2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

Worcester Telegram and Gazette Endorses Mitt Romney For President

WORCESTER TELEGRAM AND GAZETTE (MA): “ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT”

Romney For President
Worcester Telegram and Gazette
Editorial

October 28, 2012

http://www.telegram.com

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The decision to turn an incumbent president out of office is never one to be undertaken lightly by voters. But good intentions, repeated promises and lofty rhetoric are no substitute for sound economics and a foreign policy grounded in realism and strength. It is time once again for change in Washington, and we strongly believe that Mitt Romney offers the right combination of experience, vision, leadership and moral grounding to reinvigorate the nation’s economy, bring a measure of control to the ocean of debt threatening to engulf us, and lay out a foreign policy that has the clarity and force needed to deter aggression while promoting international stability.

In sharp contrast to his opponent, Mr. Romney’s bid for the presidency carries the weight of a lifetime of repeated and proven success in business, as a management consultant, cofounder of the successful Bain Capital equity investment firm, and head of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

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President Barack Obama has had ample time to transform the “hope and change” of the 2008 campaign into positive results. The results have been deeply disappointing, and the tenor of his re-election campaign gives us no cause to hope a second term would offer anything better.

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The trillions spent in bailouts, stimulus plans and subsidies have served mainly to deepen our debts. Meanwhile, the nation’s unemployment rate, while finally below what it was when Mr. Obama took office, understates the weakness of the job market. Fewer Americans are working, and too many have settled for part-time jobs or lower wages.

On energy, Mr. Obama’s anti-growth policies have sought cover behind increased private-sector production.

By contrast, Mr. Romney, while retaining federal investments and regulations, would place private-sector capitalism ahead of a government-first approach.

On tax policy, the president has waged a relentless campaign against wealthy Americans — one that will punish small businesses and the middle class.

But Mr. Romney understands that the path to higher revenues lies not in choking our key economic engines, but in expanding opportunity for all.

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Mitt Romney has earned the opportunity to lead America for the next four years.

**In compliance with copyright laws, this version of the editorial is excerpted**

President Obama To Travel To Nevada, Colorado And Ohio This Week

PRESIDENT OBAMA TO TRAVEL TO NEVADA, COLORADO AND OHIO THIS WEEK

CHICAGO—Obama for America announced today that President Obama will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada; Boulder, Colorado; and Springfield, Ohio for grassroots events on Thursday, November 1.  The President will then campaign throughout Ohio on Friday, November 2.

Details on the President’s campaign travel in Nevada, Colorado and Ohio are forthcoming.  The President’s travel is subject to change due to weather conditions.

Romney For President Releases New Television Ad, “Who Will Do More?”

President Obama took Chrysler and GM into bankruptcy and even sold Chrysler to the Italians. Who will do more for the auto industry? The clear answer is Mitt Romney.

Quincy Herald-Whig (IL) Endorses Mitt Romney For President

QUINCY HERALD-WHIG (IL): “ROMNEY PRESIDENCY BEST PATH TO MOVE AMERICA FORWARD”

Romney Presidency Best Path To Move America Forward
Quincy Herald-Whig
Editorial

October 28, 2012

http://www.whig.com

On Nov. 6, Americans will face a clear choice about the future direction of this country.

In deciding whether to re-elect President Barack Obama or move forward with Gov. Mitt Romney, voters must decide whose vision best reflects our nation's historic principles, whose plans provide the best solutions for the problems we face today, and whose experience best prepares them to meet the unknown challenges that lie ahead.

Gov. Romney has demonstrated, through his success in the private and public sector, that he possesses the leadership and management skills to bring this country together, engineer an economic turnaround and strengthen our role on the international stage. He inspires confidence, through the values evident in his personal life and as a man of deep faith, that he will lead us through these difficult times with compassion and fairness.

We commend Gov. Romney to voters and urge his election as the next president of the United States.

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Change will be hard to achieve in a political climate marked by deep divisions in Congress that have led to gridlock. For progress to occur, paralysis must give way to compromise -- and Gov. Romney offers the best opportunity to make that happen.

