Welcome President Obama to the Philippines, we need more investments & trade, not just arms & alms

Welcome Pres. Obama, we need more investments & trade, not just arms & alms

I'm inspired by the people I meet in my travels--hearing their stories, seeing the hardships they overcome, their fundamental optimism and decency…They make me want to work to make the world a little bit better. --- Barack Obama

            Welcome to the intellectually brilliant, eloquent and well-intentioned U.S. President Barack Obama to Asia’s most fun-loving country the Philippines. I urge Obama to please prioritize promoting more American investments, trade and tourism here, not just rosy speeches and effusive photo-ops, not just free U.S. military access to our archipelago, not just aid, not just more sales of military weapons.

It is sad that not many of our politicians realize that the true bulwark of national security and the best foundation for our democracy is a vibrant, self-reliant and globally-competitive Philippine economy, not just more new warplanes or ships.

Image above of President Barack Obama sourced from en.wikipedia.org

            President Obama’s desire for a strategic pivot (or “rebalance”, as the White House has seemingly renamed it after supposed panic and complaints from close allies in the Middle East and Europe) to Asia should hopefully be more vigorous economically, not just on the diplomatic, military and political aspects.

Help nudge our leaders to push economic democracy

I hope pro-poor President Obama can nudge our political leaders to push more decisive socio-economic reforms such as a Theodore Roosevelt-style anti-trust law and Senator Grace Poe’s Freedom of Information (FOI) bill. How can our economy be truly dynamic if it is agriculturally semi-feudal and industrially oligopolistic?

Also, on April 22---Earth Day, ecological champion Senator Loren Legarda and director Brillante Mendoza launched a riveting documentary on the destruction of the priceless marine biodiversity in our many coastal areas where millions of the rural poor live. I urge Obama to give technological and financial aid to our environmental projects, especially since logging, mining and other huge extraction of our natural resources grew under U.S. colonial rule and mostly by the multinationals.

Despite the gitzy malls and many new condominiums in our cities, we in Philippine society still have a long way to go economically. True, we’re politically an American-style constitutional democracy, but not yet an economic democracy.

In fact, it was a tragedy that U.S. colonizers had failed to implement agrarian reform and end feudalism in the Philippines the same way they did in postwar Japan under General Douglas MacArthur. I recall reading that MacArthur once even said that if he were a Filipino, he’d most likely have been a Huk rebel in the 1950s.

True, we’ve enjoyed investment-grade ratings upgrades and high economic growth rates, but the benefits have not yet trickled down fast enough. The small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) are still not yet very energized. I hope the civil libertarian Obama can nudge our leaders to push inclusive economic growth and help make the Philippines a true economic democracy with a broad-based middle-class.

U.S. once helped build up Philippine economy to No. 2 in Asia

Image above of USA and Philippine flags sourced from finestflags.com

Before at the residence of then U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney, I told her that in our ethnic Chinese family’s over two centuries here in the Philippines---including the Spanish colonial era, the brief interlude of Japanese military occupation and the post-war decades of independence---family elders say that the half-century American colonial period witnessed the rise of the Philippines into Asia’s second richest and most developed economy. Can the U.S. again more vigorously support the Philippine economy with preferential import tariffs, more investments and tourism?

            This need for stronger U.S. economic engagement with Asia should hopefully be uppermost in the agenda and priorities of Obama during his trip. We in the Philippines have received the least amount of economic aid, investments and trade from the U.S. compared to the three Asian countries Obama is visiting such as America’s former World War II foe Japan, South Korea and even Malaysia which used to be led by harsh U.S. critic ex-Prime Minister Mahathir.

More USA investments & trade with ex-foe Vietnam than ally Philippines

Image above of overlapping USA and Vietnam flags sourced from flamenkitaviajera.com

Even Vietnam, another war foe which even dealt the United States its first ever military defeat in history, has in recent years amazingly received more American investments, aid, trade and tourists than we here in the Philippines despite our “special relations”, our being the only former U.S. colony in Asia, our being staunchest U.S. ally since World War II, our fluency in American-style English as well as our having better U.S.-style legal and accounting systems here.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Manila: “The United States is among the Philippines’ top trading partners, and it traditionally has been the Philippines’ largest foreign investor… The stock of U.S. foreign direct investment in the Philippines exceeded $5 billion.”

In January this year, a firm identified with America’s prominent Rockefeller family announced a massive new investment in Vietnam. Rose Rock Group, a Rockefeller family-backed alternative investment management firm, said it shall help develop a $2.5 billion residential and hotel project in on the south-central coast of Vietnam.

