First lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, talks with service members upon their arrival at Pease Air National Guard Base in Portsmouth, N.H., Friday, Sept. 7, 2012.By TOM RAUM
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – The disappointing August jobs report raises yet another campaign obstacle for President Barack Obama and makes his hopes of holding onto his own job even more challenging – especially in closely contested battleground states with painfully high levels of unemployment.
Coming less than 12 hours after the president accepted his party’s nomination for a second term, the lackluster report could wipe out or diminish any traditional bounce in the polls he might have gotten from the festive, well-choreographed three-day Democratic National Convention.
“The broad message here is flat, flat, flat,” said economist Heidi Shierholz with the labor-affiliated Economic Policy Center.