This morning’s predictably dejecting jobs report provided the GOP presidential candidates with an apt opportunity to cast the president in an unflattering light — and to contrast his approach with what their own would be.

Memorably, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney framed his statement in a way that leaves voters displeased with the economy little choice but to vote Obama out of office.

“When you see what this president has done to the economy in just three years, you know why America doesn’t want to find out what he can do in eight,” former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said.

Importantly, Romney is not the only person who has said Obama should be a one-term president if the economy doesn’t turn around by the end of his first term. Who was it who also said that again? Oh, yes, Obama himself.

Michele Bachmann noted a fact that’s telling about Obama’s priorities and forwarded her own solutions, as well.

“The President created twice as many donors for his campaign as he created jobs in the second quarter,” she said in a statement. “This week the President announced that he would again pivot to focus his attention on jobs. We can only hope he will pivot away from his failed economic policies that have killed growth and put millions of Americans out of work. What the markets want and what the country needs is a fundamental restructuring in the way Washington spends taxpayers dollars that reins in unprecedented spending, gets our debt under control and encourages pro-growth economic policies.”

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty called out the president’s lack of plan to good effect.

“Today’s dismal jobs report is a far cry from the hope and change that President Obama promised on the campaign trail,” Pawlenty said. “Since the president took office, unemployment has risen 17%, the federal debt has increased 37% and gas prices have doubled.  In the last week, the stock market suffered its worst day in years, economic growth was revised down and consumer confidence dropped.  Despite these clear and abundant signs that our economy is floundering, President Obama has still failed to deliver a concrete plan to create jobs and promote growth.”

Pawlenty also emphasized that he is the only candidate so far to have put forward a concrete plan for job creation and economic growth.

Like Bachmann, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman observed a priority of the president’s that has distracted from jobs growth.

“When President Obama should have been focused on creating jobs, he focused on a government-mandated health care system that the American people didn’t ask for and can’t afford,” Huntsman said. “What we can’t afford now is to waste any more time. … This country will never realize its true economic potential until we enact tax cuts, implement regulatory reform and move toward energy independence.”

The websites of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.), Herman Cain, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) didn’t feature ready reactions to the jobs report (at least at the time I was writing).