Reactions to the July 2011 Jobs Report
        Aug. 5, 2011
Bachmann Issues Statement on Jobless Report Showing Unemployment at 9.1 Percent

Urbandale, Iowa - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has issued the following statement on today's jobless report showing unemployment at 9.1 percent:

"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.

"This week the President announced that he would again pivot to focus his attention on jobs. We can only hope he will pivot away from his failed economic policies that have killed growth and put millions of Americans out of work. What the markets want and what the country needs is a fundamental restructuring in the way Washington spends taxpayers dollars that reins in unprecedented spending, gets our debt under control, and encourages pro-growth economic policies. The President can attempt to blame and spin away this week's bad economic news, but you can't fool the markets. Mr. President - the only way to dig us out of this hole your administration has gotten us into is to stop digging."

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Jon Huntsman Statement on Unemployment Numbers

Orlando - Gov. Jon Huntsman today released the following statement on July's unemployment numbers:

"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%. 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."

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Ron Paul Campaign Issues Statement on Latest Job Report
“The American people are still suffering and these effects are very real”

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Today, the campaign for 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul remarked on the recent jobs report. See comments from Ron Paul 2012 Campaign Manager John Tate below.
 
“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.
 
“Establishment Washington told us the recession was over in 2009, yet the American people are still suffering and these effects are very real.
 
“We must take bold actions to reduce out-of-control government spending, and get the federal government out of the way of small business and entrepreneurs so that they can start hiring again.
 
“We must take a hard look at the reasons why our dollar has been devalued, and the consequences we are now dealing with because of the manipulation by the Federal Reserve.
 
“Our focus should be on rolling back the unconstitutional growth and activism of the federal government, and moving to a truly sound-money system.
 
“Ron Paul has pledged that if elected President, he will veto any spending bill that contributes to an unbalanced budget, and balance the budget in the first year of his term. He will also fight to strip away useless regulations and further taxes on businesses in the private sector.
 
“These are the authentic solutions that will help people, help our economy, and get this country on the path to prosperity.”

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Statement on Jobs Report

"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%, the federal debt has increased 37% 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. "
MITT ROMNEY STATEMENT ON JULY UNEMPLOYMENT REPORT

Boston, MA – Mitt Romney today released the following statement on the July unemployment report:

"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."
PRESS RELEASE from RNC

RNC Chairman Priebus Statement on the July Unemployment Numbers

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus released the following statement on the July jobs report:

“Today’s jobs report reminds us that unemployment remains unacceptably high and that is a direct result of President Obama's unwillingness to provide leadership on the economy. Rather than focusing like a laser on growing a strong and healthy American economy, President Obama is punishing job creators at every turn and devoting his attention to saving his own job. After 30 straight months above 8 percent unemployment, it’s time for President Obama to quit passing the buck, take responsibility for the economy and institute a pro-growth jobs agenda to get Americans back to work.”

from RNC Research

July Delivers Another Underwhelming Jobs Report As Americans Prepare For Another Obama “Pivot” To Jobs 
  
