Commander-in-Chief Moment? Too Little Too Late

The devastation on the east coast is heartbreaking.  The images of disaster, sadness and turmoil are truly gripping the nation.  How long will it take that area to recover?  Where does the clean-up even begin? And how will the confidence of those most impacted ever be fully restored?

Images from Denver Post

Sadly, this storm has reminded us that our great nation is not immune to heartache---but this massive storm has also reminded us that when tragedy strikes our borders, the goodness of our people surges.  Strangers help strangers.  Neighbors comfort neighbors.  Weary hands are lifted and broken hearts are consoled.

When tragedy strikes, Americans unite and the resolve of our people prevails.

This storm will be no different.

The timing of any storm is tragic, but the timing of Hurricane Sandy was historic.  Days before a pivotal election, the most populated cities in America were under siege by Mother Nature.

For two days, the political world came to a standstill.  Each candidate tried to tread careful waters to ensure that the events were not politicized.  Sincerity and intentions were highly scrutinized by the ever-watching eye of the media.

Both candidates cancelled campaign rallies and their fundraisers were replaced with relief efforts.

The media has claimed that this storm gave Obama a much needed "Commander-in-Chief Moment."  Many have said that he rose to the challenge and commanded himself with authority.

The president made sure that FEMA was offering adequate support.

Um...isn't that in his job?  Did he do anything but fill his role as the president?  Was his concern unique?  Was his leadership above and beyond?  No.

In this disaster response, the president did his job.  Period.  But will it be enough to tip sliding numbers in his favor on November 6th?

I would argue no and here is why:  Long after the FEMA trucks have cleaned up the last pile of debris and long after the pumps have emptied the last flooded subway station, Americans who struggled to find work for the last four years, (23 million Americans) will still be looking for a job in Obama's crumbling economy.

That will resonate long after the images have faded of the president flying over the disaster in a helicopter or standing behind a podium at the FEMA headquarters.  Americans know that for four years, the president has tried to fix our economy, unite our country and cut the deficit.  He hasn't even come close.  Too little too late.

It is hard to ignore that although the president offered Hope and Change, anywhere the president promised specifics, he has failed to deliver.

It is time to heal.  It is time to really recover.  It is time to finally get it right.

More and more Americans are beginning to recognize that we need the leadership of someone with a track record of being successful at bringing about real change.  No storm can change that.

As Michael Gerson so brilliantly stated here in The Washington Post,

"He (Obama) has not shown the leadership skills or the inclination to create consensus around large issues. The problem is that large issues — avoiding the fiscal cliff, reforming the tax code, making entitlement commitments more sustainable — are coming. Either Obama will have to become an entirely different type of leader — or America needs a new one."

I think Gerson is right, America needs Mitt.

Why Women Can Confidently Stand With Mitt

Imagine your house is on fire.  From the curb, you watch your life go up in flames.  To your relief, firefighters arrive and reassuringly tell you they can help.  They run into your home.  Long minutes pass and the black smoke thickens.  Firefighters finally emerge protecting something in their hands.  They run to you and say, “Don’t worry.  We got it.  Here is your birth control.”

This is how I feel about the president’s campaign to target women.  Our economy is still crumbling.  Families still can’t pay their bills.  My neighbors are still losing their homes and four years later, the president hasn’t fixed it.  Days before his re-election, he thinks I should be focused on birth control? 

Please.  I am insulted.

President Obama says women should fear Mitt Romney claiming that Romney will to “take women back to the 1950s.”

There are a few reasons why President Obama and his surrogates are wrong about their erroneous and misleading claims about Mitt Romney.

I lived in Massachusetts when Romney was elected governor.  His actions demonstrated that he cared about women’s issues.  First, he selected a remarkable female Lt. Governor and then filled his cabinet with more women than any time in state history—more than any other cabinet in the country.  And throughout his sterling business career he surrounded himself with countless female executives.

The criticism for Romney’s “binders full of women” comment is juvenile.  Have we forgotten that Monster.com didn’t exist?  He reviewed “binders full of resumes” of women and he ended up hiring dozens of them to be his key advisors.

Like the President, Governor Romney also inherited a “mess.”  Massachusetts was facing a recession.

