[h=3]By DANNY YADRON And CAROL E. LEE[/h]The weak June jobs numbers released Friday give presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney another opportunity to sell the American public on his ability to get people back to work, a pitch that has shown minimal results so far despite the struggling economy.
The economy added 80,000 jobs in June, fewer than expected, while the unemployment rate held at 8.2%, capping a disappointing spring that appeared to drain the momentum out of the recovery. Economists had expected a gain of 100,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to hold steady, according to a survey by Dow Jones Newswires.
Mr. Romney was scheduled to speak this morning, interrupting his family vacation in New Hampshire.
The monthly jobs reports have taken a central place in the campaign, amid persistent high unemployment in the U.S. and concerns about Europe's debt problems. To date, Mr. Obama has proved remarkably resilient after months of similar bad news, making it unclear how much the disappointing report would affect his political prospects. But Mr. Romney, who emphasizes his background in the private sector, may gather support if the economy continues to stall.
Republicans have seized on the weak jobs numbers as evidence that the president has been a poor steward of the economy. Mr. Obama has countered that the deep recession he inherited has resulted in the slow employment recovery.
"Once again, the monthly jobs report brings devastating news for the millions of Americans looking for work," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a written statement. "Gov. Mitt Romney is uniquely qualified to provide the leadership our economy needs."
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, acknowledged "this is still fewer jobs than we have recently seen created each month, and it is nowhere near where we need to be."
"There are no quick fixes to the problems we face that were more than a decade in the making," said Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House's council of economic advisers. "Employment is growing but it is not growing fast enough given the jobs deficit caused by the deep recession."
For his part, the president is expected to address the report Friday while campaigning in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Mr. Obama, who is wrapping up a two-day bus tour, has been touting his economic vision—and criticizing China over trade practices—in advance of the report at campaign events in manufacturing communities across Ohio. He spent Friday morning at a diner in Akron, Ohio, having eggs and bacon with three workers from a local Goodyear tire plant.
The night before, at a park in the town of Parma, Ohio, Mr. Obama said, "our mission right now isn't just to recover from this economic crisis, although that's job one. Our mission is to give back to America, to Americans all across the country, what's been lost - that sense of security."
Although nearly two-thirds of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, and a majority of adults disapprove of Mr. Obama's handling of the economy, the president still maintained a slight lead over Mr. Romney in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released last week.
That survey was conducted weeks after May's dismal jobs report. For now, Mr. Obama appears to be benefiting from voters' personal affinity for him and a series of attack ads that have painted Mr. Romney as a corporate raider from his days in private equity.
Still, the bad news is useful to Mr. Romney, who has staked his candidacy on his business acumen. He should now use the summer to explain to voters how exactly he would improve the economy, rather than just doing the opposite of Mr. Obama, some of Mr. Romney's supporters have said privately in recent days.
Meantime, Crossroads GPS, the conservative advocacy group with ties to Karl Rove, announced Friday that it was launching a $25 million ad campaign against the president. "America's jobless rate is still too high," the first ad says.
Write to Danny Yadron at [email protected] and Carol E. Lee at [email protected]
The economy added 80,000 jobs in June, fewer than expected, while the unemployment rate held at 8.2%, capping a disappointing spring that appeared to drain the momentum out of the recovery. Economists had expected a gain of 100,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to hold steady, according to a survey by Dow Jones Newswires.
Mr. Romney was scheduled to speak this morning, interrupting his family vacation in New Hampshire.
The monthly jobs reports have taken a central place in the campaign, amid persistent high unemployment in the U.S. and concerns about Europe's debt problems. To date, Mr. Obama has proved remarkably resilient after months of similar bad news, making it unclear how much the disappointing report would affect his political prospects. But Mr. Romney, who emphasizes his background in the private sector, may gather support if the economy continues to stall.
Republicans have seized on the weak jobs numbers as evidence that the president has been a poor steward of the economy. Mr. Obama has countered that the deep recession he inherited has resulted in the slow employment recovery.
"Once again, the monthly jobs report brings devastating news for the millions of Americans looking for work," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a written statement. "Gov. Mitt Romney is uniquely qualified to provide the leadership our economy needs."
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, acknowledged "this is still fewer jobs than we have recently seen created each month, and it is nowhere near where we need to be."
"There are no quick fixes to the problems we face that were more than a decade in the making," said Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House's council of economic advisers. "Employment is growing but it is not growing fast enough given the jobs deficit caused by the deep recession."
For his part, the president is expected to address the report Friday while campaigning in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Mr. Obama, who is wrapping up a two-day bus tour, has been touting his economic vision—and criticizing China over trade practices—in advance of the report at campaign events in manufacturing communities across Ohio. He spent Friday morning at a diner in Akron, Ohio, having eggs and bacon with three workers from a local Goodyear tire plant.
The night before, at a park in the town of Parma, Ohio, Mr. Obama said, "our mission right now isn't just to recover from this economic crisis, although that's job one. Our mission is to give back to America, to Americans all across the country, what's been lost - that sense of security."
Although nearly two-thirds of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, and a majority of adults disapprove of Mr. Obama's handling of the economy, the president still maintained a slight lead over Mr. Romney in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released last week.
That survey was conducted weeks after May's dismal jobs report. For now, Mr. Obama appears to be benefiting from voters' personal affinity for him and a series of attack ads that have painted Mr. Romney as a corporate raider from his days in private equity.
Still, the bad news is useful to Mr. Romney, who has staked his candidacy on his business acumen. He should now use the summer to explain to voters how exactly he would improve the economy, rather than just doing the opposite of Mr. Obama, some of Mr. Romney's supporters have said privately in recent days.
Meantime, Crossroads GPS, the conservative advocacy group with ties to Karl Rove, announced Friday that it was launching a $25 million ad campaign against the president. "America's jobless rate is still too high," the first ad says.
Write to Danny Yadron at [email protected] and Carol E. Lee at [email protected]