Romney Campaign Press Release - Why The "Zombie Economy"? Job-Killing Energy Policies

"President Obama's 'zombie economy' is taking its toll on millions of struggling Americans, but you wouldn't know it from the Obama Administration's job-destroying energy policies. From the threat of cap-and-trade to burdensome EPA regulations, President Obama's failed policies have only created more economic uncertainty for job creators. On Day One, Mitt Romney will pursue pro-growth energy policies that help jumpstart our economy and get Americans back to work." —Amanda Henneberg, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

President Obama's Economy Is Stuck In Neutral, Causing Many Experts To Worry About A "Zombie Economy":

CNBC Headline: "Signs We Are Approaching A Zombie Economy" (Patti Domm, "Signs We Are Approaching A Zombie Economy," CNBC, 7/6/12)

"The American Job Machine Has Jammed" And Has Settled Into A "Summer Slump For The Third Year In A Row." "The American job machine has jammed. Again. The economy added only 80,000 jobs in June, the government said Friday, erasing any doubt that the United States is in a summer slump for the third year in a row." (Paul Wiseman, "US Economy Adds 80,000 Jobs In Another Weak Month," The Associated Press, 7/7/12)

Last Month, U.S. Employers "Hired At A Dismal Pace." "U.S. employers hired at a dismal pace in June, raising pressure on the Federal Reserve to do more to boost the economy and further imperiling President Barack Obama's chances of reelection in November." (Jason Lange, "U.S. Hiring Stuck In Low Gear In June," Reuters, 7/6/12)

"The Weakest Job-Adding Quarter In Two Years..." HARWOOD: "Just 80,000 jobs added in the month of June, Michelle. 8.2% unemployment rate, unchanged, 12.7 million unemployed people, also unchanged. That makes the second quarter the weakest job-adding quarter in two years, an average of 75,000 jobs added in the second quarter of this year." (CNBC's "Squawk Box," 7/6/12)

What's Helping Create The "Zombie Economy"? President Obama's Pledge To Bring Back His Job-Destroying Cap-And-Trade Plan:

President Obama "Has Said That The Most Important Policy He Could Address In His Second Term Is Climate Change." "Obama has an ambitious second-term agenda, which, at least in broad ways, his campaign is beginning to highlight. The President has said that the most important policy he could address in his second term is climate change..." (Ryan Lizza, "The Second Term," The New Yorker, 6/11/12)

• At A San Francisco Campaign Event, President Obama Hinted He Would Revive His Cap-And-Trade Plan After The 2012 Elections. OBAMA: "We have to have an even more robust energy policy if we're going to create the kind of jobs in this new energy sector that are needed and we're going to deal with climate change in a serious way." (President Barack Obama, Remarks in San Francisco, CA, 2/17/12)

Candidate Obama, On His Cap-And-Trade Plan: "Under My Plan Of A Cap-And-Trade System, Electricity Rates Would Necessarily Skyrocket." OBAMA: "When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, you know, under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I'm capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it, whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers." (Sen. Barack Obama, Interview With San Francisco Chronicle's Editorial Board, 1/17/08)

President Obama's Previous Attempts At Cap-And-Trade Would Have Enacted "The Biggest Tax In American History." "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has put cap-and-trade legislation on a forced march through the House, and the bill may get a full vote as early as Friday. It looks as if the Democrats will have to destroy the discipline of economics to get it done. ... Americans should know that those Members who vote for this climate bill are voting for what is likely to be the biggest tax in American history. Even Democrats can't repeal that reality." (Editorial, "The Cap And Tax Fiction," The Wall Street Journal, 6/26/09)

And President Obama's Burdensome EPA Regulations Are Closing Plants And Threatening Jobs Across The Country:

FLASHBACK: Candidate Obama, In 2008: "If Somebody Wants To Build A Coal Plant, They Can — It's Just That It Will Bankrupt Them..." OBAMA: "So, if somebody wants to build a coal plant, they can — it's just that it will bankrupt them, because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted." (Sen. Barack Obama, Interview With San Francisco Chronicle's Editorial Board, 1/17/08)

President Obama's EPA Regulations Will Ensure Coal-Fired Plants "As They Exist Now Will Not Be Built In The Future." "But beyond that, the rule means that coal-fired power plants as they exist now will not be built in the future. The standard will generally require that new power plants emit CO2 at a rate no greater than that of a natural-gas-fired power plant. Such plants emit about 60 percent less greenhouse gases than coal plants." (Erica Martinson, "EPA Hits Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Power Plants," Politico, 3/26/12)

The Plain Dealer: "These Plant Closures Will Be A Punch In The Gut For Communities Already Battling Sour Unemployment Numbers." "These plant closures will be a punch in the gut for communities already battling sour unemployment numbers. Three of the plants are in Cleveland, Eastlake and Ashtabula, which stand to lose millions in property taxes as well as many jobs." (Editorial, "Coal Plants' Loss Will Hurt Ohio," The Plain Dealer, 1/29/12)