But unlike President Obama, he not only kept every one of his 44 campaign promises, but he passed health care reform, cut taxes, lowered unemployment to 4.6%, balanced the budget, drove public schools to #1 in the nation, and turned a $3 billion budget shortfall into a $2 billion surplus—and achieved it all without raising taxes or borrowing a single dollar. 

More remarkable?  He accomplished it in one term with an 87% democratically controlled state legislature.  (Has the president’s record even come close?)

Under Romney's leadership, did women lose access to birth control?  Did women lose their voice or place in the workforce?  Did women go back to the 1950s?  Absolutely not—in fact, it was just the opposite.  It’s misleading to act under the misguided assumption that it would be any different under a Romney presidency.

Does Romney have plans to eliminate birth control?  No.  Does he promise to get America’s fiscal crisis in order?  Yes.  Will that require possibly cutting federally funded programs like Planned Parenthood, which could be self or state funded? Most likely.

But someone should tell the President that actions speak louder than words.  The 2011 White House annual report shows that White House female staffers earned 18 percent less than male staffers.

The truth?  President Obama is marching America towards a deficit level that mirrors Greece—a country on the brink of collapse.  Is birth control the top concern for those Greek women?  Probably not. 

Shame on the president and his campaign for thinking it should be here.

We must take the steps to protect America’s stability or we are like women asking a firefighter to run into a burning home just to save our birth control.  If birth control isn’t going anywhere, why should it be the determining factor for whom is most able to lead America back to the path of prosperity?

In the words of Governor Susannah Martinez, “Too many Americans are out of work. Our debt is out of control.  Obama promised to bring us together, to cut unemployment, to pass immigration reform, and to cut the deficit in half in his first term—(he) hasn’t come close to accomplishing any of it.”

I am a woman.  I live in Denver, Colorado and I stand with Mitt because his resume shows that he’ll know what to do and not just know what to say.  A recovery is supposed to feel like a recovery and my family can’t afford to find out what happens if President Obama gets it wrong…again.

Join me and stand with Mitt.  It's time to find out what a real recovery is supposed to feel like.

Sorry Mr. President, Too Little Too Late

Imagine for a minute that you own a business which is on the brink of collapse.

You decide to hire a financial advisor to help you save your business and protect your livelihood.  Months and years into it, unfortunately you still end up laying off every one of your employees--including your spouse.  You lose your retail space.  You lose your cars.  You lose your business and you eventually lose your home.  You have maxed out every single credit card available to you and as a last resort, you move your family back into your childhood home with your parents.

Several years into this collapse, your financial advisor comes to you with some great news.  He says, "Hey, I was just able to save you a bunch of money on your car insurance.  This savings will save you hundreds of dollars a year."

Umm.

Your reaction?  I have no doubt it would be, sorry sir, where have you been?  Too little too late.  Oh, and you are fired.

***

This is kind of how I feel today after reading the news that unemployment rates dropped below 8% for the first time in nearly four years.  (If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the confetti launchers going off at MSNBC).

Too little too late.

Four years into this president's efforts to lead the recovery and this is what we get?

President Obama spent hundreds of billions of dollars to stimulate our economy, lower unemployment and ignite the flame of a prosperity in America.  This is what we get for that investment?  It has not worked.  This news today is good, but we must remember that it is the last 30 days of this president's term.  30 days before his reelection bid and the president wants to boast about this return on our investment?

No thanks, it came at too high of a price.

Image from realclearpolitics.com

Tragically the scenario I described above has actually happened to millions of people across this country and it all happened under this president's watch.

Millions of people lost their jobs.  Millions of people continue to lose their homes.  Millions of people dropped out of the middle class and are living in poverty.  Millions of Americans are dependent on food stamps---more than any other time in history.  Millions of people lost their livelihood and financial security and yes, millions of people lost their hope.

But what did they all share in common?  Every single one of them believed and hoped that our president could help them because he promised that he would.  He didn't.

Recoveries are supposed to feel like a recovery.  This has felt like a desperate state of decline.

***

Sorry Mr. President, too little too late.

Mitt Romney is now confidently inviting Americans to take a different path.  A path which he has shown can lead to jobs, prosperity and stability---the president's record doesn't even come close.

