Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) got personal while criticizing President Obama over the weak June jobs numbers.
Speaking on CNN’s "Starting Point" with Soledad O’Brien, Gingrey said the president was all style and no substance, as evidenced by his “toothy smile.”
“You know, the president can put all kind of spin on it,” Gingrey said. “He's got a nice swagger, a toothy smile, shows lots of gum. But what the American people want now is a little bit more gumption, a little less gum.”
The economy added only 80,000 jobs in June, slightly less than most economists had forecast, and the unemployment rate remained at 8.2 percent. Gingrey seized on the number, saying it’s evidence of Obama’s failed economic policies.
“This cup is not nearly half full, that is really bad,” he continued. “So this is bad news for the president. But more importantly, it's really bad news for the American people.”
Still, the unemployment data reflects the fine line some in the Republican Party must walk in bashing Obama for the overall economy. Some states — including some critical swing states — are faring better than others, and the GOP argument has been that the Republican governors of those states deserve the credit, not President Obama.
While pointing out that Georgia’s unemployment rate had decreased significantly, Gingrey said it was “thanks to a great Republican governor who served with me in the House for 18 years. He is a great CEO.”
“[Obama] gives with one hand and he takes away with the other,” he added. “He has expanded Medicaid in the state of Georgia over the next 10 years by about 750,000 individuals. It will increase costs to the Medicaid program of over $5 billion. So what this program has done for Georgia has been a net negative, not a net positive.”