This Vung Ro Bay development shall cover 200,000 square meters (2.15 million square feet) and to be developed with Vung Ro Petroleum Co. This huge undertaking will include 350 marina berths, hotels of over 760 rooms, 4,300 residential apartments, 100 townhouses and retail shops.

            On bilateral trade, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said: “The Philippines was the United States’ 33rd largest export market in 2012 and its 35th largest supplier. Goods exports totalled $8.1 billion; goods imports totalled $9.6 billion.” Two-way trade between theU.S. and the Philippines totalled US$17.6 billion. In comparison, bilateral trade volume between former enemies U.S. and Vietnam in the same year 2012 totalled US$ 24.890 billion dollars.

            President Barack Obama, let us substantially expand bilateral economic relations between the Philippines and the U.S. and help in our war against poverty.

I got this email from the White House in the U.S., through the office of President Barack Obama, a letter from his Vice-President Joe Biden on their bold and positive actions to try curbing the crazy gun culture in America. I salute them for their gun control and reform efforts!

What about us in the Philippines, when will our political and other leaders curb widespread gun ownership as well as reform our police and military, decisively crack down on lawless elements with a lot of illegal firearms?


(This image of Joe Biden below sourced from biography.com)




(This image of Barack Obama sourced from washingtonpost.com)




(Image below of recent spate of USA gun violence crimes sourced from nydailynews.com)



Hello --

Today President Obama announced a plan to help protect our kids and communities from gun violence. You're going to hear a lot about it, but I wanted to make sure you got a chance to get the facts, straight from me.

After hearing from Americans from across the political spectrum, we decided to focus on some key priorities: closing background check loopholes, banning military-style assault weapons, making our schools safer, and increasing access to mental health services.

The ideas we sent to President Obama are straightforward. Each of them honors the rights of law-abiding, responsible Americans to bear arms. Some of them will require action from Congress; the President is acting on others immediately. But they're all commonsense and will help make us a little safer.

Now is the time for all of us to act.

Read about the events that brought us to this point, learn about the plan we've proposed to help protect our kids, and then add your name in support to help build momentum for this plan.
Here's what we've put together:

We're calling for requiring background checks for all gun sales and closing the loopholes that allow dangerous individuals to make their purchase without going through one of these checks.

We're asking for a new, stronger ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that allow a shooter to fire dozens of bullets as quickly as he can pull a trigger. And we're asking Congress to help protect law enforcement by make it illegal for members of the public to possess armor-piercing bullets.

We're going to give law enforcement more tools and resources to prevent and prosecute gun crimes, and we're going to end the freeze on gun violence research that prevents the Center from Disease Control from looking at the causes of gun violence.

We're calling on Congress to help make schools safer by putting up to 1,000 school resource officers and mental health professionals in schools and ensuring they have comprehensive emergency management plans in place.

And we're going to increase coverage so that students and young adults can get access to the mental health treatment they may need.

We know that no policy we enact or law we enforce can prevent every senseless act of violence in our country. But if we can save the life of even one child, we have a deep responsibility to act.
Now is the time to come together to protect our kids. Learn about the plan, then add your name alongside mine:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/now-is-the-time

Thanks,
Vice President Joe Biden

Obama correct in supporting Israel vs. Hamas

My Comments:

Finally, USA led by newly-reelected President Barack Obama has publicly expressed support for Israel in its fight for survival now against hundreds of rockets from Hamas in Gaza. War shouldn't target civilians.

I believe all peoples of the world should support the nation of Israel. In the same manner, hopefully Obama, the West and other countries should decisively move for negotiating a long-term peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

Let me make it clear that I am for support of the Palestinian people to have their own independent state, but one led by good leaders who shall accept peaceful co-existence with the Jewish state of Israel and not supporting terrorism. We should also support the Palestinian people.

There should be lasting and just peace in the Middle East.

 

Obama Says U.S. ‘Fully Supportive’ of Israel Defense Rights

By Hans Nichols and Margaret Talev - Nov 18, 2012 10:20 PM GMT+0800

President Barack Obama said the U.S. will continue to support Israel in its battle against Palestinian missiles, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the country was ready to broaden its Gaza operation.

“We are fully supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself from missiles landing on people’s homes and workplaces and potentially killing civilians, and we will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” Obama said at a press conference in Bangkok, where he began a three-nation trip that will include the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to Myanmar.

“There’s no country on earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens,” Obama said.
Obama’s comments in Bangkok came hours after Netanyahu told his cabinet that the Israeli military is prepared for a “significant expansion of its operations” in Gaza. “We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas,” he said.