We need to remember that America has always been the coveted land of freedom and opportunity--the "Shining City on a Hill."  For hundreds of years, people have flocked here to take part in the American Dream, but our freedoms are not the only thing attracting people to this great land.  America is the land of freedom and opportunity.   People pay a price to live here not just for the freedoms we offer, but for the opportunities that are promised to all.

Image from mittromney.com

Mitt Romney is offering an America where prosperity is still attainable for anyone--the president is offering a path where dependency and safety nets are available to all.  There is a real difference.

We must remember that Europe has been trying Obama's approach for decades. Would anyone chant that Greece or Spain are the "land of opportunity?"  Are these countries a "Shining City on a Hill?"  Absolutely not.

Mitt's message?  Stand with me and I promise to show you what a real recovery is supposed to feel like.

I choose prosperity.  I choose opportunity over dependency.

I choose to stand with Mitt.

The Election: A Job Interview or Personality Contest?

CNN contributor David Frum is doing what more of his colleagues should be doing--holding the president accountable for his record.

In this CNN article today, Frum poses 10 questions that President Obama needs to answer. Everything from the results of the Obama recovery---the fragile and volatile U.S. relations in the Middle East---the stagnant unemployment levels---the stimulus bill that failed to stimulate---and the lack of bipartisanship in Washington.

Direct questions.  Needed Answers.  Accountability.

My favorite question: "You inherited the worst economic crash since the 1930's.  The economy hit bottom in the summer of 2009 and a recovery began.  Congratulations. Yet this recovery has been the slowest and weakest since World War II.  Nobody blames you for the collapse, but why shouldn't Americans blame you for the meager record since the recovery began three years ago?"

Thank you Mr. Frum. Now it would be nice if someone would actually make the president answer these questions--without a teller prompter and without a campaign advisor at his side.

Will they?

I hope. Because the answers to these questions will help Americans determine if this president deserves a second chance.  But sadly, the press seem more focused on helping us identify who we'd rather have a beer with than who is more capable of leading America out of this fiscal crisis.

Image from ABCnews.com

The press remains anxious and committed to hold Mitt Romney accountable for every statement he has ever said---every dollar he has ever made---and every blunder in his campaign.  Yet the president is asking for a second chance to accomplish what he failed to get done in four years.  Why doesn't anyone think it is relevant to find out why he couldn't get the job done in his first term and why a second term would be any different?

Accountability matters.

The truth remains, Mitt Romney may have had a rough couple of weeks, but Americans have had an  even rougher couple of years and this president's efforts to help us have failed miserably.

I think we deserve better. I am standing with Mitt because he is a leader whose resume reflects that he knows how to keep his promises and that he knows how to do what he says.

I believe we should treat this election as a job interview rather than just a personality contest.  Because my family can't afford to find out what happens if Obama gets it wrong...again.

Can yours?

Go Mitt.

Should Change Take More than One Term?

Obama told a group of supporters on Saturday that he needs more time.  He said, "As we have always said, change takes more than one term.  Change takes more than one president.  More than one party."

Problem?

He hasn't "always" said change takes time---in fact, he has actually never said that.  He seemed pretty confident in his 2009 Today Show interview that if he didn't have the job done in one term, it would be a "one term proposition."

Image from boston.com

Well, after 4 years, this is what we got with his one term proposition:

• Unemployment remains over 8% for the 43rd month.
• $5 trillion has been added to the debt.
• 1 in 6 Americans are now living in poverty.
• Millions have dropped out of the middle class.
• 50 million Americans are now dependent on food stamps (highest number ever)
• Millions of Americans are still at risk for losing their homes.
• Unemployment for black Americans have reached an unthinkable 14.4%
• Price of gasoline has doubled.
• U.S. Credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in our history.
• Home foreclosures increased by 43%.
• Bankruptcy filings have increased by 42%
• Median household incomes have dropped 4%.
• Value of U.S. dollar has decreased by 8.7% (U.S dollar index).
• Most astounding?  According the U.S Treasure Office, Obama added $4 billion of debt per day.
• 
  

Hmmm...this has all happened under this president's watch.  I think it is pretty safe to say that Obama didn't get the job done.

