Romney Sweeps Endorsements of Iowa's Largest Newspapers-- Read Their Blistering Critiques Of The President Here

Photo Credit: mittromney.com

There appears to be immense "lost faith" between six major Iowa newspapers and President Obama in the final days before the 2012 election.  On Sunday The Des Moines Register, Cedar Rapids Gazette, and Quad City Times and the Sioux City Journal all endorsed the Republican candidate.  In 2008, Romney was endorsed only by The Fort Dodge Messenger and Omaha World Herald.  The final tally means Romney has now secured an unprecedented sweep of endorsements from the six largest papers in the crucial swing-state.

The accomplishment is unprecedented for many reasons.  For one, it's the first time all the papers have collectively endorsed the same candidate in over 70 years. Four years ago, candidate Obama received warm endorsements from three of the newspapers, and Romney is the first Republican to be endorsed by the Register in 40 years.

So why the change of heart from the editorial boards of the widely-read papers? Each endorsement features blunt, revealing and at times brutal critiques of the president and his job performance.  Though the critiques of the president vary, each endorsement mentions a stagnant, limping economy as the decisive issue that pushes them to back Romney.

Photo Credit: New York Times

Shawn McCoy, Iowa Communications Director for the Romney campaign, noted in a press release that "President Obama won Iowa by nearly 10 points in 2008," but hints that that support has eroded immensely over the last four years of "misguided policies and broken promises."

Some of the sharpest critiques from the papers speak to that eroded support and overall loss of faith in President Obama:

" The economy is growing at an unacceptably anemic rate"

--The Des Moines Register

 

"Voters this year must decide if they are or are not satisfied with and confident about the direction in which America is moving. We are neither satisfied nor confident. In our view, change is needed."

--Sioux City Journal

 

"The ever-changing account of how his administration has responded to and explained — or hasn’t — the assassination of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya is raising troublesome doubts about the chain of command and whether there’s been a cover-up."

--The Cedar Rapids Gazette 

 

"The president laments congressional gridlock that fomented under the inflammatory leadership of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid. The president’s deference to their reckless rhetoric further deepened congressional divide. Obama doesn’t deserve all of the blame. But he merits little credit for any meaningful attempt to bridge the gap."

--Quad-City Times

 

"And puzzling to us was why the president didn’t carry the flag for his bipartisan Simpson-Bowles panel, which recommended a necessary combination of spending cuts and revenue increases to seriously launch our way out of the deficit quagmire."

--The Cedar Rapids Gazette 

 

"Of the last 11 recoveries from recession, the Obama recovery is the worst. The average retail price of gas has risen by nearly $2 per gallon.  Median household income is down more than 8 percent."

--Sioux City Journal

 

"Some Romney critics say he’s “anti-women” and doesn’t care enough about the poor or making sure there’s an adequate safety net for those hit by tragedy or severe circumstances. We believe most of those fears are overblown or misrepresented."

--The Cedar Rapids Gazette 

 

"No need to rely on hope. His record includes evidence of change...We endorse a proven manager who won’t need on-the-job training."

--Quad-City Times

 

"Because we wish to see the country chart a new course to economic vitality and fiscal sanity, the Journal endorses former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to be the next president of the United States."

--Sioux City Journal

 

"We invested heavily in hope back in 2008.  Our 2012 endorsement of Mitt Romney comes with an imperative for change."

--Quad-City Times

 

"Barack Obama rocketed to the presidency from relative obscurity with a theme of hope and change. A different reality has marked his presidency. His record on the economy the past four years does not suggest he would lead in the direction the nation must go in the next four years."

--The Des Moines Register