(USA President Obama and Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C., USA. This March 5, 2012 photograph is sourced from  news.yahoo.com)



Israel deployed tanks near the border, threatening the first ground invasion of Gaza since the attack in December 2008 that killed more than 1,100 Palestinians. Israel says its military goal is to make Palestinians stop firing the hundreds of rockets from the Hamas-controlled territory that have killed three Israelis.
The U.S., Israel and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist group.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today called on Israel and Palestinians to enter a cease-fire within 24 hours.

‘Preferred’ Solution

Obama said that his message to Erdogan, as well as Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, was that it would be “preferred” if Israel could deter missiles from landing in its territory without ramping up military activity in Gaza. “That’s not just preferable to the people of Gaza, that’s also preferable to Israelis,” he said.

“We are going to have to see what kind of progress we can make in the next 24, 36, 48 hours,” Obama said.

Obama made clear that a lasting peace would only be achieved when both Israelis and Palestinians worked toward a two-state solution.

The conflict threatens a region still unbalanced after a wave of popular uprisings last year, including one in Israel’s neighbor Syria that has turned into a civil war.

Yesterday’s comment by Mursi, that there were indications an agreement to halt the violence may be reached, were undermined by air-raid sirens and loud booms over Tel Aviv today. Two rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. A rocket landed in Jerusalem on Nov. 16, the first such attack in decades.

Casualties Mount

Israeli air assaults yesterday killed 15 Palestinians, lifting the toll since Nov. 14 to 45, including 13 civilians and an 11-month-old child, Ashraf al-Qedra of the Gaza health ministry said.

A rocket hit the sea south of Tel Aviv on Nov. 15 and another landed near Jerusalem the following day, the first such attack in decades.

Israeli forces fired artillery shells early today in the Golan Heights after gunfire from Syria hit an army vehicle, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an Israeli military spokeswoman. The firing on the Israeli vehicle didn’t cause any injuries, AFP cited the spokeswoman as saying.

Israeli missiles struck a Hamas media center in central Gaza early today, Al Arabiya television reported.
The U.S., Israel and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

“If we are serious about wanting to resolve this situation,” Obama said. “It starts with no more missiles fired into Israel’s territory.”

8 Reasons Why I hope Americans vote for Mitt Romney







Here are some of the reasons why I hope Mitt Romney wins the USA presidential election:

1. Turnaround leader---Mitt Romney has proven track record as turnaround leader---financially turning around the scandal-ridden and mismanaged 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, USA; turning around Massachusetts economy while governor there; turning around losing corporations. I believe he could turn around the ailing USA economy with decisive and pragmatic reforms.

I believe the world now is economically in a precarious situation with financial crises in Europe and USA, a slowing China economy, a stagnant Japan economy, so we need robust reforms and hopefully a genuine recovery in the USA economy under a Romney presidency.

2. Intellectual brilliance & high intelligence---Romney is an intelligent, well-educated leader with impressive credentials.

He attended Stanford University, then earned a Bachelor of Arts in English degree with highest honors from Brigham Young University and also gave the commencement speech, then earning a joint Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration from Harvard University's Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. He graduated with top honors from both Harvard schools---cum laude in the law school and among the top-ranked graduates in the business school.

3. Strong support for small businesses, free enterprise ideals & less taxes---Romney vigorously supports the expansion of small businesses, lesser taxes and promotion of enlightened free enterprise ideals as antidotes to the ailing USA economy, instead of the ideas of increased government spending and higher taxes to stimulate the economy.

I am very wary of excessive government dole-outs and other huge wasteful USA government expenditures to prop up badly-run companies, or too much welfare policies. I am for welfare and social assistance policies, but these should be balanced with encouraging more self-reliance and self-help initiatives too.

4. Solid family values and anti-abortion stance---Romney is a good family man with solid moral values and conservative social policies.

An example: I admire Romney's courageous stand in opposing the legality of abortion on demand. I believe human life begins at conception and that abortion is tantamount to the unforgivable crime of murder. I am horrified at the widespread prevalence of abortions in the millions happening every year in the U.S.







5. Centrist & pragmatic ideology in politics---Mitt Romney is ideologically centrist, not overly liberal or ultra-left in political, social and economic issues. Romney is also not too rightwing, therefore he could help unify the deeply divided American politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties as he had done so as Massachusetts governor vis-a-vis the Democrats-dominated state legislature then.

