Romney: Jobs report 'hammer blow' to middle-class

[August 04, 2012]  NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) -- Mitt Romney says the latest unemployment uptick is "another hammer blow to the struggling middle-class families of America."

The Labor Department said Friday the country saw unemployment rise from 8.2 percent in June to 8.3 percent in July. Romney says that is "not just statistics" and that real people are struggling under President Barack Obama.

Romney is campaigning in North Las Vegas, Nev., and blames Democrats' health care law and burdensome regulations for the sluggish economy. Romney is promoting his economic plan that he says would create 12 million new jobs over the next four years.

Friday's jobs numbers were better than expected. They showed that private employers added 163,000 jobs last month, the best pace of hiring in five months.

[Associated Press]

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