This election is about big things--like the education of our children, the value of our homes, the take home pay from our jobs, the price of the gasoline we buy, and the choices we have in our healthcare. It is also about the big things that determine these things--like the growth of the economy, the strength of our military, our dependence on foreign oil, and America's leadership in the world.
After emphasizing the historical importance of this election in terms of determining the trajectory of the nation, Romney outlined his five point plan for turning the economy around in detail before proceeding to other issues he promises to tackle: Medicare, Social Security, real health care reform, and Washington gridlock.
With voting already underway in this state, Romney’s speech was a pivotal moment in the contest for Iowa’s six electoral college votes. He drove his message home, detailing exactly how Obama’s failures have directly impacted individuals and how the President has no one to blame for this economy except himself:
Many families can’t get mortgages and many entrepreneurs can’t get loans because of Dodd-Frank regulations that make it harder for banks to lend.
The president invested taxpayer money--your money--in green companies, now failed, that met his fancy, and sometimes were owned by his largest campaign contributors. He spent billions of taxpayer dollars on investments like Solyndra, Tesla, Fisker, and Ener1, which only added to our mounting federal debt.
Energy prices are up in part because energy production on federal lands is down. He rejected the Keystone Pipeline from Canada, and cut in half drilling permits and leases, even as gasoline prices soared to new highs.
No, the problem with the Obama economy is not what he inherited; it is with the misguided policies that slowed the recovery, and caused millions of Americans to endure lengthy unemployment and poverty. That is why 15 million more of our fellow citizens are on food stamps than when President Obama was sworn into office. That is why 3 million more women are now living in poverty. That is why nearly 1 in 6 Americans today is poor. That is why the economy is stagnant.
This especially personal messaging should appeal to the still undecided few in Iowa who might determine the next leader of the free world.
Neither candidate will take the state for granted. The push for Iowa was unexpected by the Obama campaign because, as the LA Times reported, they had long felt Iowa was “theirs for the taking.” Although Iowans launched Obama’s bid for the White House, buyer’s remorse is sinking in. With each day, the average drops for Obama and the gap between the two shrinks. Romney’s latest speech could give him the surge he needs to close the gap and takeover Obama’s position.