USA politics is so toxic now and polarized, the fiscal cliff is also a real danger for America and threatens the stability of our world economy. We need a centrist, pragmatic and non-ideological unifying leader in the U.S. to push drastic, systemic---not cosmetic or feel-good---reforms.

The reason for this centrist nature of Mitt Romney, I believe, is because Romney has been a businessman and therefore more of a pragmatist than an ideologue politico.

Critics have unfairly hit Romney for allegedly changing some of his political stands or policy pronouncements in the past, but I view all that as proofs that Mitt Romney is above all a flexible and pragmatic leader.

As the late great China leader and daring reformist Deng Xiaoping once famously said: "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice."

6. Potential good friend of Asia, not adversarial because of business & pragmatic mindset---I believe Mitt Romney will be good and fair to Asia. There are many in Asia who are concerned that Romney is too anti-China in his election campaign rhetoric and TV commercials, too anti-Asian exports, or that he might curb or curtail Asian exports to America, etc. I believe Romney is a pragmatist, and he will be like the late U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Remember how Nixon was once the most stridently anti-Communist and also anti-China politician in USA Cold War era before he won power as president? After he went to the White House, it was eventually a pragmatic Nixon who boldly initiated detente with and more diplomatic exchanges with China then still under Chairman Mao Zedong of the leftist Cultural Revolution era. China now vastly different and still modernizing, a pragmatist Romney will make the U.S. an economic partner of China.

Since we in Asia has the world's fastest-growing and most dynamic economies, the pragmatic ex-businessman Mitt Romney will surely reach out to Asia and make the USA our partner for world progress.

Towards South Korea, Japan, Asean and other export-driven economies of our region, I believe Mitt Romney will boost USA ties to Asia based mainly on our economic strengths and strategic importance.


7.  Strong support for Israel & for Middle East Peace---I admire Mitt Romney for his strong support for Israel, that dynamic democracy in the Middle East.

I believe his leadership can lead to lasting peace between Jews and Palestinians as well as other Arab or Muslim peoples of the whole Middle East, because Romney is pragmatist and decisive as a leader.

8. A Successful former businessman ideal for USA's No. 1 Problem of the economy---I have nothing against lawyers becoming leaders, like Barack Obama, but the Number 1 problem of America now is the U.S. economy, so why not try a former top businessman and chief executive officer (CEO) like Mitt Romney in the White House?

This former businessman Mitt Romney knows how to handle money and financial problems more than any other leader in USA politics now. In fact, he himself has built a personal net worth of a quarter of a billion dollars or US$250 million which are now mostly in blind trusts. He has proven track record of success in handling financial and money issues, why not let this talented ex-businessman solve the myriad, systemic and complex problems of the ailing U.S. economy?

Close fight! Obama at 49%, Romney 46% just 9 days before election: Reuters/Ipsos poll

My comments:

It seems the social media and even lots of the more liberal-leaning traditional media in the United States seem to be favoring incumbent U.S. President Barack Obama. However, I believe the still underdog but dogged challenger ex-Governor Mitt Romney is surging and has a fighting chance to pull off a possible upset victory?

This is one of the most exciting presidential elections I have ever!

I'm betting a hundred pizzas that former successful businessman Mitt Romney will win! Wanna bet?

Below is the latest opinion poll in USA indicating it's still too close to call:

 

 

Sun, Oct 28 2012

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has extended his narrow lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney among likely voters in a race that remains statistically tied nine days before the election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll released on Sunday.

Obama has a 49 percent to 46 percent edge over Romney, marking a 1 point increase from Saturday but still within the daily online survey's 4 percentage-point credibility interval for likely voters.

Swings could be possible in the remaining days of the campaign, however. Fifteen percent of registered voters say they could still change their minds and vote for a different candidate.

The precision of Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points for likely voters.

(Editing by Alistair Bell and Eric Beech)

More USA newspapers endorsing Mitt Romney? This report from New York Times. Exciting & close election! Vote Romney

My comments:

I came across this feature in the newspaper New York Times just now, and I'm impressed that this report shows more former supporters of Obama in the 2008 presidential election have now switched their support for businessman and former Governor Mitt Romney.

The reason I personally favor Mitt Romney? I'm concerned about the ailing USA economy and I really believe Romney is much more capable to turn around the economy.




Here's the New York Times feature below:

Newspaper Endorsements From Across the Nation

The presidential endorsements of the nation’s largest papers are starting to trickle in. Not surprisingly, most editorial boards supported the same party in 2012 as they had in 2008. But there were some notable exceptions.