That is evident from his tenure as governor of Massachusetts where, working with a Legislature that was overwhelmingly Democratic, he rebuilt an economy shattered by the 2001 national recession -- without tax increases -- while implementing sweeping reforms in education and health care.

In leading Massachusetts, Gov. Romney established himself as an effective, forward-thinking leader, a pragmatic problem-solver who can be expected to apply those same skills as president to restore the nation to a sound fiscal footing.

These attributes were evident when he rescued the 2002 Winter Olympics from scandal and debt, and -- prior to that -- in the success of Bain Capital, the investment firm he founded in 1984.

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The best choice for president, for America's future, is Gov. Mitt Romney and we strongly commend him to voters.

**In compliance with copyright laws, this version of the editorial is excerpted**

The Daily Herald (IL) Endorses Mitt Romney For President

THE DAILY HERALD (IL): “THE CASE FOR MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT”

Endorsement: The Case For Mitt Romney For President
The Daily Herald
Editorial

October 28, 2012

http://www.dailyherald.com
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In endorsing Illinois’ favorite son in 2008, we declared Obama “has a chance to be a great president.” We said, “He offers a new kind of politics. A politics that breaks down the old partisan walls. A politics that strives to bring people together. A politics of hope.”

There is no doubt that as president, Obama has recorded some significant achievements, some even historic. Even his adversaries have embraced some. He’s ended the war in Iraq, passed landmark health care legislation, opened the door toward civil rights for the gay community — all notable accomplishments.

But four years later, where is the hope? Where is the confident swagger and leadership to uplift the nation’s mood?

In that endorsement editorial four years ago, we described the landscape of America thusly: “Our country is polarized, our politics is unduly partisan and out of touch and our economy is on the brink of the worst financial calamity since the Great Depression.”

Today, our country is still polarized, our politics is still partisan, our economy slugs along painfully on one of the slowest recoveries in history and the country’s debt threatens our future and the future of our children.
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At a time when the economy was wracked, he chose instead to focus on health care reform. In doing so, his administration chose early on to fight with Congress rather than to work with it. He chose to force his landmark health care bill through Congress without a single Republican vote, significantly contributing to the bitter atmosphere of division in Washington.

His economic initiatives have been heavily bent toward the public sector, a big spending approach that has been aptly derided by Romney as “trickle-down government.”

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But ultimately, we endorse Romney because he, unlike Obama, understands that jobs are a creation of business, not of government. And that to encourage job growth, we need policies that incent business to grow and provide it with a stable environment for that growth.

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Romney, on the other hand, governed successfully in Massachusetts with a legislature that was almost totally controlled by the opposition party. He’s proven he can work across the aisle.

He’s proven capable in all that he has tried. He’s proven that he can run businesses and create jobs. He’s been successful in all walks of life.

“We don’t have to settle for what we’re going through,” Romney said during one of the debates. “We don’t have to settle for gasoline at four bucks. We don’t have to settle for unemployment at a chronically high level. We don’t have to settle for 47 million people on food stamps. We don’t have to settle for 50 percent of kids coming out of college not able to get work. We don’t have to settle for 23 million people struggling to find a good job.”
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Mitt Romney for president.

**In compliance with copyright laws, this version of the editorial is excerpted**

Pensacola News Journal Endorses Mitt Romney For President

PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL: “MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT”

Mitt Romney For President
Pensacola News Journal
Editorial

October 28, 2012

http://www.pnj.com

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Four years ago, we recommended Barack Obama be elected. He offered himself as someone who could bridge the wide chasm between Democrats and Republicans. However, after four years, the situation has worsened.

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However, Obama failed to adequately address the rising national debt that will cripple future generations. He has not pushed the approval submitted two years ago by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, also known as the Simpson-Bowles plan, that called for higher taxes to bring the debt under control. Congress also has failed to take the debt seriously, instead passing the buck, or in this case, $16 trillion of them.

