Faithful readers of LFR know that I’ve criticized the Strib mercilessly, with the St. Cloud Times getting its share of criticism, too. This endorsement makes up for all the mindlessly opinionated reporting I’ve seen:

Yes, Obama inherited a declining economy, a pair of expensive foreign wars and Republicans in Congress who shamefully vowed to obstruct rather than work with him. But his party was in the majority in both the Senate and the House his first two years. And, “Other presidents have succeeded even with the other party controlling Capitol Hill,” as the Orlando Sentinel pointed out in an editorial this month. “Democrat Bill Clinton presided over an economic boom and balanced the budget working with Republicans. Leaders find a way.”

Obama hasn’t.

 

In February 2009, just two months into his presidency, Obama gave a televised interview with NBC News in which he famously — or infamously for him — said: “I will be held accountable. … If I don’t have this done in three years then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”

On Nov. 6, voters from Northwestern Wisconsin, Northeastern Minnesota and elsewhere across the nation can hold the president accountable. He didn’t get it done. The results and numbers make clear Washington is ripe for new leadership and a more-promising direction.

Republican Mitt Romney has had a few stumbles of his own, including his unfortunate “47 percent” and “binders full of women” comments. But such campaign flubs are quickly forgotten and easily overshadowed by the clear message he has put forward: Reviving the economy and putting our nation back on firm financial footing demand to be top priorities.

Romney has a bit of experience and a strong record of leadership with such goals.

I wrote here that I was surprised when the St. Cloud Times endorsed all 6 GOP legislators in the greater St. Cloud area. When I read the Duluth News Tribune’s endorsement of Mitt Romney, though, I checked for seismic activity in the Duluth area.

Two years ago, the Eighth District dumped a powerful 18-term committee chair. This year, they’re endorsing the GOP nominee over the sitting president. Both decisions were the right decisions.

Comments welcome at Let Freedom Ring.