WASHINGTON – The disappointing August jobs report raises yet another campaign obstacle for President Barack Obama and makes his hopes of holding onto his own job even more challenging – especially in closely contested battleground states with painfully high levels of unemployment.

Coming less than 12 hours after the president accepted his party's nomination for a second term, the lackluster report could wipe out or diminish any traditional bounce in the polls he might have gotten from the festive, well-choreographed three-day Democratic National Convention.

"The broad message here is flat, flat, flat," said economist Heidi Shierholz with the labor-affiliated Economic Policy Center.