As he did in 2008, Mitt Romney is campaigning that “Washington is broken”: that Congress and the president can neither legislate nor lead effectively. We believe he has the experience and temperament to start the repairs. If elected, we urge him to gather key Democrats on Nov. 7 and start to find solutions to our problems. If there are effective Democrats in the current Cabinet, keep them in place. The country hungers for statesmanship. Romney prides himself on his bipartisan leadership in Massachusetts that led to education and health care improvements. He must deliver that to Capitol Hill as quickly as possible.

Also, we continue to be frustrated at the millions of unemployed – about 20,000 of our neighbors in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties – and the growing number of people on food stamps, despite signs the economy is recovering. We’re confident Romney can find a way to get people working again.

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Mitt Romney is who we recommend leads this nation for the next four years

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During a speech to the Republican National Convention, Romney’s wife, Ann, promised that her husband would not fail if elected. We hope she is right.

**In compliance with copyright laws, this version of the editorial is excerpted**

The Lima News (OH) Endorses Mitt Romney For President

THE LIMA NEWS (OH) ENDORSES MITT ROMNEY

The Lima News Endorses Mitt Romney
The Lima News (OH)
Editorial

October 28, 2012

http://www.limaohio.com

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Obama swept into office in 2008 promising hope and change. But change has come too slowly, and for too many people, hope surrendered to despair long ago.

That is why Lima News is calling for a change of leadership and is endorsing Republican Mitt Romney for president.

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We have little confidence that Obama would be anymore successful given another four-year term. Our memory of a euphoric Obama who energized this country four years ago is now replaced by the picture of a slumping president, tired and defensive, during his first debate with Romney.

Today, family incomes are down. The middle class is shrinking and poverty is growing. College students are graduating deep in debt with questionable job opportunities,

At the same time, the government continues to take on more debt. It just wracked up its fourth straight 13-figure shortfall. During Obama’s four years the debt has grown to more than $5 trillion. He now believes the only way to trim the deficit is by raising taxes on the wealthy and eliminating tax breaks.

We feel Romney’s solid resume in the private sector will help here. He understands that reviving the economy and repairing the government’s balance sheet are things that need to happen now, not four years in the future. His five-point plan calls for raising revenue through business expansions -- definitely not new taxes -- and reducing spending.

Romney has the added benefit of likely dealing with a friendlier Congress. At least one chamber, if not both, are expected to favor Republicans. It is imperative the president and Congress work together. Two years ago, Congress recommended a bipartisan 10-year, $4 trillion deficit-reduction plan, only to be snubbed by Obama, who had his own, less ambitious plan.

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**In compliance with copyright laws, this version of the editorial is excerpted**

The Intelligencer (PA) Endorses President Obama

The Intelligencer (PA) Endorses President Obama

KEY POINTS:

· It is amazing America is not mired in a full-fledged depression. We suggest that is due to the efforts of President Barack Obama.

· The nation was hemorrhaging jobs at a pace of 800,000 a month when Obama took office.

· For 31 straight months, there has been job growth, with more than 5 million jobs created.

· All the while, Obama has had to deal with Republicans who, from day one of his administration, made it clear they would not work with the president to get this country moving again. Their stated ambition has been to make him a one-term chief executive and return their party to power. How’s that for patriotism?

· And it’s not just the economy where he and Mitt Romney have very divergent visions. On every issue, from abortion to education and the environment to war, these two men have vastly different ideas about whose interests they represent.

· We should be under no illusion that Romney will govern in any way but what best serves corporations, the wealthy and their accompanying conservative base. Unlike most of his policy plans, he has made that abundantly clear.

· Consider the damage done by the policies of the last Republican administration.

· We can’t go there again. That’s why we endorse the re-election of President Barack Obama.

Florida Times-Union Endorses Mitt Romney For President

FLORIDA TIMES-UNION: “ROMNEY’S TURNAROUND SKILLS ARE RIGHT FOR AMERICA”

Romney's Turnaround Skills Are Right For America
Florida Times-Union
Editorial

October 28, 2012

http://jacksonville.com

What this nation needs is a turnaround expert.

