Obama denies nation in decline in Florida despite job report

[Patricia M. McBride]

The really bad thing............in spite of clear evidence to the contrary, there are still mindless fools who believe the lies this man is telling! And how do you counter them! Those who are voting for him really can't even tell you why..................

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By Dave Boyer
The Washington Times
Saturday, September 8, 2012

SEMINOLE, Fla. — Kicking off a two-day bus tour across Florida, President Obama Saturday tried to convince voters that America is not deteriorating, while his opponent Mitt Romney, campaigning in another key swing state, told a Virginia crowd there would be no cuts to the military under his watch.

In the Navy town of Virginia Beach, Mr. Romeny promised to roll back the “sequestration” defense cuts set to kick in in 2013 unless Republican and Democratic congressional leaders reach a long-term fiscal deal this year.

“We must have a military second to none,” he told supporters. “If I’m president of the United States we’ll get rid of those sequestration cuts and rebuild America’s military might.”

The former Massachusetts governor, looking to return Virginia to the Republican column after Mr. Obama’s surprising win in the traditionally red state in 2008, is expected to make an appearance later Saturday at a NASCAR event in Richmond.

Campaigning at an outdoor rally at St. Petersburg College, Mr. Obama didn’t address the defense cuts directly but did say, “As long as I’m commander-in-chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known.”

The president also pushed back against the Republican talking point that America has been diminished under the Obama administration.

“When our opponents say this nation is in decline, they are dead wrong,” Mr. Obama told about 11,000 supporters at St. Petersburg College. “No matter what the naysayers may say for political reasons, no matter how dark they try to make everything look, there’s not a country on earth that wouldn’t gladly trade places with the United States of America.”

The president is trying to deflect attention from the disappointing unemployment report Friday, which showed that employers added only 96,000 jobs in August. Mr. Obama has acknowledged that the meager job growth is “not good enough” and is calling on congressional Republicans to approve some of his proposals to jump-start the economy.

Mr. Romney said Saturday that Americans are hurting under Mr. Obama’s leadership.

“Nearly 47 million Americans are on food stamps – an all-time record high, and 15 million more Americans than when President Obama took office,” Mr. Romney said in a podcast. “Nearly 60 percent of the jobs that have been created after the recession was officially over are low-wage jobs, and they pay less than $14 an hour. And our national debt recently reached a staggering $16 trillion, an increase of almost $6 trillion under President Obama. Americans are hurting: They’re paying a heavy toll for these years of drift and disappointment, trying hard to hang on for a brighter day.”

At least two polls released on Saturday suggested that Mr. Obama did receive a slight “bounce” after the Democratic convention. A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed the president with a two-point lead, 46 percent to 44 percent, reversing the slight lead held by Mr. Romney after the GOP convention. Gallup’s daily tracking poll had Mr. Obama leading by four percentage points, up from two points prior to the Democratic convention.

But those polls don’t reflect the news about the latest jobless numbers, which give more fuel for Mr. Romney’s argument that a change is needed in the White House.

Obama campaign officials tried to downplay the monthly jobless statistics, saying long-term trends are more important.

“We know most people not sitting at home clicking ‘refresh’ on the [Bureau of Labor Statisics] website,” said campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki. She said Americans are concerned instead with their own practical problems at home.

Although job growth is still anemic, White House press secretary Jay Carney noted that August was the 30th straight month that the private sector added jobs.

read more here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/8/obama-despite-jobs-r...