Democrats put Republicans on the spot over jobs pledge

WASHINGTON - Republicans won sweeping victories last November by taunting the Democrats' handling of high unemployment by asking "Where are the jobs?"

Democrats are now throwing those taunts back, saying it's Republicans who knock thousands of US citizens out of work with their demands for deep cuts in federal spending.

The attacks have caught Republicans at an awkward moment, as they shift their chief emphasis from creating jobs to reducing the size of the government and its deficits. They are finding it hard to claim they can do both at the same time.