Obama cheers economy as ‘pretty darn great’

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says Republicans may be making “doomsday” claims about the economy, but he has another take: “America’s pretty darn great right now.”

Obama delivered his glowing assessment of the economy on Friday as a new Labor Department report showed another strong month for job growth. Employers added 242,000 workers and the unemployment rate held steady at 4.8 percent.

Obama says the numbers don’t lie. He says the GOP candidates for president are talking down in the economy and he’s looking forward to forcefully rebutting their claims.

Obama says he wants to talk about investing in education, roads and bridges, and increasing wages. He says Republicans are focused on “fantasy” and “name-calling.”