But he is now asking for more time.  Asking for more patience.

At Saturday's event, in an attempt to mock Romney's words from a secretly taped video where Romney makes reference to the 47% of individuals who don't pay income tax and would therefore not be swayed by Romney's platform to lower taxes, Obama said that "change can happen, but not if you write off half the country."

Image from abcnews.com

He told supporters that on the night of his inauguration he spoke directly to the 47% of the country who voted for his rival.  He said, "I told the 47% of those folks who didn't vote for me that I may not have have won your vote, but I hear your voices.  I promise to be your president too."

Loud cheers.

Too bad that these "feel good" words don't have anything to do with his actual record.  Obama wants us to be outraged that Mitt Romney's comments alienated "47%" of voters, but he wants us to overlook the reality that his policies and leadership alienated and blatantly ignored "47%" of the country.

Which is worse?

When the stimulus bill was drafted, it did not include one Republican proposal.  Not one.
When he rammed his health care bill through without one Republican vote, he didn't exactly seem concerned that 65% of Americans didn't support the bill.

When he incessantly blames his predecessor and the Congressional leaders who represent "47%" of the country, it doesn't exactly feel like he cares about being "our" president.

It is ridiculous that Obama is still trying to sell a feel good message when his record reflects a leader who is incapable of it.

***

I refuse to reward a president for a clever campaign.  I will not reward a president for persuasive ads.  I will not be persuaded by feel good phrases which have had nothing to do with his record.

Sorry Mr. President, time is not what you need.

Because I firmly believe "change" is possible in one term.  I believe that change can happen with one president and I believe that one president can fix a broken government--and history has demonstrated it can be done in one term.

As governor, Mitt Romney brought about lasting fiscal reform to his state, he turned a $3 billion budget shortfall into a $2 billion rainy day fund, he reached across the aisle and passed bipartisan reforms, he eliminated wasteful spending.  He did it without raising taxes or borrowing a single dollar.

What is most remarkable?

He did it all in just one term.  The president's one term record hasn't even come close.

So Mr. President, time is not what brings about change---it's leadership.  And four years into your presidency, time has simply shown that leadership is what you lack.

Go Mitt.

Yes We Can? (Umm...Well, you couldn't and you didn't).

In 2008, Obama ran on the message of "Change" for the better and "Hope" for a stronger, more prosperous future.  He promised to improve our lives and fix everything—literally, everything including the ocean tides and even heal the planet.

• He promised to fix the economy.  Is it even close?

• He promised prosperity. 1 in 6 Americans are now living in poverty.  Is this prosperity?

• He promised to cut the deficit in half—he actually doubled it and added $5 trillion to our debt.

• He confidently promised to lower unemployment—it's still over 8% for the 43rd month.

• He promised to help millions of Americans who were losing their homes.  His $75 billion Affordable Refinance Program was a disaster and by all accounts a complete "failure."  The New York Times reported that Obama's mortgage relief plan "fell vastly short of its goals."

• He promised new jobs and he claims he added 4.5 million new jobs,—oops, CNN fact checkers disproved it and said the actual net gain has been a mere 300,000 new jobs to date.

• He promised to change the tone.  Yet, for four years, every misstep, missed opportunity and lack of progress has been brazenly blamed on individuals whose ideology represent half the country.

***

Obama promised to deliver on a lot of things.  But the fact remains, he's been wrong about everything.

He wants for four more years to get it right.  Problem?  My family can't afford to find out if he's wrong...again.  Can yours?

America deserves more than what this president has offered.  For this reason, I will continue to support the candidate whose resume shows me that not only does he know how to make promises, but he knows how to keep them.

For 25 years, Mitt Romney was hired time and again to improve profitability, resuscitate the bankrupt and fix a fiscal crisis.  (Sound familiar?)

He was successful nearly every single time.  Our president's record doesn't even come close.

Go Mitt.

Do Words Speak Louder than Actions or Actions Louder than Words?

The world of politics is exploding over a secretly taped video of Mitt Romney back in May at a fundraising event when he made some questionable remarks about the 47% of Americans who don't pay income tax and why those individuals would never vote for Mitt Romney.

