Romney Campaign Press Release - Welcome Back to Colorado, President Obama

In 2008, President Obama Told A Capacity Crowd At Denver's Football Stadium That "We Measure Progress By How Many People Can Find A Job":

• Then-Senator Obama Accepted The 2008 Democratic Nomination For President At What Is Now Called Sports Authority Field In Denver. "Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party presidential nomination on Thursday ... The speech by Senator Obama, in front of an audience of nearly 80,000 people on a warm night in a football stadium refashioned into a vast political stage for television viewers, left little doubt how he intended to press his campaign against Mr. McCain this fall." (Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Takes The Fight To McCain," The New York Times, 8/29/08)

• "A 42-Minute Speech That Ended With A Booming Display Of Fireworks And A Shower Of Confetti..." (Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Takes The Fight To McCain," The New York Times, 8/29/08)

• President Obama Said "We Measure Progress By How Many People Can Find A Job..." "We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks in Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

Since President Obama Took Office, Colorado's Jobless Rate Has Grown By 25% And The State Has Lost Nearly 70,000 Payroll Jobs:

• Colorado Has Lost Nearly 70,000 Jobs Since President Obama Took Office. In August 2011, an estimated 2,239,900 Coloradans held nonfarm payroll jobs, down from 2,307,300 in January 2009. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/27/11)

• Over That Same Time Period, The Number Of Employed Coloradans In The Labor Force Has Fallen By Nearly 115,000. In January 2009, the Labor Department's household survey reported that 2,559,084 people were employed in Colorado. By August 2011, that number had fallen to 2,445,215. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/27/11)

• Since President Obama Took Office, Colorado's Unemployment Rate Has Increased By 25%. In August 2011, Colorado's unemployment rate was 8.5%, up from 6.8% when President Obama took office in January 2009. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/27/11)

The Number Of Coloradans Without A Job Today Could Fill Up Sports Authority Field – And Two More Just Like It:

• In August, An Estimated 227,142 People Were Unemployed In Colorado. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/27/11)

• KCNC-TV: "The Total Seating Capacity Of Sports Authority Field [Formerly Invesco Field] At Mile High Is 76,125." ("Guide To Sports Authority Field At Mile High," Denver.CBSLocal.com, 9/22/10)