Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 01:33 pm
Major papers in two swing states (Florida and Colorado) endorsed President Barack Obama for a second term, and in Utah – considered by some a home state of Mitt Romney’s – the Salt Lake Tribune has also endorsed President Barack Obama.
In the heart of Utah (one of Mitt Romney’s many home states), the Salt Lake Tribune endorses President Barack Obama for a second term. The self-described “largely Mormon, Republican and business friendly state” is going for the incumbent Democrat. They conclude, “(O)ur endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term.” The Salt Lake Tribune:
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Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee’s political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state…
In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem-solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney’s domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust.
Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first.
The Florida Tampa Bay Times cites Romney’s “fanciful math” that would increase taxes on the middle class. They conclude, “Obama has capably steered the nation through an incredibly difficult period at home and abroad, often with little help from Congress.”:
In contrast, Romney would transform Medicare into a voucher program that likely would force many future seniors to pay more for less coverage. He rejects raising even $1 of new revenue for every $10 in spending cuts, and he promises to cut taxes by $5 trillion but won’t say which loopholes or tax breaks he would end to cover the cost. Meanwhile, he wants to reduce the federal deficit while increasing spending on defense beyond what even the Pentagon requests — even though the United States spends nearly as much on its military as the rest of the world combined. This fanciful math could only add up to deep cuts in spending on education and other domestic programs — and tax increases on the middle class.
We wish the economic recovery was more vigorous, and we would like the president to present a sharper vision for a second term. But Obama has capably steered the nation through an incredibly difficult period at home and abroad, often with little help from Congress. The next four years will not be easy for whoever occupies the Oval Office, but Obama has been tested by harsh circumstance and proven himself worthy of a second term.
For president of the United States, the Tampa Bay Times recommends Barack Obama.
In Colorado, The Denver Post cites Romney’s troubling comments about the 47% painting him as someone who won’t bring his party closer to the center where it needs to be right now. They conclude, “Obama, on the other hand, has shown throughout his term that he is a steady leader who keeps the interests of a broad array of Americans in mind.”
And though there is much in Mitt Romney’s résumé to suggest he is a capable problem-solver, the Republican nominee has not presented himself as a leader who will bring his party closer to the center at a time when that is what this country needs.
His comments on the 47 percent of Americans who refuse to “take personal responsibility and care for their lives” were a telling insight into his views and a low point of the campaign.
Obama, on the other hand, has shown throughout his term that he is a steady leader who keeps the interests of a broad array of Americans in mind.
We urge Coloradans to re-elect him to a second term.
Romney didn’t get any primary love from his home state of Massachusetts, where he was governor for four years. The Boston Globe, the biggest Massachusetts paper, endorsed Jon Hunstman over Romney in the primary. No word yet from Michigan’s the Detroit Free Press, but the state where Romney grew up is polling solidly for the President, as is Massachusetts where the President’s lead is in double digits.
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