experienced a net job loss of 95,000 jobs. >> the job market, i think it's fair to say, is as tough as its been since the 1930s great depression. it's not in that league but we've not seen anything like this since the 1930s. >> reporter: at a brick and block company in maryland today, the president noted that most of the job losses were in the public sector -- teachers and police. and 25 days before the mid-term elections, he could not help but make it political. >> i should point out that these continuing layoffs by state and local governments would have been even worse without the federal help that we provided to states over the last 20 months. help that the republicans in congress have consistently opposed. >> reporter: republicans, too, immediately went on the attack. wielding the jobs report like a weapon today to attack their democratic opponents. from a senate debate in ohio -- >> we saw the numbers today, the national unemployment numbers show we lost 94,000 jobs. in america last month.