The world of journalism is doing their part to ensure that this explosion will be the implosion of one man's presidential hopes.

Image from Foxnews.com

The press is outraged.  The press is disgusted, but make no mistake about it, the press is really just celebrating.  They seem perfectly ready to end the election and declare that Mitt Romney is not fit to hold the office.  They want us to believe that Romney has revealed that he doesn't care about the poor and obviously wants to separate the "haves from the have nots."

Are they right?  Is the election over?  Is this the final blow?

Absolutely not.  Although for the moment, this election appears to be about this video, like it or not, the election is still about the economic security of our people and to be blunt, despite all the president has tried, the economic security in America still stinks.

***

The press can shout about this tape, but the fact remains that this election will be about our broken economy and our president's failed attempts to make things better.

I have no problem with the press holding a leader accountable for their words, but it seems a little disingenuous when they are not equally as determined to hold the president accountable for his actions.

Image from nytimes.com

Last night, our president appeared on David Letterman.  There was of course, talk of this Mitt Romney recording.  President Obama in his calming and reassuring way said,

"What I've learned as president is that you represent the entire country. If you want to be president, you've got to work for everyone and not just some.  You've got to be president to all the people."

Hmm.  That sounds really nice.  I think I even got a chill up my leg.

Problem?  Obama's actions as president have not reflected that sentiment.  In fact, this country feels more divided than ever and our president has been at the center of it.

Actions speak louder than words:

Religion
I for one, am a person of faith.  I strongly believe and defend our first amendment right which respects religious freedom and prohibits our government from making laws impeding the free exercise of it.

When the president made changes to the Affordable Care Act requiring non-profit organizations, including Catholic institutions to pay for birth control, contraceptives, morning after pills and abortions, even though such a requirement goes against their moral convictions, Obama brazenly pushed it through and instead made "amendments" which changed the wording but not the requirement.

Mr. President, your actions with this ruling did not represent me or millions of other people of faith.


Debt
I am also an American who firmly believes in moral spending limits.  Like many conservatives, I believe it is immoral to spend more money than we have.

Mr. President, I have watched you add $5 trillion dollars to our deficit in 3 1/2 years---more debt than any administration combined. A $16 trillion debt is reckless, irresponsible and as you once said, "unpatriotic."

With regards to spending and debt, your actions have not represented me or millions of conservatives who share my convictions.  


Free Enterprise
I am an American who believes that free enterprise works.  I believe that American businesses are at the heart of a thriving economy.  I believe that high taxes, government restrictions and impositions are hindering business growth and potential.  I am an American who is freaked out that 2011 saw the slowest start up rate for new businesses in 11 years.

Mr. President, when you say things like "You didn't build that," it didn't feel like you were representing me or the millions of Americans who disagree with your idea that success should not be rewarded.


Health Care Reform
I am an American who still does not want Obamacare.  I am one of the millions of Americans who opposed such an expensive, intrusive and unproven overhaul of our health care system.  I am one of the 65% of Americans who did not support this reform. (Remember, only 35% of Americans supported this legislation at the time it passed).

Mr. President, when you resorted to bribes and back room deals to get the votes needed to pass your signature piece of legislation, it did not feel like you represented me or the millions who disagreed with Obamacare.  When this bill passed without one Republican vote, it should have concerned you that its content did not represent half of the country.

***

Although there is widespread panic over Mitt Romney's remarks, it feels disingenuous.  It feels orchestrated.  It feels insincere.

Sadly, the press is more eager to hold Mitt Romney accountable for his words than they are willing to hold our president accountable for his actions.  We should not stand for it.

President Obama has been in office for nearly 4 years.  He vowed to improve everything--including the ocean tides and even the planet.  He promised to fix the economy.  He assured us that he would and he spent trillions to show that he could.  Well, 50 days before his re-election, it is hard to argue that any of his attempts have worked.

- 23 million people are still out of work.

- 1 in 6 Americans are now living in poverty.

- Nearly 50 million Americans are on food stamps.

- Millions of our neighbors are still losing their homes.

- Our country is still facing a fiscal cliff.

The president may say that he is the president for the all the people and say that he wants to help us all, but his actions speak louder than words.  He has never attempted to represent all of us and his efforts certainly have not helped enough of us.

