Obama says GOP would have caused 'deeper world of hurt'

President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the country would be worse off if Republicans had thwarted his policies.

"If the just-say-no crowd had won out — if we had done things that way — we’d be in a deeper world of hurt," Obama said in comments in Youngstown, Ohio, according to his prepared remarks.

Obama, riding high after the economy added almost 300,000 jobs last month, warned of darker days ahead even as he castigated Republicans for trying to score political points off of some of the "unpopular" moves Obama said he had to make to spark an economic recovery.

The president, who toured manufacturing company V&M Star, boasted of the jobs being added to the economy because of his $787 billion stimulus package.

Obama, speaking in a critical swing state, said he would not "stand here and pretend things are back to normal or even close." But he added that the situation for Ohioans and the rest of the country would have been worse if Republicans had succeeded in stopping his economic policies.

The president called out the GOP for "predicting and even rooting for failure," and accused Republican lawmakers of hypocrisy for opposing the stimulus package but promoting projects it funds.

"Because even as they tried to score political points by attacking what we did, many of them went home and claimed credit for the very things they voted against," Obama said. "They show up and they cut the ribbons, and send the mailings home touting the very projects they opposed in Washington, and try to have it both ways. Imagine that, in politics?"

Obama took note of the 14 percent unemployment rate in Ohio, which is about four percentage points higher than the national number. He said there are "families having a tougher time than they'd ever imagined."

"Plenty of folks probably aren’t impressed by another president swooping in to talk to you about the economy, either — not when the only headline they want to see is 'You’re hired,' " Obama said.

In advance of the president's speech, the White House warned that Obama would "rebuke Republicans for making a politically calculated decision early on to sit on the sidelines and obstruct any measure aimed to help Americans during these difficult economic times."

Obama spoke on a huge primary day for both parties. Democrats are hoping an improving economy will bolster their changes of retaining control of Congress for the second half of Obama's first term in office.

Several Democrats joined Obama as he offered his remarks, including Ohio Reps. Tim Ryan, Charlie Wilson and John Boccieri and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D).