All 2012 Endorsements

Switched Party in 2012

Barack Obama

Sunday, Oct. 28

New Yorker | New York City, N.Y.

The Choice

The choice is clear. The Romney-Ryan ticket represents a constricted and backward-looking vision of America: the privatization of the public good. In contrast, the sort of public investment championed by Obama—and exemplified by both the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Care Act—takes to heart the old civil-rights motto “Lifting as we climb.” That effort cannot, by itself, reverse the rise of inequality that has been under way for at least three decades. But we’ve already seen the future that Romney represents, and it doesn’t work. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 25

San Francisco Chronicle | San Francisco

Chronicle Recommends: Re-elect Obama

This is a president who was willing to send Navy SEALs on a daring mission to kill terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and to take a stand for marriage equality. This is a Democrat who will push against the party base for trade agreements and education reform. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 25

Miami Herald | Miami

Obama for President

In the end, Mr. Obama’s policies across the board — the environment, social policy, taxes and immigration — offer a more generous vision for America. The issues he has fought for, coupled with the lingering doubts about Mr. Romney’s persona and his true intentions, make this a clear choice. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 25

Chicago Tribune | Chicago

Our Children's America

Four years ago, when we endorsed Obama’s run for the White House, we said he would act with decisiveness and intellectual rigor. Ironically he has shown those attributes most where Americans might have expected them least. That is, in his handling of an unfamiliar realm: world affairs. | Read Full Endorsement »

Wednesday, Oct. 24

Washington Post | Washington

Four More Years for President Obama

In a second term, working with an opposition that we hope would be chastened by the failure of its scorched-earth campaign against him, he is far more likely than his opponent to succeed. That makes Mr. Obama by far the superior choice. | Read Full Endorsement »

Monday, Oct. 22

Tacoma News Tribune | Tacoma, Wash.

With Sobered Expectations, Obama for President

Obama has played a very bad hand well. The maligned Troubled Asset Relief Program, the 2009 stimulus bill and such smaller measures as the Social Security payroll tax cut may well have kept the nation from falling off a cliff. | Read Full Endorsement »

Monday, Oct. 22

La Opinion | Los Angeles

Hay Que Reelegir a Obama

Because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or "Obamacare," now nine million Latinos have health benefits, who up until the present did not have any type of medical coverage. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

Newark Star-Ledger | Newark

Barack Obama: The Star-Ledger Editorial Board's Pick for President

Our hope is that Obama wins decisively and that Republicans respond by moving toward the middle, as Democrats did under Bill Clinton. That may be wishful thinking, but it is the nation’s best hope. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

New Haven Register | New Haven

President Barack Obama Should Be Re-elected

Despite his shortcomings, Obama will be remembered as the president who achieved near universal health care through private insurance, a goal that has eluded presidents since Harry S. Truman, who first proposed it in 1948. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

Los Angeles Times | Los Angeles

Obama for President

Voters face a momentous choice in November between two candidates offering sharply different prescriptions for what ails the country. Obama's recalls the successful formula of the 1990s, when the government raised taxes and slowed spending to close the deficit. The alternative offered by Romney would neglect the country's infrastructure and human resources for the sake of yet another tax cut and a larger defense budget than even the Pentagon is seeking. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

Charlotte Observer | Charlotte, N.C.

At a Crucial Time, Uninspiring Choices for President

The America he believes in celebrates the common good as well as the individual good. When the economy improves – and it will – the country needs a president with that agenda, with those values. We endorse Barack Obama for another four years. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

Arizona Daily Star | Tucson

Obama's Agenda Gives Steady Hand to Economic Growth

Principled leadership, consensus and time are required. Obama's accomplishments and positions on health care, higher education, and economic and social issues continue to make him the best choice for the interests at home in Southern Arizona and in our country. | Read Full Endorsement »

Friday, Oct. 19

Cleveland Plain Dealer | Cleveland

On the Basis of Sound Leadership, Re-elect Obama

Today, we recommend President Obama's re-election. He has led the nation back from the brink of depression. Ohio in particular has benefited from his bold decision to revive the domestic auto industry. Because of his determination to fulfill a decades-old dream of Democrats, 30 million more Americans will soon have health insurance. His Race to the Top initiative seeded many of the education reforms embodied in Cleveland's Transformation Plan. He ended the war in Iraq and refocused the battle to disrupt al-Qaida and its terrorist allies. He ordered the risky attack inside Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden. | Read Full Endorsement »

Friday, Oct. 19

Akron Beacon Journal | Akron, Ohio

Obama for President

What is telling about a presidency is its tilt, its direction, spirit and priorities. Thus, to those who argue the president lacks a plan for a second term: Look at the foundation that has been set. He has used the levers of government to bolster the economy, investing in education, innovation and health care, understanding the essential role of the public sector in competitiveness. Those tasks are not complete. They would continue. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 18

Tampa Bay Times | St. Petersburg, Fla.

