romney's record reflects a view that government is a problem, not a solution
@placeholder bought it then and got slow or no job growth, stifled innovation, neglected public infrastructure, and crowded and under-resourced schools.