RNC head: Democrats living in a ‘fantasyland’ over state of economy

Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, on Sunday sharply criticized Obama’s economic record, saying Democrats who declared the country was moving in the right direction are living in a “fantasyland.”

Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Priebus said that President Obama had not only failed to turn the economy around – but also, after promising to unite the country, turned out to be the most divisive president in history.

{mosads}He cast the 2012 election in stark terms, bashing Obama as “fundraiser in chief” and suggesting the future of the country was on the line in November.

“The fact is it’s not a question of can Mitt Romney win. The statement is, Mitt Romney has to win, for the sake of the very idea of America,” Priebus said about the presumptive GOP nominee.

“Mitt Romney has to win for liberty and freedom. And we have to put an end to this Barack Obama presidency before it puts an end to our way of life in America,” he added.

The RNC chairman said polls showed that “people are tired of this president, they’re tired of his speeches, they’re tired of the words.”

Priebus’s tough comments come as the administration plays defense over Friday’s weak jobs report, which showed the unemployment rate holding steady at 8.2 percent.

The Obama administration has pointed to continuing job growth, while acknowledging that more needs to be done. Obama has also said that the former President George W. Bush’s administration deserves much of the blame for the prolonged recovery.

Priebus on Sunday, however, dismissed those charges. “The fact of the matter is people understand that the president is the head of this country,” he said. “The fish rots at the head.”

The RNC chief also suggested that November’s election would be a referendum on Obama, following recent reports that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) indicated that voters wouldn’t have to love Romney to vote for him.

“I don’t think people are begging for another four years of this misery,” Priebus said. “And that’s what they’re going to be thinking about in November. Do we want another four years of this stagnant job growth, with a president that acts like he’s not living on Earth?”