Obama Has Earned Second Term

We wish the economic recovery was more vigorous, and we would like the president to present a sharper vision for a second term. But Obama has capably steered the nation through an incredibly difficult period at home and abroad, often with little help from Congress. The next four years will not be easy for whoever occupies the Oval Office, but Obama has been tested by harsh circumstance and proven himself worthy of a second term. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 18

San Antonio Express-News | San Antonio

Obama has Earned a Second Term

No candidate has all the right policies — that includes Barack Obama. But having weathered the challenges of the last four years, we believe he is in a better position to guide the nation over the next four years — and has earned from voters the privilege to do so. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed John McCain in 2008

Thursday, Oct. 18

Salt Lake Tribune | Salt Lake City

Too Many Mitts

In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem-solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney’s domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 18

Denver Post | Denver

Barack Obama for President

This is an election that begs the candidates to demonstrate what they plan to do moving forward. Neither has done enough to lead us to think voters on Nov. 6 aren't, to a certain degree, being asked to make a leap of faith. But Obama's record of accomplishment under trying circumstances and his blueprint for a second term make him the best pick to move the nation forward. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 13

Winston-Salem Journal | Winston-Salem, N.C.

Obama is Best Choice for President

Obama has a keen vision that he has worked hard to achieve, against considerable obstacles and often courageously. But the goal is in sight: An America respected worldwide as much for its prosperity as its defense of liberty and justice. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed John McCain in 2008

Saturday, Oct. 13

Sacramento Bee | Sacramento

Barack Obama for President

Voters often say they want their elected leaders to keep their promises and, at crucial moments, show real political backbone. President Barack Obama deserves a second term largely because he has delivered on both of these fronts. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 13

Philadelphia Inquirer | Philadelphia

Obama Will Do a Better Job

Like every election with an incumbent, this one is mostly about that person's performance. But that doesn't mean the challenger gets to escape scrutiny. And when you take a close look at Romney, you have to question what is real and what isn't. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 13

Lincoln Journal Star | Lincoln, Neb.

Obama Best for Middle Class

Obama has been tested and found equal to the task of being president. We think the country is in better shape than it was four years ago, and we think it will be in even better shape if he wins another term in office. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed John McCain in 2008

Saturday, Oct. 13

Daily Herald | Everett, Wash.

Re-elect President Obama

For supporters and opponents alike, the Obama Administration has taken too long to pull out of the Great Recession, too long to end two wars, and too long to corral a hidebound U.S. Congress hindered by a never-yield partisanship. At times incremental steps feel workmanlike and uninspired. Nevertheless, from passing Wall Street reforms and rescuing the U.S. auto industry, to ending the war in Iraq and repealing don't-ask-don't-tell, Barack Obama has moved the country forward. | Read Full Endorsement »

Did not offer endorsement in 2008

Saturday, Oct. 13

Charleston Gazette | Charleston, W.Va.

Obama: For President

We think Obama is a brilliant statesman who has uplifted America after the debacle of the Bush-Cheney epoch. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 11

Flint Journal | Flint, Mich.

President Barack Obama is the Best Choice

We wish Romney had been willing to show the Mitt Romney that showed up at the first 2012 presidential debate throughout this campaign. We especially appreciated his more moderate demeanor. Romney's strength is his moderate views -- something he needs to spend more time on rather than kowtow to the very loud and extreme segments of his party. | Read Full Endorsement »

Sunday, Oct. 7

San Francisco Examiner | San Francisco

The San Francisco Examiner Backs Barack Obama for President

A president’s second term is an opportunity to implement his legacy agenda. Nothing we have seen suggests that Barack Obama will be content to rest on his laurels in the next four years. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 6

St. Louis Post-Dispatch | St. Louis

Obama for President: A Second Term for a Serious Man

Four years ago, in endorsing Democrat Barack Obama for president, we noted his intellect, his temperament and equanimity under pressure. He was unproven, but we found him to be presidential, in all that that word implies. In that, we have not been disappointed. This is a serious man. And now he is a proven leader. He has earned a second term. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Sept. 27

Seattle Times | Seattle

The Times Recommends Barack Obama for President, Again

Obama’s presidency has been disappointing, but he still has promise. Romney would be too much of a gamble. | Read Full Endorsement »

Mitt Romney

Thursday, Oct. 25

South Florida Sun Sentinel | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Sun Sentinel Endorses Mitt Romney for President

The president had enormous opportunity when he took office, with Democrats controlling both houses of Congress. But he failed to focus on Job One: Jobs. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Thursday, Oct. 25

Press-Telegram | Long Beach, Calif.