Image from politico.com

Do Mitt Romney's words speak for his future actions?  Why shouldn't the president's actions speak louder than his words?

I am not buying it.  We are hurting.  We need help.  The president has miserably failed to help us.

We need to hold him accountable for it.

Go Mitt.

Obama Recovery vs. Previous Recoveries

There are many parts of the world where people who disagree or are dissatisfied with their government are left to suffer in silence.  In America, things are different.  We have the rare gift of being able to hold our leaders accountable for their actions.  If we disagree with a leader, we get to have a say.  We get to place a vote to replace them.

It is a gift to have that voice---we should never take it for granted.

We are 57 days from a pivotal and I would argue, a life changing election.  Americans have the opportunity to hold our president accountable for the job he promised he could do.

Will we?

***

Four years ago, President Obama knew the dire economic state of country.  He knew things were a mess, but he ran on the promise that he could help.  He promised the American people that he would restore fiscal discipline to our government, unite our country, strengthen the middle class and get Americans back to work.  He promised that his skills and his leadership would lead us out of the economic crisis.

As we look around at the state of our economy today, it would be hard to argue that he accomplished any of it:

• In one term, $5 trillion dollars was borrowed and spent to stimulate our economy.  It didn't work.

• 1 in 6 Americans, 43 million people are now living in poverty.  The highest levels in 52 years. (New York Times 9/13/2011)

• 50 million Americans--more than any number in history are dependent on Food Stamps. (ABC News 12/2/2011)

• 23 million Americans are looking for stable full-time employment.  During the month of August, for every job that was added to the workforce, 4 individuals just quit looking for work.  

But our president defends it and says that we are on the path to prosperity and recovery.  Wait, this a recovery?  Is it good enough?

President Obama loves to fault Bush for leading our country into this recession, but he forgets that he ran on the promise that he was going to be the leader to guide us out of it.  He hasn't.

According the National Bureau of Economic Research, the U.S. economy has experienced 10 recessions from 1946 to 2006.  Ten recessions with extended periods of decline, job losses and stagnant economic growth.

What is different about this recovery period?

It has had much deeper unemployment for longer periods of time than any other previous recessions.  The website The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has a fascinating web tool which allows users to compare the ten different recessions and the respective recoveries.

Previous Recoveries vs. Obama's Recovery

UNEMPLOYMENT

• In every other recession: Unemployment levels returned to pre-recession levels within 1.5 to 4 years.  
• Obama's Recovery: After 4 years, the unemployment rate remains above 8% for the 43rd month---nowhere near the pre-recession unemployment level of 4.5%.  
• At this current rate, our country is three years away from returning to pre-recession levels.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

• Reagan's Recovery: In the first 11 quarters of the Reagan led recovery in the 1980's, the economy grew at an average of 6.1% per quarter.
• Under Obama: The economy has grown an average 2.4% per quarter. (Wall Street Journal 4/27/2012)

JOB CREATION

• At this point in Reagan's recovery, 168,000 jobs per month were added to the work force totaling 4.078 million jobs.
• Under Obama: We are at a 30 year-low in new business start-ups. According to a survey from Challenger, Gray and Christmas, "2011 had the lowest start-up rate in 11 years." 
• Anthony Davies, Economic professor at Duquesne University argues that we should be adding 180,000 jobs per month for full recovery.  Obama's recovery has averaged 86,000 per month.

MEDIAN INCOME

• Median income has fallen 7.3 percent since Obama's inauguration---$4,019 per family. (Forbes 9/9/2012)

Obama is credited for the longest and slowest recovery in our country's history.  Long and slow months have passed.  Trillions of dollars have been borrowed and spent yet, our friends and neighbors continue to lose jobs, continue to lose their homes, continue to lose hope.

Obama is asking us to reward him for it?

Image from Politico.com

The president and his allies are now crying foul saying that we should give him a break because this was such a unique recession he inherited.  The problem with that argument?  I agree.

It was a unique recession which is exactly why the recovery will require a unique leader. Obama's dismal results and incessant blaming of his predecessor simply tell me that he is in over his head.  I don't have the need or patience to find out if he can get it right the next time around.

