With the announcement today that the United States saw no job growth in the month of August, Republican presidential hopefuls took the opportunity to decry President Obama’s performance and promote their own plans for fixing the economy.

“We learned today that not a single job was created during the month of August in the United States of America. In the land of endless opportunity and abundant freedom, the very promise that has inspired generations of industrious and innovative people seems to be dwindling away.” Herman Cain wrote in a statement.

“Sadly, the fact that zero jobs were created last month is only fitting for this administration, which is led by a President with zero leadership, zero plans, zero results and zero understanding of basic economics. And the American people are worse off because of it.”

Candidates also showed little optimism about the jobs speech the president plans to deliver to a joint session of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 8.

“Two days after I offered a plan with serious solutions that would create jobs and get our economy going, we learn of yet another month with zero job growth,” Jon Huntsman wrote in a statement. “There is no clearer sign that the President has failed and the theatrics around his far-too-late jobs speech demonstrate that he has no real plan to change course.”

In a speech to the Republican National Hispanic Assembly in Tampa, Mitt Romney said he would present his own plan to increase jobs on Tuesday – two days before the president’s planned speech – and that it would be “bold, sweeping and specific.”

“But any plan is only as good as the person leading it. And you know, if we want to create jobs, it helps to have a president who has had a job,” Romney said.

Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann framed the numbers as proof of Obama’s policy shortcomings.

“For three years, in speech after speech, the President has claimed to be focused on the American worker, but month after month and report after report shows the opposite.  So either, the President’s economic policies are killing this economy or his lack of leadership – either way, President Obama is to blame,” Santorum wrote in a statement.

“Today’s jobs report showing that the economy created no jobs in the last month and unemployment at 9.1 percent is further evidence that President Obama’s failed economic policies are not working and have completely stalled job growth,” Bachmann wrote. “After spending three days last month on a bus tour focusing on jobs – today’s economic report shows that the nation’s economy is sitting at a huge stop sign. Before his vacation, the President gave us a speech about a jobs speech; the American people don’t need speeches, they need jobs.”

Ron Paul 2012 Presidential National Campaign released a statement from Chairman Jesse Benton.

“It’s high time that the president and his Washington establishment allies – those in both parties – ‘man up’ and face the responsibility to enact authentic change.”

For its part, the White House said unemployment “remains unacceptably high” and that “clearly, faster growth is needed to replace the jobs lost in the downturn.”