Romney Campaign Press Release - White House Says President Obama Too Busy To Focus On Jobs

"The White House today claimed President Obama has been too busy to meet with his Jobs Council. That's little consolation to the 23 million Americans struggling for work and just another excuse from an administration that's found no shortage of time to fundraise and funnel taxpayer money to political supporters. As president, Mitt Romney will never claim he's too busy to focus on job creation and economic growth." —Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Earlier Today, White House Spokesman Jay Carney Said President Obama Hasn't Met With His Jobs Council In Six Months Because He Has "A Lot On His Plate":

President Obama Has Not Met With His Jobs Council In Six Months Because "He's Simply Been Too Busy." "President Barack Obama has not met for six months with the CEOs and others on his Jobs Council in part because he's simply been too busy, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday." (Josh Gerstein, "White House: Obama's Plate Too Full For Jobs Council," Politico, 7/18/12)

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney: "There's No Specific Reason, Except The President Has Obviously Got A Lot On His Plate." "'There's no specific reason, except the president has obviously got a lot on his plate, but he continues to solicit and receive advice from numerous folks outside the administration about the economy about ideas that he can act on with Congress or administratively to help the economy grow and help create jobs,' Carney said in the White House's first on-the-record response to a POLITICO story noting the hiatus." (Josh Gerstein, "White House: Obama's Plate Too Full For Jobs Council," Politico, 7/18/12)

While He Was Too Busy To Meet With His Jobs Council, President Obama Found Time To Attend More Than 100 Political Fundraisers:

"The Last Official Meeting Of The 26-Member President's Council On Jobs And Competitiveness Took Place Jan. 17 In The White House Complex." (Josh Gerstein, "Obama Jobs Panel Lays Low," Politico, 7/18/12)

President Obama Has Attended 106 Political Fundraisers Since The Last Meeting Of His Jobs Council. (National Journal's "Daybook," 7/18/12)

When It Comes To Job Creation, President Obama Has Been More Focused On Payoffs For His Donors Than Pro-Growth Policies To Help The Middle Class:

"Nearly 200 Of [President Obama's] Biggest Donors Have Landed Plum Government Jobs And Advisory Posts, Won Federal Contracts Worth Millions Of Dollars For Their Business Interests..." "More than two years after President Obama took office vowing to banish 'special interests' from his administration, nearly 200 of his biggest donors have landed plum government jobs and advisory posts, won federal contracts worth millions of dollars for their business interests or attended numerous elite White House meetings and social events, an investigation by iWatch News has found." (Fred Schulte, et al, "Obama Rewards Big Bundlers With Jobs, Commissions, Stimulus Money, Government Contracts, And More," iWatch News, 6/15/11)

Top Obama Fundraisers Worked In His Department Of Energy "As It Showered Billions In Taxpayer-Backed Stimulus Money On Alternative Energy Firms." "Several of Barack Obama's top campaign supporters went from soliciting political contributions to working from within the Energy Department as it showered billions in taxpayer-backed stimulus money on alternative energy firms, iWatch News and ABC News have learned." (Ronnie Green and Matthew Mosk, "Bundlers On The Inside," iWatch, 9/29/11)

"Several Political Allies" Of President Obama Had "Ties To Companies Receiving Chunks" Of Taxpayer Money From The Stimulus. "A joint investigation by ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity that will air on World News with Diane Sawyer tonight has found that Westly is just one of several political allies of the president who have ties to companies receiving chunks of that money through loans, grants, or loan guarantees." (Brian Ross and Matthew Mosk, "Did Obama Administration Play Favorites With Energy Loans?," ABC News, 10/30/11)

The Washington Post: "You Can Call It Crony Capitalism Or Venture Socialism — But By Whatever Name, The Energy Department's Loan Guarantee Program Privatizes Profits And Socializes Losses." (Editorial, "The Energy Department's Loan Guarantee Program Is The Real Solyndra Scandal," The Washington Post, 11/17/11)

President Obama Should Clear Some Time To Focus On Jobs, Since He's Presided Over "The Worst Economic Recovery America Has Ever Had":

CBS News: We Are Experiencing "The Worst Economic Recovery America Has Ever Had." CBS' SCOTT PELLEY: "Good evening. This is the worst economic recovery America has ever had. We'd been looking for hopeful signs, but today the chairman of the Federal Reserve threw a cold splash of reality on those hopes." ("CBS Evening News," 7/17/12)

More Than Twenty-Three Million Americans Are Unemployed, Underemployed, Or Have Stopped Looking For Work. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 7/7/12)

"The American Job Machine Has Jammed" And Has Settled Into A "Summer Slump For The Third Year In A Row." "The American job machine has jammed. Again. The economy added only 80,000 jobs in June, the government said Friday, erasing any doubt that the United States is in a summer slump for the third year in a row." (Paul Wiseman, "US Economy Adds 80,000 Jobs In Another Weak Month," The Associated Press, 7/7/12)

"The Weakest Job-Adding Quarter In Two Years..." CNBC's JOHN HARWOOD: "Just 80,000 jobs added in the month of June, Michelle. 8.2% unemployment rate, unchanged, 12.7 million unemployed people, also unchanged. That makes the second quarter the weakest job-adding quarter in two years, an average of 75,000 jobs added in the second quarter of this year." (CNBC's "Squawk Box," 7/6/12)

Since President Obama Took Office, Median Household Income Has Declined By $4,300. "Yet real median household income in March was down $4,300 since Obama took office in January 2009 and down $2,900 since the June 2009 start of the economic recovery, according to an analysis of census data by Sentier Research, an economic- consulting firm in Annapolis, Maryland." (Mike Dorning, "Obama Fails To Stem Middle-Class Slide He Blamed On Bush," Bloomberg, 4/30/12)

Median Family Net Worth Has Hit A Two-Decade Low. "The Great Recession shrank Americans' wealth so much that in 2010 median family net worth was no more than it had been in 1992 after adjusting for inflation, the Federal Reserve reported Monday. Median net worth declined from $126,400 in 2007 to $77,300 in 2010, a Fed survey of family finances found. The median marks the point where half had more and half had less." (Martin Crutsinger, "Fed Report: Middle Class Net Worth Tumbles," The Associated Press, 6/12/12)