Editorial: Romney the pick for Oval Office

• Romney

Associated press Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters after speaking at a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa.

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In 2008, Barack Obama won the presidency on what was in large measure a platform of hope and change. Many Americans, though — including those who voted for Obama as well as people who didn’t — have been disappointed in this president’s four years in office.

The tortoise-like place of the economic recovery and eye-popping budget deficits have left Americans again wanting a change of direction. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose success in businesses has been well-documented, offers this.

Looking at Romney’s political history, the record shows that he signed job-creating incentives, eased regulations that hampered small businesses and eliminated a deficit of $3 billion (unemployment also went down by nearly a full percent) while governor. This was, remarkably, done without borrowing money or raising taxes, and while the state legislature was ruled by Democrats.

Obama, by contrast, saw his two signature initiatives — the economic stimulus and the Affordable Health Care Act — pass a Congress controlled by his party without a singular Republican vote. And, while Democrats will point to GOP legislators as the sole reason for ongoing gridlock, the commander-in-chief must share at least a portion of the blame.

In a February 2009 interview, Obama said, “I will be held accountable. If I don’t have this done in three years then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.” Well, the end of that term is almost here, and clearly Obama doesn’t have it “done.” Voters should, indeed, hold the president accountable and see what a President Romney might accomplish.

Tags: opinion, editorials, politics