History has shown that there is a better way to recovery.

Mitt's unique training of helping companies, organizations and a state government turn around will benefit our country at this desperate moment.

We must never forget, the gift of Democracy---we get to hold our leaders accountable for their failures.   This time around, how can we afford not to?

Obama's recovery efforts have failed.  I can't think of one reason why we shouldn't hold him accountable for it.

Image from businessweek.com

Go Mitt.

 

Obama Promises Prosperity---Can We Afford to Find out if he is Wrong...Again?

60 days from today, Americans will chose the leader to guide our country in these uncertain times.

The conventions are over, the nominations have been secured, bases have been rallied and each side has made their case to the American people.  The race is on.

Last night, President Obama delivered a crucial speech.  Expectations were high and many expected him to knock it out of the park.  A lot was riding on this speech.  After all, Obama's future is hinging on whether or not he can convince us again that he is the man for the job.

Did it work?

Image from NPR.com

As Obama took the stage, he wasted no time pledging to the American people that the path he has set us on will lead to a prosperous future.  He assured us that "Our challenges can be met" and that he can lead us to a "better place."

He asked for patience and assured us that he is in the fight to "restore values that built the largest middle class and strongest economy the world has ever known."

It all sounded really nice...hmmm...and remarkably familiar?

Many political pundits have pointed out today, that several of things he said last night were plucked directly out of speeches and State of the Union addresses that he has been giving for the last four years.

No wonder we were a little bored.  We have already heard this.  No wonder his delivery was a little dry, he has already made these promises dozens of times.

The only thing remarkably different about his speech?  It lacked passion and I would argue that it is because he lacks the conviction to know he can actually get it done.

***

The president made promises, but these are promises that have already been made and sadly, these are promises that have already been broken.

He already promised us a prosperous future.  He already promised us that "change" was possible.  He already promised us that his path would strengthen the middle class.

He has been wrong about it all.

It would be difficult to believe that we are truly on a "path to prosperity."  Our country is now burdened with $16 trillion deficits, unemployment remains above 8% for almost two years straight, GDP trends now mirror trends of the Great Depression and our federal leaders are completely incapable of finding compromises and solutions.

This president has overseen it all.  This is the path to prosperity?

I am not buying it.

Image from Daily News.com

The president is asking for patience---patience that we frankly don't have.   He is now pleading for a second chance---yet millions of Americans have lost their chance to pay their bills, find a job and stay in their homes.  Obama wants to strengthen the middle class, but under his leadership 2.3 million Americans have slipped out of the middle class and have joined the 1 in 6 Americans now living in poverty.

***

By all accounts, his speech last night was not his best.

He has been criticized for a speech that was void of specific changes for a second term.  With all the talk of "Fair share...fair shot...fair rules," one can only assume that his "Big Idea" for his 2nd term continues to narrowly revolve around raising taxes on the wealthy.

Does anyone want to remind him that he already tried to pass his "Fair Share" bill back in May?  It failed to pass.  What if it fails again down the road?  Then what?  Time and again his promises and "big ideas" have come up short.  We are not better off and it is still remarkably unclear if we will be better off 4 years from now.

The president is asking for a chance to make things right.  He wants to prove that change just takes time.  But can we really afford to find out if he is wrong....again?

No thanks.

I will continue to support the candidate who has demonstrated time and again that he knows how to actually make change happen.  The candidate who has shown that he can actually solve difficult problems.  The candidate who as a lone Republican in a sea of Democrats turned a $3 billion deficit into a $2 billion rainy day fund.  He did it in 4 years and he did it without raising taxes and without borrowing a single dollar.

Image from NYDailyNews.com

The president's speech left even his greatest supporters scratching their heads, saying "That's it?"  But I am hoping that the president will soon find out that in America, our leaders aren't judged on the oration of their speeches, but rather the execution of their goals.

This is where the president has come up short.

The Labor Department's dismal job report today showing unemployment remaining over 8% reflects this failure perfectly.  Therefore, I am hoping that Obama's days in the oval office have dwindled to 60 because Americans are desperate to really get on a path to prosperity.  We just need the right leadership to get us there.

Go Mitt.