Obama or Romney for President?

Let's consider an endorsement for President with the help of three newspapers: the staunchly Republican Chicago Tribune, Mitt Romney's "hometown" Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune, and a progressive newspaper, the New York Times.

The Economy. The New York Times (10/27/12) notes, "Mr. Obama prevented another Great Depression. The economy was cratering when he took office in January 2009. By that June it was growing, and it has been ever since (although at a rate that disappoints everyone), thanks in large part to interventions Mr. Obama championed, like the $840 billion stimulus bill. Republicans say it failed, but it created and preserved 2.5 million jobsand prevented unemployment from reaching 12 percent."

The Republican Chicago Tribune (10/26/12) adds, " At home, he has initiated,
or agreed to, tax cuts to promote growth, investment tax cuts, payroll tax cuts
and extension of all the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. He proposes to reduce
a corporate tax rate that everyone this side of the far left agrees is a
globally unfair hindrance for U.S. businesses."

The Chicago Tribune continues, "Obama's next term would open to less economic tumult: Friday morning's GDP reading confirms anew that U.S. economic growth has a fluttering heartbeat. Home prices are stabilizing, the stock market and
consumer confidence have risen, and job growth has been steady if
unspectacular."

Foreign Affairs. The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune writes (10/24/12), "Obama's foreign policy record is perhaps his strongest suit, especially compared to Romney's bellicose posture toward Russia and China and his inflammatory rhetoric regarding Iran's nuclear weapons program. Obama's measured reliance on tough economic sanctions to bring Iran to heel, and his equally measured disengagement from the war in Afghanistan, are examples of a nuanced approach to international affairs."

Mitt Romney. The Salt Lake Tribune notes, "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."

The Salt Lake Tribune adds, "Sadly, (this) is not the only Romney, as his campaign for the White House has made abundantly clear, first in his servile courtship of the tea party in order to win the nomination, and now as his party's
shape-shifting nominee. From his embrace of the party's radical right wing, to
subsequent portrayals of himself as a moderate champion of the middle class,
Romney has raised the most frequently asked question of the campaign: 'Who is
this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?'"

The Salt Lake Tribune continues, "The evidence suggests no clear answer, or at least one that would survive Romney's next speech or sound bite. Politicians
routinely tailor their words to suit an audience. Romney, though, is shameless,
lavishing vastly diverse audiences with words, any words, they would trade
their votes to hear."

What do these three distinctly different newspapers have in common? All three have endorsed Barack Obama for President.  I could not agree more with their collective judgment.

I think that Mitt Romney's "hometown" newspaper, the Salt Lake Tribune, sums it up best: "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."