Obama Facing Jobs Headwinds as He Kicks Off Post-Convention Tour
Obama facing jobs headwinds as he kicks off post-convention tour
View Photo Gallery — Obama on the campaign trail: Washington Post photographer Nikki Kahn has been following President Obama on the campaign trail. Here are some of the images she has captured.
President Obama jetted out of Charlotte on Friday for a three-state campaign swing, hoping to capitalize on momentum from the Democratic convention, but he quickly faced new headwinds with the release of a dismal monthly jobs report.
Just 14 hours after wrapping up his nomination acceptance speech, Obama appeared at a rally in Portsmouth, N.H., along with first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and Biden’s wife, Jill. It marked the first time all four have been together on the campaign trail this year.
Obama reportedly had learned of the Labor Department’s August employment report before his convention address. It marked another in a series of unimpressive months, with just 96,000 jobs added to payrolls. Taking the microphone in Portsmouth, the president made only brief mention of the numbers, noting that the private sector has added jobs for 30 consecutive months.
“But that’s not good enough,” he said. “We know it’s not good enough. We need to create more jobs faster, fill the hole faster, and come out of this crisis stronger than when we got into it.”