Barack Obama has failed black Americans as unemployment soars to depression-era levels, a Republican presidential hopeful has claimed.
Michele Bachmann said that unemployment among the black community has rocketed to 16 per cent during Obama’s term.
Shockingly, the African-American unemployment levels are the same as the depression era in 129 and up from 12.7 per cent when Obama was inaugurated in January 2009.
Ms Benchman singled out the figures during a scathing attack on the first black U.S. president at a talk in New Orleans over the weekend.
‘Mr. President, the status quo is not working for Americans,’ she said at the Republican Leadership Conference.
‘This president has failed the Hispanic community. He has failed the African-American community. He has failed us all when it comes to jobs.’
Ms Benchmann, who hopes to be the Republican presidential candidate, spoke at the event alongside the other current contenders Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Herman Cain. Her figures were backed up by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Recent figures show that overall African American joblessness stands at 16.2 percent. For black males, unemployment is 17.5 per cent while black teenagers have a 41 per cent unemployment rate – up from 36.3 percent when Obama was elected.
Overall unemployment in the Hispanic community was 9.9 per cent when Obama was inaugurated but by May 2011 it had risen to 11.9 percent. Among Hispanic 16 to 19-year-olds the unemployment rate was 24.3 percent in January 2009 and had risen to 26.1 percent by May 2011.
Ms Benchmann targeted the area which is considered by many to be Obama’s weakest area.