Mitt Romney for President

As president, Romney would not be restrained by foolish consistency. He would be expected to do the right thing no matter where the solutions originate. This is the most precious trait an officeholder can have in this era of corrosive hyperpartisanship. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Wednesday, Oct. 24

New York Post | New York City, N.Y.

For America's Future, The Post Endorses Mitt Romney for President

Scrape it down to bedrock, and Mitt Romney knows that there is but one issue in this campaign: America’s woeful economy, and the demonstrated inability of President Obama to cope with it. | Read Full Endorsement »

Wednesday, Oct. 24

Detroit News | Detroit

Editorial: Mitt Romney for President

Hope and change are still what Americans are seeking. This time, Republican challenger and Michigan native Mitt Romney offers the best hope of changing the nation's fate. | Read Full Endorsement »

Tuesday, Oct. 23

Grand Rapids Press | Grand Rapids, Mich.

Mitt Romney's Experience and Leadership Can Rebuild America's Economy

Mitt Romney will never electrify an audience with soaring oratory. He might not stir deep passions. But we believe he brings competence to go with confidence that comes with a record of leadership that our country desperately needs, especially in terms of our economy. | Read Full Endorsement »

Monday, Oct. 22

Boston Herald | Boston

Romney’s The One

This nation desperately needs the kind of leadership on the economy that Mitt Romney can provide — that is based on sound principles of flattening out tax rates so that the overburdened middle class can keep more of what they earn and small businesses can grow, providing a much-needed job boost. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

Tampa Tribune | Tampa, Fla.

Mitt Romney for President

President Obama may have good intentions, but he is simply taking the nation in the wrong direction. Seasoned executive Romney would come to office ready to put the country on the course to more freedom and prosperity. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

Spokesman-Review | Spokane, Wash.

Editorial: Romney Has Better Shot at Solving Nation’s Crisis

We believe Mitt Romney could bring a fresh approach unburdened by recriminations. He has extensive management and leadership experience, and worked with the opposite party as Massachusetts governor. The nation needs that Romney, not the one who pandered to the tea party wing of the Republican Party to secure the nomination. If elected, he needs to take on that faction with the same resolve he’s shown challenging Obama. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

New Hampshire Union Leader | Manchester, N.H.

Why Mitt? Reality Over Fantasy

Obama had four years — half of them with a Democratic majority in Congress — to try his way. Romney offers a better way, a realistic way, to restore American prosperity. We tried the fantasy. It did not work. Now it is time to stop dreaming and start growing again. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 20

Columbus Dispatch | Columbus, Ohio

For President

After nearly four years of economic stagnation, massive unemployment, record-setting debt and government intrusions into the economy that have paralyzed the private sector, the United States needs a new direction. For this reason, The Dispatch urges voters to choose Republican Mitt Romney for president in the Nov. 6 election. | Read Full Endorsement »

Friday, Oct. 19

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | Pittsburgh

Mitt Romney for President

Mitt Romney offers a seasoned, strategic and mature public policy mind so sorely needed in the White House and so necessary to enable our great nation and its people to excel. It’s time to begin restoring America. It’s time to elect Mitt Romney as president of the United States. | Read Full Endorsement »

Friday, Oct. 19

Lowell Sun | Lowell, Mass.

Mitt Romney for President

There is no need to retrench from the ideal of American exceptionalism either at home or on the world stage, says Romney. We are an exceptional people, he says, and we must demand exceptional leadership. In The Sun's view, that's where America has fallen off track these past four years. America trusted a "hope and change" candidate, it didn't work, and we're suffering the consequences. Now we've got a tested leader with a proven track record standing before us - Mitt Romney - and it's his time to inspire Americans to greatness. It's Romney's time to bring us together in a single purpose that embraces fairness, self-reliance, responsibility, rugged individualism, entrepreneurial spirit and unlimited success. | Read Full Endorsement »

Friday, Oct. 19

Fort Worth Star-Telegram | Fort Worth

Mitt Romney: New Leadership for More Economic Growth

The slow U.S. economy and its discouragingly high unemployment overshadow the other important issues in this election. Economic recovery must be spurred to a faster pace, and a change to Romney's leadership would do that. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Friday, Oct. 19

Arizona Republic | Tucson

Romney Can Lead Economy Forward

The economy indisputably will benefit, perhaps significantly, from a flatter, fairer system of taxation along the lines proposed by Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan. | Read Full Endorsement »

Thursday, Oct. 18

Reno Gazette-Journal | Reno, Nev.

