Romney Campaign Press Release - President Obama Ducks Questions On The Obama Economy

"After failing to meet with his jobs council for more than six months, President Obama is now ducking questions about this morning's abysmal GDP report. Americans deserve to know what it will take for President Obama to seriously address the issue of jobs and the economy. It has been nearly four years, and we are still waiting for an answer." — Ryan Williams, Romney Campaign Spokesman

Today, President Obama "Declined Several Invitations" To Answer Questions On The "Lackluster GDP Report":

President Obama "Declined Several Invitations" To Answer Questions About Today's "Lackluster GDP Report." "Pres Obama declined several invitations from reporters to comment on today's lackluster GDP report - up just 1.5% in the 2nd Quarter." (Mark Knoller, Twitter Feed, 7/27/12)

It's Not The First Time President Obama Ducked Questions About The Economy — He Hasn't Met With His Jobs Council In Six Months:

President Obama Held His Last Jobs Council Meeting 192 Days Ago. (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Washington, DC, 1/17/12)

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, On President Obama's Missing Jobs Council: "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)

Why Doesn't President Obama Want To Answer Questions? The Obama Economy Is "Tepid" And "Stalling":

"U.S. Economic Growth Pulled Back Further During The Second Quarter..." U.S. economic growth pulled back further during the second quarter of the year as consumer spending slowed--a reading that suggests domestic fiscal worries may becoming a more significant drag." (Eric Morath and Sarah Portlock, "U.S. Growth Slows In 2nd Quarter," Wall Street Journal, 7/27/12)

• The Second Quarter GDP Growth Was A "Tepid 1.5 Percent Annual Rate." "The United States economy grew by a tepid 1.5 percent annual rate in the second quarter, losing the momentum it had appeared to be gaining earlier this year, the government reported Friday." (Shaila Dewan, "U.S. Economy Slowed To A Tepid 1.5% Rate Of Growth," The New York Times, 7/27/12)

"The Slowest Growth In A Year Adds To Worries That The Economy Could Be Stalling Three Years After The Recession Ended." "The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.5 percent from April through June, as Americans cut back sharply on spending. The slowest growth in a year adds to worries that the economy could be stalling three years after the recession ended." ("Economic Growth Slowed To 1.5 Percent Rate In 2nd Quarter, Slowest In A Year," The Associated Press, 7/27/12)

Economic Growth Is "Barely Half The Pace" From Earlier In 2012. "The U.S. economy slowed in the spring, with second-quarter growth barely half the pace earlier in the year, the government reported today." (Tim Mullaney, "Economy Weak In Second Quarter, GDP Grows At 1.5% Rate," USA Today, 7/27/12)

The Second Quarter GDP Highlighted "The Weakest Pace Of Growth Since The Third Quarter Of 2011." "U.S. economic growth slowed as expected in the second quarter as consumers spent at their slowest pace in a year, potentially pushing the Federal Reserve closer to pumping more money into the economy. Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.5 percent annual rate between April and June, the weakest pace of growth since the third quarter of 2011, the Commerce Department said on Friday." (Lucia Mutikani, "Wary Consumers, Trade Curb U.S. Growth In Q2," Reuters, 7/27/12)

"Weaker Hiring, Nervous Consumers, Sluggish Manufacturing And The Overhang Of Europe's Debt Crisis Might Be Pointing Toward Everyone's Big Fear: Another Recession." "A U.S. economy that plodded along in the first three months of the year likely grew even less in the April-June quarter. And most economists no longer think growth will strengthen much in the second half of 2012. Weaker hiring, nervous consumers, sluggish manufacturing and the overhang of Europe's debt crisis might be pointing toward everyone's big fear: another recession." ("Economists Think Another Recession Is Possible," The Associated Press, 7/27/12)