ANOTHER MONTH AND ANOTHER JOBS REPORT THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE PAIN CAUSED BY THE OBAMA ECONOMY
The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein: “Better Than Expected Is Not Good Enough.” (MSNBC’s, “Morning Joe,” 8/5/11)
CNN’s Christine Romans: “[I] don't mean to throw the cold water on the whole thing but we’ve got to have like 130,000 to 150,000 jobs created just to absorb new people into the economy. It's not good enough.” (CNN’s “American Morning,” 8/5/11)
CNBC’s Steve Liesman: “Definitely Weak, These Numbers Are Not Good…” (CNBC’s, “Squawk Box,” 8/5/11)
The Wall Street Journal: The Unemployment Rate “Still Leaves Almost 14 Million Americans Who Would Like To Work Without A Job.” “The unemployment rate, which is obtained from a separate household survey, dropped to 9.1% last month from 9.2% in June. That still leaves almost 14 million Americans who would like to work without a job.” (Luca di Leo and Jeffrey Sparshott, “Payrolls Grow As Unemployment Ticks Down,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/5/11)
·          WSJ: “[T]he Labor Market Remains Weak (Luca di Leo and Jeffrey Sparshott, “Payrolls Grow As Unemployment Ticks Down,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/5/11)
The Associated Press: “The Economy Needs Twice As Many Net Jobs Per Month To Rapidly Reduce Unemployment.” “Still, the economy needs twice as many net jobs per month to rapidly reduce unemployment. The rate has topped 9 percent in every month except two since the recession officially ended in June 2009.” (“Unemployment rate dips to 9.1% as U.S. economy adds 117,000 jobs in July,” The Associated Press, 8/5/11)
14 MILLION AMERICANS REMAIN OUT OF WORK AS THEY WAIT FOR OBAMA’S RECOVERY
Since President Obama Took Office The Nation Has Lost 2.4 Million Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 7.8 Percent To 9.1 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 8/5/11)
Obama’s Economic Advisors Predicted That The Stimulus Would Keep The Unemployment Rate Below 8 Percent With Stimulus. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein,"The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,"1/9/09)
“The Jobs Report Friday Showed 44.4% Of Unemployed Americans, Or 6.2 Million People, Were Out Of Work For More Than Six Months In July.” (Luca di Leo and Jeffrey Sparshott, “Payrolls Grow As Unemployment Ticks Down,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/5/11)
Labor Force Participation Is At Its Lowest Levels In A Generation After 193,000 Workers Dropped Out Of Labor Force In July. “The jobless rate declined as 193,000 people left the labor force and the number of unemployed dropped by 156,000. The share of the eligible population holding a job declined to 58.1 percent, the lowest since July 1983.” (Bob Willis, “U.S. Payrolls Rose In July,” Bloomberg, 8/5/11)
Americans Are Still Waiting For Obama’s Long-Promised Pivot To Jobs
NOW – AUGUST 2011: Politico’s Playbook: “DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS.” (Mike Allen, “DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS: Transportation, Infrastructure, Tax Breaks On Fall Agenda,” Politico’s “Playbook”, 12/23/09)
THEN – DECEMBER 2009: Politico’s Playbook: “SIREN: White House Plans 'Very Hard Pivot To Jobs' Next Month.” (Mike Allen, “SIREN: White House Plans 'Very Hard Pivot To Jobs' Next Month -- Will Be 'Prescriptive',” Politico’s “Playbook”, 12/23/09)
MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: “I Feel Like My Head Is Spinning How Many Times, ‘This Is The Time The White House Was Gonna To Pivot To Jobs.’ “How many times, though – I feel like my head is spinning how many times, ‘this is the time the White House was gonna to pivot to jobs.’ I mean it is it is sort of a recurring thing. What is it that he can do?” (MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown,” 8/3/11)
ABC’s Jake Tapper: “It Feels Like Every Couple Of Months I Am Reporting That The White House Is Announcing That They Are Pivoting To A Jobs Agenda …”"For the last two and a half years here as the White House correspondent for ABC News, it feels like every couple of months I am reporting that the White House is announcing that they are pivoting to a jobs agenda, and something else happens. ... But here we are again saying it. And, of course, unemployment is staggeringly high -- much higher than anybody thought it would be at this point." (Michael Falcone, “Testing The Fragile Front-Runner Theory: Mitt Romeny’s Opponents Take Aim,” ABC’s “The Note”, 8/3/11)
·          Tapper Asked The White House What Exactly Obama Was Doing Different To Address The Jobs And Economy. TAPPER: “But what is the President doing?  What is -- we know that he went to a -- he went to fundraisers last night.  What is he doing today? …  What is he doing -- …  He stood up there and hectored Congress about all the stuff that needs to be done to help create jobs, and this needs to take place --and then he flew off to Chicago.  What’s he doing today? … So the same stuff he was doing a couple of months ago, calling on Congress to pass things? …  Has he called Mitch McConnell?  Has he called John Boehner?  Has he -- is he working on things that they can do?  If every -- … You’re the one that’s always saying the President can walk and chew gum at the same time. … What is he doing? … Other than calling on Congress to pass things that you’ve been calling on Congress to pass for months -- what is he doing to help the economy?” (White House Press Briefing, 8/4/11)
TODAY’S EMPLOYMENT REPORT CAPS OFF A DISMAL WEEK FOR THE ECONOMY AND POINTS TO THE COST AMERICANS BEAR FOR OBAMA’S FAILED POLICIES
The New York Times: “The Unrelenting Negative Economic News Of The Past Two Weeks Has Painted A Picture Of A United States Economy That Fell Further And Recovered Less Than We Had Thought.” (Floyd Norris, “Double-Dip Recession May Be Returning,” The New York Times, 8/4/11)
With Manufacturing Numbers, “The Economic Signs Have Turned Increasingly Grim.” “Indeed, the economic signs have turned increasingly grim. A report on manufacturing Monday noted that growth in that sector had dropped back to the rate of two years ago, just at the point the U.S. was technically exiting the recession.” (Editorial, “A Still Sick Economy Needs More Than Debt Ceiling Deal,” Detroit Free Press, 8/2/11)
“Household Finances Remain Stressed By Lackluster Hiring And High Unemployment.” “Consumer spending—which accounts for 70% of economic activity —decreased 0.2% in June, compared with a 0.1% increase in May, the biggest drop since September 2009, the Commerce Department said Tuesday in a report that showed household finances remain stressed by lackluster hiring and high unemployment.” (Conor Dougherty and Jeff Bater, “Data Reinforce Economic Malaise,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/2/11)
The Stock Market Has Declined For Nine Straight Sessions For The First Time Since The Carter Administration. “The stock market is poised today to do something it has not done in over 33 years: decline for nine straight sessions. The last time the Dow Jones Industrial did that, in fact, was Feb. 22, 1978, when Jimmy Carter was president and the country was struggling to come to grips with a period of anemic economic growth and high inflation.” (Mark Hulbert, “Dow’s Losing Streak Now In Ninth Day,” MarketWatch, 8/4/11)
The Associated Press: “The Economy Slowed In The First Six Months Of 2011 To Its Weakest Pace Since The Recession Ended.” (“U.S. Economy Slowed Sharply In First Half Of 2011,” The Associated Press, 7/29/11)
The Wall Street Journal: First Quarter GDP Revision “Showed The Slowdown Since The Beginning Of The Year Was Much More Drastic Than Previously Thought.” “The U.S. economy expanded at a slower pace than expected in the spring as consumers cut back on spending, while revisions showed the slowdown since the beginning of the year was much more drastic than previously thought.”  (Tom Barkley and Jeff Bater, “U.S. GDP Grows Just 1.3%,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/29/11)