(Photo: Getty)

Earlier today, there was a rare bit of good economic news with the announcement that job creation broke out in February as the United States' unemployment rate fell from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent. This morning, however, Mr. Bloomberg urged the public to ignore the widely discussed unemployment number and instead look at the raw job total nationwide--a net increase of 246,000 new jobs last month.

"The unemployment number is relatively meaningless," Mr. Bloomberg said during his weekly interview with John Gambling. "It is the number of people who have jobs--the number of jobs. I think the national economy is doing a little bit better. Not going down, it is going up a little bit better, [but] nowhere near fast enough to give jobs to a lot of the people who want them. And a lot of the people who have dropped out of the workforce [are] saying, 'I'm never getting a job, I'm not going to even look.' Then you don't get  counted. ... That's why the unemployment number is bad--is not really a good indicator."

The mayor went on to use New York City's unemployment rate--higher than the nation as a whole at 9.1 percent in January--as an example to press his case.

"In New York City, the unemployment number has gone up a little bit and it's good because there's a lot more people looking for jobs. We have a record number of people working," he said. "People are getting jobs and then people come to New York City looking for jobs. ... If you have more people looking for jobs, then it's a good number to go up. If it's fewer people looking for jobs and it goes up, it's a bad thing. [But] that's done by phone surveys and nobody really knows how accurate they are. The number of people actually working are real numbers. So that's what you can judge."

Mitt Romney on the campaign trail. (Photo: Getty)

Both the Obama and Romney campaigns launched into the week by releasing web videos focusing on jobs. President Barack Obama's clip accuses Mitt Romney of wanting "to cut jobs for firefighters, police and teachers." Mr. Romney's video hits the president for his recent comment that the private sector is "doing fine" and asks"has there ever been a president so out of touch with the middle class?"

The Romney campaign's video is pegged to the May jobs report, which showed the number of long-term unemployed in the country rise by 300,000 as the unemployment rate rose from 8.1 to 8.2 percent. It features footage of news coverage of the report set to menacing music.

President Obama's clip hones in on a comments Mr. Romney made on the campaign trail criticizing the president for saying he wants to hire more public sector employees and describing the Wisonconsin recall as a message that "it's time for us to cut back on government." Politicians who worked with Mr. Romney while he was Governor of Massachusetts are shown slamming his policies and their effect on the Bay State.

Watch both videos below.

President Obama (Photo: Getty)

Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, sent out a press release this evening slamming President Barack Obama for describing today's jobs report as "good news."

“Today’s anemic jobs report may be ‘good news’ in President Obama’s view, but it’s not good enough for America," Ms. Saul said.

While speaking in Virginia today, the president lauded the "good news" that the unemployment rate has "ticked down again" from 8.2 percent in March to 8.1 percent last month. President Obama failed to mention the fact the economy produced slightly less jobs than was expected for last month.

"With nearly twenty-three million Americans struggling for work and a labor participation rate that sits at a thirty-year low, America needs a president who isn’t satisfied by yet another disappointing jobs report,” Ms. Saul said.

Though he focused on the positive aspects of last month's jobs report, the president did acknowledge there is more work to be done.

"After the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, our businesses have now created more than 4.2 million new jobs over the last 26 months, more than 1 million jobs in the last six months alone," Mr. Obama said. "So that's the good news. But there are still a lot of folks out of work, which means that we've got to do more."

Rep. Nan Hayworth (Getty)

Hudson Valley Congresswoman Nan Hayworth blamed the nation's economic woes on gridlock in the "Democratic run Senate" in the Republican Party's weekly address today.

"Leaders in Washington shoald have no higher priority this year than getting our economy back to creating jobs," Congresswoman Hayworth said. "The foundation for action is already in place. Right now, there are more than 30 jobs bills passed by the House with support from both Republicans and Democrats that are awaiting action in the Democratic run Senate."

Congresswoman Hayworth pointed to the December jobs report as evidence the Obama administration hasn't done enough to improve the economy.

"Finding work in this economy remains a struggle and Friday's jobs report is the latest evidence of that," Congresswoman Hayworth said. "Three years ago, at this time, the incoming Obama administration claimed its stimulus would keep unemployment below eight percent. Well, unemployment has now been above eight percent for 35 straight months, the longest such stretch since the Great Depression."

According to the jobs report, unemployment fell to 8.5 percent in December, the lowest rate since February/March 2009. The economy added 1.6 million jobs in 2011 compared to 940,000 in 2010. Despite the good news, the economy would need to start adding between 50-90% more jobs per month for unemployment to drop below eight percent. Congresswoman Hayworth said the House jobs bills can improve the situation.

"One vote is all each of these jobs bills needs to get to the President's desk and it's disappointing the senate hasn't acted," she said. I  serve as one of the negotiators ready to with our Democratic counterparts to get a full year payroll tax cut enacted into law. While the Republican led house has passed a full year extension of the payroll tax holiday, the Senate, controlled by the President's own party, has not."

Even though she reserved most of her criticism for the Senate, Congresswoman Hayworth said it was President Obama's responsibility to get them to act.

"All of this requires the help and the leadership of the President. We're hopeful that President Obama in his State of the Union address will express a willingness to work with Republicans to enact all of these jobs bills," Congresswoman Hayworth said.

Watch video of Congresswoman Hayworth delivering the Republican Party's weekly address below.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (Getty)

Republican Presidential Candidate and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann issued a statement in response to the October jobs report, which showed the unemployment rate dip ever so slightly to nine percent. "President Obama joined with the Occupy Wall Street protestors who believe that the problem we face is capitalism, the free markets and job creators. It’s not," Congresswoman Bachmann said.

The October jobs report, which was released today, showed the American economy added 80,000 jobs last month causing the unemployment to drop to 9% from 9.1% in September. Despite the slight dip in unemployment, Congresswoman Bachmann described the current jobless rate as "stubbornly high" and pointed to recent statements by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that job growth is likely to be "frustratingly slow" as evidence the economic policies of the current administration are not working.

"The only comfort today for millions of out of work Americans is that we are now one year away from American's sending a clear message by replacing this president and his failed economic policies," Congresswoman Bachmann said.

Congresswoman Bachmann said President Obama and Occupy Wall Street are united in attacking capitalism as the source of the nation's economic woes. She said the President and the protesters need to "wake up" if we want America's economic situation to improve.

"If we are ever to get out of this ditch, President Obama, the Democrats and Occupy Wall Street need to wake up and stop blaming job creators for the failures created by selfish politicians," Congresswoman Bachmann said.

Congresswoman Bachmann has previously described the Occupy Wall Street movement as "tremendously counterproductive" and downright dirty. Though she looked like a potential frontrunner early on, Congresswoman Bachmann's campaign has slowed in the past few months. She's currently running near the back of the Republican pack in most polls.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion reportedly has his eye on Gracie Mansion.

The Suffolk County Executive race is turning into a proxy war between Governor Cuomo and former Governor Pataki.

Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson did lunch at Zuccotti Park.

New York liberals are enamored with Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren.

Could former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine end up in jail?

Federal Reserve officials lowered their expectations for economic and job growth.

Herman Cain thinks Rick Perry is out to get him.

A third woman said Mr. Cain made inappropriate advances toward her.