Obama, Romney trade jabs as election day closes in

Both sought to target each other over the issue of job creation

US President Barack Obama accused Mitt Romney of scaring voters with lies while the Republican challenger warned of political paralysis and another recession if Obama reclaims the White House on Tuesday. A highly anticipated economic report failed to jolt the fiercely close race.

Obama and Romney both tried to seize on the monthly jobs report released Friday to energize their bases and sway the few undecided voters still out there. The numbers held something for both candidates, showing the monthly unemployment rate ticked up slightly but created far more jobs than expected.

Obama argued the report proved his policies over the last four years have put the US on the road to recovery. The Democratic incumbent warned voters that a Romney presidency would resurrect the policies that got the US into financial trouble in the first place under Republican predecessor George W Bush.

Romney called the report a “sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill” and warned grimly of political paralysis and another recession if Obama reclaims the White House. He said an Obama presidency would mean more broken relations with Congress, showdowns over government shutdowns, a chilling effect on the economy and perhaps “another recession.”

“He has never led, never worked across the aisle, never truly understood how jobs are created in the economy,” said Romney, a former private equity firm executive, in a campaign stop in Wisconsin. Obama personally assailed Romney over ads suggesting that automakers General Motors and Chrysler are adding jobs in China at the expense of  Ohio. Both companies have called the ads untrue. The matter is sensitive in Ohio, perhaps the linchpin state of the election.