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Republicans pounce on Obama's economy remark

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    Backlash after saying private sector is 'doing fine'

  • Duration 3:11
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Good evening I'm Chris Wallace and for broad band.

President Obama held -- many news conference today on the state of the economy and he placed blame for the slow recovery Hong Kong whereas in the -- crisis in Europe.

But it was another unplanned remark that is getting most of the attention tonight here's senior White House foreign affairs correspondent Wendell Goler.

It wasn't meant to be a diagnosis but President Obama seemed to give the economy a clean bill of health.

We've created.

Four point three million jobs over the last two.

47 months.

Over 800000.

Just this year alone.

The private sector is doing fine.

His goal was to contrast recent job losses in the public sector teachers police officers and others let go with state and local governments wrestle with -- budget shortfalls with private sector growth that is positive though even he admits it's not fast enough.

But Republicans -- I think he's defining what it means to be attached and out of touch with the American people.

All a Mitt Romney spokesman said quote the 23 million Americans who are struggling for work are not doing fine.

Job creators in small businesses are not doing fine and Republicans on Capitol Hill piled on.

Well the president must be on another planet I'm and -- just you just -- the jobs figures last Friday last week the Labor Department reported half as many jobs created in May -- economists had predicted and far less that are needed to significantly reduce the unemployment rate.

In a photo -- with the Philippine president after hours of pounding mr.

Obama walked it back.

The economy's not doing -- Third too many people out work the housing market is still weak and too many homes underwater.

And that's precisely why I asked.

Congress.

To start taking some steps -- can make -- it.

It's the moment had a paralleled in the 2008 campaign when John McCain rather than criticize a stalling job market under Republican president said the fundamentals of the economy were strong views -- Joseph Biden ridiculed him at an appearance in Nashua, New Hampshire.

I can walk from here to Manchester.

And I doubt there I'd find one person has said that fundamentals are strong in the economy is roaring.

Unless they were -- John McCain.

Just this week former President Clinton said median income is lower than when he left office his goal was to warn against letting the Bush Administration tax cuts on the middle class expire at the end of the year.

But it doesn't suggest fine.

And he gave mr.

Obama heartburn.

-- suggesting the upper income tax cuts might be extended a few months ended when he thirteenth something the White House opposes meanwhile Europe's financial crisis is causing more than Hartford and not a few imploring phone calls Spain's banks need a bailout the wealthy Germans are reluctant to provide.

And Greek politicians on the far right and left are literally coming to blows over whether to stay in the eurozone.

There were a couple of things mr.

Obama wanted to do today to stress the European leaders held urgent it is that they get their act together and to warn Americans that.

Europe's problems could affect our economy but.

Much of that got lost in a misread diagnosis breast.

That's -- his conference those are always centrist thing Wendell Goler at the White House Wendell thank you --

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