Obama turns new jobless rate into campaign theme

whitehouse.gov

Using improving unemployment numbers as a springboard, President Obama in his weekly address reiterated what may be a new clutch argument on the trail: "We've come too far to turn back now."

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Obama's new campaign line: "We've come too far to turn back now"

"On Friday, we learned that the unemployment rate is now at its lowest level since I took office," the president said, repeating almost verbatim remarks he made across Virginia on Friday. "More Americans are entering the workforce. More Americans are getting jobs. But too many of our friends and neighbors are still looking for work or struggling to pay the bills - many of them since long before this crisis hit.

"We owe it to them to keep moving forward," he continued. "We've come too far to turn back now. And we've made too much progress to return to the policies that got us into this mess in the first place."

The Labor Department announced Friday employers added 114,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent. The new and improved jobless rate marks an end to Mitt Romney's four-year talking point on the issue, a setback for the GOP nominee, who was enjoying new-found momentum coming out of Wednesday's debate.

To illustrate his administration's measures against policies he believes ignited the chronic eight-percent-plus unemployment rate over the past four years, Mr. Obama touted his placement of "tougher, common-sense rules of the road for Wall Street" and "the strongest consumer protections in our history." He chided House Republicans for "waging an all-out battle to delay, defund and dismantle these commonsense new rules."

Recycling some lines from last month's weekly addresses, the president said that now is "no time for political games, even in a political season," and called on Congress to return to work to act on economic legislation, such as an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for Americans making less than $250,000 a year. The House GOP, he said, is "holding tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans hostage until we pass tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Ask them how that helps the middle class."

But riding the Republicans' high this week - a Romney debate victory, so deemed by most pundits - Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus argued in the GOP's weekly response that four more years of an Obama administration would, borrowing terminology from Vice President Joe Biden, "bury the middle class even more."

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Priebus: Obama doesn't want to do president's job

"It was painfully clear during the debate that President Obama has no new ideas to fix the economy," Priebus said. "His only plan for a second term is a tax increase so large it would destroy over 700,000 jobs." Turning the table on Friday's jobs numbers, Priebus said the report, which posted fewer jobs created in September than in August, showed that "America still desperately needs jobs - yet the president's central and sole proposal would mean fewer jobs."

"Midway through the debate, I think the president realized that he's been president for the past four years, and it was his policies and his agenda that have failed to produce any of the results that he promised us as a candidate," the chairman continued. "President Obama simply hasn't shown the kind of leadership we need. We face crises today which requires a steady hand, and a leader focused on the job - but President Obama's focus has been on saving his own job."

As RNC chair, Priebus said, "I understand that the president must campaign. But he also has a job to do. While Barack Obama enjoys being president, he doesn't seem to enjoy the work required of being a great president."

[walkthetalk]

I watch PBS, the Obama support team otherwise known as, Public Bovine Splatter

[walkthetalk]

Hi hoe hi hoe it's off to work we go. la de da

[phwtb100]

Anyone ever heard of the Christmas SHOPPING season??

[walkthetalk]

Why all this complaining about jobs? I have had three job offers, only just today, Hardees, Bruger King, and McDonalds. I was disappointed when Sonic turned me down, and said to me, that they "didn't have job openings, for someone with a Masters Degree in Bio".

[jackpenn]

honestpatriot: No president in our American history has spent as much money as Obama, and put America in so much debt. Obama's philosophy is to buy our way out of an economic crisis, and just keep spending more and more of our revenue. Borrow it off our rivals, and if we ever go to war with China, they'll have to make our weapons and supplies to fight them. Obama had his chance in four years, and he even said; He'd be a one term president if he didn't solve the deficit and economic crisis in America.

[smcecil]

Unemployment is down just like Chris Stevens was murdered by Youtube video protesters.

[jackpenn]

This 7.8% unemployment rate is only down because of people giving up on finding a job, and have used up their unemployment benefits, so they are no longer counted as being among the unemployed. This is all a misconception, and Obama is good at misconceptions to make people believe he is doing a good job as president. He reminds me of the song; "Blinded by the light." Obama has a very large "fan" base who feel he can do no wrong, like people feel about Hollywood celebrities who can do no wrong. People better wake up and realize we need someone as president who can get our country back on track in creating more good paying jobs, so then when the figures go down for the unemployed it will be a realistic account of America going "forward". Mitt Romney is this person we need in the White House who knows how business works.

[honestpatriot]

Have a look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics data for September. The number of people in the labor force INCREASED. Furthermore, Obama did not announce these numbers; the Bureau of Labor Statistics did, as it does every month. There have now been 30 straight months of job gains following the worst financial crisis and economic downturn since the Great Depression, with 4.5 million jobs lost from April 2008 to January 2009 -- before Obama even took office. Are you capable of acknowledging any positive news under Obama?

[2ew4]

Democrats are so ridiculous,How friggen dumb do you democrats think we are out here? Obama proved on debate night he has no clue what he is doing,Then through some miracle of science the unemployment numbers go down to 7.8 - No one believes you idiots, you are being completely ridiculed by most economic pundits including your own You would expect things like this to happen in third world nations with failing dictators, This is right up there with chaves in venezuela He is the kinda fat prick that would try something like this - not a president of the united states -

[Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals]

TYPEZ\
Never, ever listen to Rush.
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I do - and I watch Fox, but I haven't watched today. Who served up the "2%" thing? I've noticed several posters just today mentioning it.
.

[1988JAck]

By the end of Obama's second term unemployment will be back down to pre-Bush levels and we will be on the road to eliminating the deficit without Bush foolish wars to pay for. What a great President we have in Obama.