The 2012 GOP presidential candidates are weighing in and attacking the president on what's sure to be a central issue in the campaign: jobs. Here are some of their statements on Friday's report showing a creation of 117,000 jobs and the unemployment rate inching to 9.1 percent.
"Today's unemployment report represents the 30th straight month that the jobless rate has been above 8 percent. The administration promised with their $800 billion stimulus that they would keep unemployment below that number. When you see what this president has done to the economy in just three years, you know why America doesn't want to find out what he can do in eight."
"Despite today's jobs report showing a slight improvement, with 9.1 percent unemployment, it is still evidence that the President's failed economic policies are digging us deeper into a hole. The President created twice as many donors for his campaign as he created jobs in the second quarter. This week the President was handed a $2.4 trillion blank check and in return the American people got a mere $21 billion in promised spending cuts, the erosion of their personal savings in the worst stock market drop since 2008, and the promise of higher taxes before the ink had dried on the budget deal. It's time for the President to admit what the markets, the world, and the American people already know - his trillion dollar stimulus was a failure, the government can't create jobs, and massive spending kills them."
"Today's dismal jobs report is a far cry from the hope and change that President Obama promised on the campaign trail. Since the President took office, unemployment has risen 17 percent, the federal debt has increased 37 percent and gas prices have doubled. In the last week, the stock market suffered its worst day in years, economic growth was revised down and consumer confidence dropped. Despite these clear and abundant signs that our economy is floundering, President Obama has still failed to deliver a concrete plan to create jobs and promote growth. This lack of leadership is inexcusable and driving our economy toward decline. It's time for a new president to point us back in the right direction, and I am the only candidate who has proposed a specific economic plan that will create jobs and grow our economy. "
Thaddeus McCotter
"A day after the President raised millions of dollars to celebrate his birthday, more than 46 million Americans continue to suffer in his economy.Today's 'jobless report' reveals to the Obama Maladminstration what working Americans know: 16 million Americans are unemployed; over thirty million Americans are unable to find better jobs; and the stagnant economy slumps toward a double dip recession.Inexcusably, Mr. Obama's response to struggling Americans is: "Let them eat cake - at $35 grand a plate.Instead, it is better for Americans to put a fork in Mr. Obama's half-baked policies."
"The President has had 2.5 years to turn around the American economy and it is clear he has failed. In less than one day, Americans have witnessed a considerable drop in the stock market and yet another jobs report showing an unemployment rate above 9 percent. When President Obama should have been focused on creating jobs, he focused on a government-mandated health care system that the American people didn't ask for and can't afford. What we can't afford now is to waste any more time. We need to implement the type of pro-growth policies and free-market reforms that made Utah the top state for job creation when I was Governor. America needs a President who knows how to create an economic environment that allows entrepreneurs to thrive and create jobs. This country will never realize its true economic potential until we enact tax cuts, implement regulatory reform and move toward energy independence."
"At an alarming 9.1 percent, the July national unemployment rate confirms the suspicions of many Americans both employed and unemployed. People realize that our nation can no longer afford to stay on this same path of reckless spending and the status quo of Washington. "The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that unemployment since April is essentially unchanged, meaning that despite us being on the far end of ‘stimulus' effects and with the cumulative effect of trillions of dollars in money printing, there is little cause for optimism."America has been dealing with this severe economic crisis for years because we have failed to focus on the true issues at hand: a declining dollar and out-of-control spending."Growing inflation, rising gasoline and food prices, and trillion-dollar budget deficits will all soon seem like minor issues if our nation does not immediately change our monetary and spending policies.
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