As both presidential candidates have continuously reminded us, we, the American people, have an important decision to make within the next couple of days. This decision will determine who will lead our great nation for the next four years.
President Obama has had four years to place his ideas into motion, which do include a number of good ideas. Unfortunately, he is better at talking about his ideas than working with the Congress to make these ideas a reality. Our country is a mess.
Hopefully, you understand the immense scope of that mess. Furthermore, it is vital to understand that the blame goes back many years, includes numerous administrations and is fairly cast at the feet of both parties.
We need a leader, someone who can lead others to embrace his ideas, place them in motion and begin digging our nation out from under the mountain of debt that now threatens our future.
The current president has had four years to do this, and has failed. I’m sure he is a good man, wants to do well and wishes to see our nation move forward, but he is simply unable to lead us in a forward direction.
I believe the choice is clear. We will either continue forward toward an almost certain chaos, failure and disappointment or vote for Governor Romney and give him the opportunity to do what he has repeatedly proven over his professional and political career that he can do: lead and succeed. The voter has to determine whether or not to trust a man who had his chance and failed, or a man with a proven track record for success who will bring this nation to a time of prosperity.
In the latest series of commercials, the president argues that he has achieved much success, but as I look around at the state of our union, economy, foreign alliances, efficiency of government and strength of our military, I wonder if he really believes that we are moving forward. It seems impossible for him think we are making progress when almost every neutral indicator contradicts his message.
The debates have been more of a spectacle than any true measure of who the better choice is to lead this nation. Quite honestly, by the last debate, I found myself tuning in merely to count how many times the president would tell Governor Romney it was his turn to talk when he himself could not stop interrupting the governor.
The only debate that truly mattered to me was the first one. It was the most memorable simply because Romney laid out his plan and left me with the impression that he is more focused on the nation’s future than attacking his political opponent.
Frankly, it seems that the majority of the president’s messages are negative, empty and reveal his combative nature. We need a leader who can compromise and work solutions, not someone who simply keeps score and becomes more divisive with each passing day.
Romney has been attacked by the dirty Obama campaign throughout the election for his business successes, as if we should think less of him because of his hard work, keen mind and clever decisions.
As a voter, I cannot imagine why I might hold these things against him. To the contrary, this is what the American dream is all about, and this is the type of man I want leading us out from under the mountain of problems that we now face. Does this not hint towards what he could do for this nation? I believe that the answer is unequivocally yes. His multitude of successes stand as powerful evidence that he can lead and succeed.
Fellow citizens, we are in trouble. We need to fix our internal problems and we need to work together. If we fail to find success in the next decade, I fear we are lost. We stand at a critical juncture in our history.
We must choose the right leader, one who has proven business mettle and understanding of the mechanics of commerce and economy.
The president had four years to prove he is that man, and I sincerely believed that he tried, but that he simply did not have the right stuff. He is a good man who worked hard, but he simply does not have the experience and knowledge base to succeed on this incredibly complex stage.
Because of his background and track record I truly believe Romney has the experience and knowledge to continue the long string of successes that he has already amassed.
It is absolutely vital that we, the American people, go to the polls and vote responsibly, and we must vote for who will lead us into a brighter future.
Richard J Whitaker can be reached at richard.whitaker@spartans.ut.edu.