HispanicBusiness

Ohio Democrats say improvements in Ohio's economy show President Barack Obama's polices are working.

They also say that good news for Ohio is bad news for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

In a telephone press conference with reporters Friday, representatives from the state's Obama campaign said Ohio is improving, even if Romney does not want to admit it.

"Everyone but Mitt Romney seems to understand this. And it's frankly insulting to both our work ethic and our intelligence to continue to be told that Ohio isn't doing enough. Because the fact is, we are leading the country out of the recession and we are proud of it," said U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles.

Bloomberg News reported Thursday that Romney's camp has asked Florida Gov. Rick Scott to downplay his state's progress and say that the state's jobless rate would be improving faster if Romney were in the White House. Scott has since denied the claims and Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul dismissed it, saying that her boss "frequently praises" state governors "for their ability to overcome the job-stifling policies of the Obama administration."

Ryan said Romney has also tried to downplay recent improvements in Ohio's economy. At the same time, Republic Gov. John Kasich has been touting the state's progress.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but these are encouraging numbers. Ohioans are going back to work, thanks in large part to the president's decision to stand up for the auto industry, invest in manufacturing jobs of the future, and support the jobs of teachers, firefighters, police, and other public workers at the local level," Ryan said.

Lewis Goldfarb, a business law professor, CPA and director of the University of Cincinnati's Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, said Romney's insistence that the American economy and manufacturing in particular, is in turmoil does not match up with what he and other economists are seeing in Ohio.

"I think the problem of what Mitt Romney says is that it doesn't jive with what's being felt here on the ground. We've seen a steady decline in unemployment since the recovery began, marking significant progress from where we were when President Obama took office. The numbers released this week, showing another decline in unemployment, confirms what Ohioans already know: Our state is helping to lead America out of the recession," Goldfarb said.