Dems, GOP both pounce on Pa. jobless numbers for political fodder

    The July unemployment report brought bad news for Pennsylvanians job seekers.

    And it appears politicians of all persuasions are hoping to use the numbers to their advantage.

    The state Senate Democratic caucus is using the unemployment spike to criticize the Corbett administration’s job creation efforts.

    For Mitt Romney’s Republican presidential campaign, the report highlights the failure of President Barack Obama.

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    Terry Madonna, a pollster at Franklin & Marshall College, says Republicans nationally can make the argument that the economy is in bad shape, but it also affects the standing of GOP governors.

    “Partisans will make their arguments either way, but there isn’t any doubt that poor economic conditions in large part responsible for Governor Corbett’s low jobs performance in poll after poll,” Madonna said.

    The commonwealth’s unemployment rate swelled to 7.9 percent in July — up 0.3 percent.

    Not since 2009 has the month-to-month increase been so large.

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