Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney told a large crowd of supporters in Irwin that Barack Obama has failed America and called the president's policies "job crushing." The former Massachusetts governor said the upcoming presidential election is about "the soul of America."
Romney said Mr. Obama has seen a steady unemployment rate and a decrease in median income.
"I think he's seen the record number of foreclosures, so he has to recognize his policies have failed to get America working again, and my guess is he wonders why that is, and I have the answer for him: liberal policies don't make good jobs," said Romney.
The national jobless rate was 7.8% in January 2009 when Mr. Obama took office, peaked at 10% in October of that year, and has declined to the current 8.2%.
Romney said if Mr. Obama is re-elected the next four years would be a repeat of the last 3 and-a-half years, with chronic unemployment, low to negative wage growth and declining median incomes, adding, "we have seen what his policy brings, and we don't want any more of it."
Romney outlined five things he'd do if elected that he said would cause a resurgence in the U.S. economy that would surprise the world, and convince moms and dads the future is brighter for them and for their kids.
"Number one, I want to take advantage of our oil and our gas and our coal and our renewables and our nuclear," he said to thunderous applause, adding, "seems to me you agree with that point."
The other steps are:
- Pursuing and increasing international trade
- Balancing the budget
- Focusing on education and building skills for jobs, and
- Encourage economic freedom
Romney said the economy is driven by free people pursuing their ideas and dreams, and added it is not driven by government. Romney went on to say the founding fathers' outlined freedoms in the Declaration of Independence given to the American people not by the government, but by God.
"It said that among our rights given to us by God, by our creator, were life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our capacity to build and lift ourselves and reach for the stars is not thanks to a government that says, 'Fine,' it is instead thanks to a God who loves us and gives us those rights and those opportunities," he said.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee spoke at Horizontal Wireline Services, a local oil and gas services company. Romney is trying to shift attention away from his business record and his tax returns with a fresh assault as Mr. Obama, anxious about losing his fundraising edge, turned to Republican-tilted Texas to raise millions of dollars from gay, Latino and big-dollar donors.
