Does jobs report makes 270 a more difficult climb for Romney?

>> we are in the final four days to the presidential election and it's all come down to four words with four letters, ohio , ohio , ohio , ohio . in the next four days the president and mitt romney will visit ohio on no less than six separate occasions. the president has just wrapped -- actually he's just about to start his third rally in the state and you can feel the energy of this final push with a fired up crowd and a president ready to go.

>> you may not agree with every decision i have made. you may be frustrated sometimes at the pace of change. but you know what i believe. you know where i stand. you know i tell the truth. you know that i'll fight for you and your family every single day as hard as i know how. you know that.

>> and further to this issue of trust, the president took aim at mr. romney for misleading voters with egregious and desperate claims that chrysler is moving jeep production to china.

>> it's not true. everybody knows it's not true. the car companies themselves have told governor romney to knock it off. you don't scare hard-working americans just to scare up some votes. that's not what being president is all about.

>> no, it isn't what being president is all about, but it is what the romney campaign is all about, as he demonstrated today in wisconsin trading rolled up sleeves for his salesman's suit and warning voters that a vote for the president could mean another recession, among other horrors.

>> the same path we're on means $20 trillion in debt in four years. it means crippling unemployment continues. it means stagnant take-home pay, depressed home values, and a devastated military, and unless we change course, we may well be looking at another recession.

>> yes, i guess someone told mr. romney it's the day of the dead . all he's missing there are a few skeletons as stage props. hang on, what about those jobs numbers showing persistent economic growth ? the report today showing employers added 171,000 jobs in october, more than expected. what about the revisions upward of jobs gained in august and september. never mind, let's go to a key romney supporter for his take.

>> i have to say that despite those unimaginably horrible good job numbers, feeling pretty confident.

>> yes, while romney did not get the endorsement of mayor michael bloomberg , he did get the backing of one montgomery burns and a confident endorsement at that.

>> there's only one thing that might deny us the presidency that is the god-given property of the republican party .

>> the 47% tape?

>> nope.

>> the empty chair?

>> nope.

>> cayman islands ?

>> not a problem.

>> swiss bank accounts 10000 bet, i like to fire people , forcible hair cut, the tax returns wesley snipes would call suspicious.

>> no, no, no and no.

>> none of that. it will probably just be let detroit go bankrupt. before we get to our panel we want to listen in to the president who has taken the stage for a third campaign event of the day this one in lima, ohio . let's listen.

>> we were in the middle of two wars and the worst economic crisis since the great depression. today our businesses have created nearly 5.5 million new jobs, and this morning we learned that companies hired more workers in october than in any time in the last eight months. home values are on the rise. housing construction is moving up. we're less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last 20 years. because of the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform, the war in iraq is over, the war in afghanistan is coming to a close, al qaeda has been decimated, and osama bin laden is dead. [ cheers and applause ] oh, oh, oh, and one more thing -- an american auto industry that had been written off is back on top of the world . [ cheers and applause ] so we've made real progress these last four years, but ohio , we're here because we know we've got more work to do. as long as there is a single american who wants a job and can't find one, as long as there are families who are working harder and harder but falling behind, as long as there's a child somewhere in lima or anywhere in ohio or anywhere from the continue who is languishing in poverty and barred from opportunity, then our fight goes on. our work is not yet done. our fight goes on because we know that this nation cannot succeed without a growing and thriving middle class . our fight goes on because america always does best, always thrives when everybody gets a fair shot, when everybody is doing their fair share , when everybody is playing by the same rules. that's what we believe, that's why you elected me in 2008 , and that's why i'm running for a second term as president!

>> the president speaking at his third campaign event in lima, ohio . indeed, the senior high school there. let's bring in our esteemed panel. with us from washington, democratic strategist julian epstein, in philadelphia, professor james peterson of lehigh university , and also in washington michelle cottle of "newsweek" and the daily beast . julian , it's another disastrous jobs number for mitt romney . the 25th consecutive month of job growth under this president. that's almost 5.5 million jobs created, and that added to mr. smithers who we showed earlier listing off romney gaffes, i guess it's a tough day for the republican nominee, isn't it?

>> yeah. and you remember the romney spokesman said they wouldn't be detracted by fact checkers. well, the facts are coming home to roost if you will. the central thesis of the romney campaign has been that the recovery is not working. we now know that is false. we really are probably looking at somewhere closer to 200,000 jobs created in the last month if you include those self-employed. when obama came in we were at negative 800,000 a month. that's a positive swing of a million. that means we're closer to 3% gdp growth . when obama came in it was negative 9 c%. that's a 12-point swing. the question of whether or not this economy has turned the corner is no longer a question. it's turned the corner thanks mostly to the work of president obama .

>> professor, romney today tried to provide a vision of what he'd like to do as president. let's take a listen to mr. romney .

>> i know that when i'm elected the economy and the american job market will still be stagnant, but i won't waste any time complaining about my predecessor. i won't spend my effort trying to pass partisan legislation that's unrelated to economic growth . gee said he won't spend his time complain being his predecessor. in fact, he'll take credit for the economic recovery that's under way as he took credit for the success of the education in massachusetts even though he was only governor for four years.

>> clearly the economy is not stagna stagnant. there are a lot of different statistical data that suggests the economy is slowly but steadily recovering, and it's real interesting for mr. romney to sort of suggest he's not going to play social conservative politics when he's been playing social conservative politics all throughout his campaign. all of his sort of commentary about women's issues and reproductive rates. his commentary about race and class and education, all the things he's been talking about in terms of his campaign have been on the socially conservative sizde. it doesn't make sense he wouldn't appoint judges that are socially conservative and engage in politics that are socially conservative and play to the tea party base of the republican party . that doesn't make sense unless he's playing fast and furious with the truth. according to what he's done up to this point, martin, i'm not sure we can trust him on this idea that he's not going to engage in socially conservative politics.

>> michelle , to professor peterson's point, romney says, and i'm quoting him, i went spend my effort trying to pass partisan legislation unrelated to economic growth . so i guess all those severe conservatives who helped romney win the nomination, i mean, did he lie it them as well?

>> well, that's the interesting thing. no one knows. no one knows what kind of mitt romney we would get in the white house . and those who are comforted like david brooks and some people have talked about how they're comforted by the fact he's a flip-flopper and he would be more likely to work through some bipartisan reform. on the other hand, he's going to be dealing with a severely conservative house republican conference , and they're not going to give an inch on him. i'm not sure how we expect him to get anything done when he's going to be dealing with the same intransigent group we've been looking at.

>> but to that point, julian , when david brooks and t"the times" says romney will work with this congress doesn't that mean romney will fall down and allow people to drive through the brutal and callous legislation they would seek?

>> david brooks is probably my favorite columnist after michelle cottle that is, but this kind --

>> i share that view.

>> this kind of endorsement from him is kind of like a drunken toast from a best man. it's essentially saying romney is a good candidate because he's about as hollow as the tin man and he will fold depending what the political winds are which is hardly a very strong endorsement for a presidency. but even aside -- leaving aside the backhanded compliment, it's also just wrong. listen to what colin powell has said this week. listen to what mayor bloomberg said this week. listen to what chris christie said this week. obama governs from the center. you contrast that to everything dr. patterson was saying, how this guy has campaigned when he needed the social conservatives to get the primary -- to get the nomination, he catered to every single right wing wing nut policy position like he was running for the president of the john burch society. the idea he would not be a marionette is betrayed by the facts of the campaign.

>> the wonderful character of willard mitt romney . julian , dana -- sorry, that's wrong, julian , michelle , cottle , and professor james peterson , thank you so much. and