Nevada Needs a Change Now; Elect Mitt Romney President

Based on our current fiscal condition, a still-weak economy and a Congress deeply divided along party lines, our next president will continue to face a daunting challenge, one that must be met for the good of the country. Four years later, we find ourselves in need of change yet again. Romney must be the leader to get things moving. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Thursday, Oct. 18

Orlando Sentinel | Orlando, Fla.

Our Pick for President: Romney

Romney is not our ideal candidate for president. We've been turned off by his appeals to social conservatives and immigration extremists. Like most presidential hopefuls, including Obama four years ago, Romney faces a steep learning curve on foreign policy. But the core of Romney's campaign platform, his five-point plan, at least shows he understands that reviving the economy and repairing the government's balance sheet are imperative — now, not four years in the future. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Thursday, Oct. 18

Houston Chronicle | Houston

Romney for President

Our endorsement of Mitt Romney is not unqualified. He must address the perception that he tailors his message to suit any given audience. And his economic plans lack specificity. There's a lot of concern that his tax and budget proposals won't add up without gutting our social safety net. "Trust me" is not good enough. Between now and Nov. 6, Romney needs to go to the blackboard and show us the math. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Wednesday, Oct. 17

Tennessean | Nashville

Time for Another Change

The 2012 presidential race is fraught with confusion and failed expectations, so much so that it is surprising that any reasonable voter would feel comfortable pressing the button for either President Barack Obama or Gov. Mitt Romney. What is downright infuriating is that, after four years of an Obama presidency and two years of campaigning and 22 televised debates by Romney, so many questions remain and it is difficult to discern what the next four years would look like with either man in charge. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Monday, Oct. 15

New York Observer | New York City, N.Y.

Romney for President

Over the last few weeks, Mr. Romney has shown that he is a moderate to his core—he is a manager, and a listener, who believes he can restore the balance between the private and public sectors that has been a hallmark of the American economy. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Saturday, Oct. 13

Pueblo Chieftain | Pueblo, Colo.

It’s Romney

There has to be a better way, and Mitt Romney is pointing to that way. He has outlined a pro-growth package of initiatives that can get this country humming again. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 13

Macomb Daily | Mount Clemens, Mich.

Romney the Leader America Needs to Create More Jobs

Let’s face it: Romney is more of a businessman than a politician. You can resent his wealth all you want, but he has a proven record as a turnaround artist. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 13

Columbian | Vancouver, Wash.

President of the United States: Mitt Romney

Romney lacks Obama's credentials and experience in foreign policy. But he better understands how an economic recovery is powered by an incentivized private sector, not a bloated bureaucracy. | Read Full Endorsement »

Endorsed Barack Obama in 2008

Friday, Oct. 12

Oakland Press | Oakland, Mich.

Romney the Leader America Needs to Create More Jobs

Let’s face it: Romney is more of a businessman than a politician. You can resent his wealth all you want, but he has a proven record as a turnaround artist. | Read Full Endorsement »

Sunday, Oct. 7

Omaha World-Herald | Omaha

Economy Needs Mitt Romney

A Romney presidency would bring the fiscal discipline necessary to attack the deficit and lead the economy out of the slowest recovery in the nation's history. He would create a common-sense tax and regulatory environment that incorporates the stability and predictability needed to spark new investment, create jobs and get the economy moving. | Read Full Endorsement »

Saturday, Oct. 6

Las Vegas Review- Journal | Las Vegas

For President: Mitt Romney

Nevadans need a president with a vision and political philosophy capable of restoring ingenuity, competition and excellence to our education and health care systems, of paring back the budget deficit and the explosive growth of our debt, of keeping energy affordable, of bringing back jobs and prosperity not just here, but in every American city with residents who want enough economic security to be able to take a Las Vegas vacation. | Read Full Endorsement »

Monday, Oct. 1

Gazette | Colorado Springs

Romney Has the Vision We Need

Though Romney believes in limited government, he rightly supports a strong military to protect freedom and prosperity. He promises to restore military jobs that may be lost in January to sequestration — a process of automatic spending cuts resulting from budgetary gridlock. | Read Full Endorsement »

Did not offer endorsement in 2008