We need someone who knows how to deal with a balance sheet drowning in red ink.

We need someone who has that American strain of pragmatism in an era of toxic partisan politics.

We need someone who has made his fortune, who doesn’t need this job but is seeking simply to serve the public.

That man is Mitt Romney. Following in the footsteps of his father who was successful in the private sector, Romney has dedicated his later years to public service.
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Romney, in contrast, led one of the most liberal states in the union and managed to get along as well as could be expected. His health care plan was right for Massachusetts, but Romney showed his impeccable common sense by acknowledging the Massachusetts plan isn’t right for every one of the 50 states.
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This is the family history that informs Romney’s values. They are the classic American values of hard work, discipline and sacrifice. This is the vision he has for America.

It’s a vision based on the power of hard work and initiative.

It’s a vision that was expressed in his acceptance speech after winning the New Hampshire primary.

“I want you to remember when you spent more time dreaming about where to send your kids to college than wondering how to make it to the next paycheck.

“I want you to remember when you weren’t afraid to look at your retirement savings or the price at the pump.”

Romney understands that a revived business sector is the key to turning around the American economy.

As he said in an interview in Time, he wants people to say, “America looks like a good place to invest again, a good place to take risk, a good place to hire again,” a place with good jobs for the middle class.

Romney is the best person to lead America at this crucial time.

**In compliance with copyright laws, this version of the editorial is excerpted**

Green Bay Press-Gazette Endorses Mitt Romney For President

GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE: “WE RECOMMEND ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT”

We Recommend Romney For President
Green Bay Press-Gazette
Editorial

October 28, 2012

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com

Four years ago, when Barack Obama was elected president, he campaigned on a message of hope and change.

Many hoped he could bring change for a nation weary of two wars, a nation beset by a mortgage crisis and Wall Street scandal, and, most importantly, a nation whose economic future was so uncertain that massive government bailouts were needed.

However, four years later, the economy hasn’t rebounded. In fact, some say it’s worse, with high unemployment numbers, a trillion-dollar deficit, an even bigger national debt and uncertainty in the business world over the future of our economy. Poverty has increased, the median household income has dropped, and some have given up looking for work.

This nation cannot wait four more years to see if Obama’s policies will work. It needs to turn to someone who has a proven track record in the business community and will offer the steady hand to a teetering economy.

For that reason, the Green Bay Press-Gazette is endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who we believe is the best choice to turn around the U.S. economy. We believe the Republican candidate’s experience as CEO of Bain Capital, governor of Massachusetts and work with the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City will be assets to turning around the economy..
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Romney’s five-point jobs proposal looks to strengthen the middle class by creating 12 million jobs in his first term. Romney aims to reach this ambitious goal by achieving energy independence by 2020, expanding trade, improving education, cutting the deficit and helping small businesses.
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Romney proposes 20 percent cuts in the marginal tax rate for individuals, which would reduce the top bracket from 35 to 28 percent, and cut the corporate tax rate from 35 to 28 percent. He would get rid of the death tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax. He would eliminate taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains for those earning less than $200,000.
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Romney would cut the deficit with smaller government and addressing the national debt. The deficit was at $1.09 trillion as of Sept. 30, according to the Congressional Budget Office, which is a slight drop from the $1.3 trillion deficit Obama faced when he took office. He had pledged in February 2009 to “cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office.”
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Despite all this, we can’t we can’t ignore the state of the economy today. It is the overriding factor in people’s lives. How they pay for health care, how they pay for their mortgage, how they pay the bills, how they pay for retirement are all chief concerns that need to be answered. They are concerns that cut across are classes and are paramount in deciding who should be in the White House.

How long can Obama blame his predecessor for the current financial woes without taking any responsibility for some of the economic duress and gridlock? At some point, the problems a president inherits become his problems if he hasn’t been able to solve them.

At that point, then, we need someone else in the White House who can solve them. We believe that person is Mitt Romney.

**In compliance with copyright laws, this version of the editorial is excerpted**