–‘The Time Has Come To Turn The Page’
–‘What America Needs Is Jobs — Lots of Jobs’
–Romney: Vows To Put ‘American On Track’ For Balanced Budget
–GOP Nominee Blends Policy, Biography, and Rebuke Of Obama

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the
Republican presidential nominee, said Thursday night that President
Obama’s leadership has failed to revive the American economy and
declared that his business experience would allow him to fix the ailing
economy.

“The time has come to turn the page,” Romney said, arguing the U.S.
is worse off than when Obama took office in 2009.

“I’m running for president to create a better future,” he said.

Romney’s speech formally accepting the GOP presidential nomination
blended family biography, general policy stances — and a stinging
attack on Obama.

He accused the president of “leading the worst economic recovery
since the Great Depression.”

“What America needs is jobs — lots of jobs,” Romney said.

Romney outlined a five-point agenda for his presidency: making
North America energy independent by 2020; helping provide needed
education and training to American workers; forging new trade
agreements while punishing those nations who cheat on current
agreements; cutting budget deficits and “putting America on track for a
balanced budget”; and pushing policies to help small businesses such as
less onerous regulations, tax cuts and repealing the 2010 health care
law that Obama pushed through Congress.

Romney repeated his goal of helping create 12 million news jobs in
the next four years.

Romney’s speech followed prime-time addresses earlier this week by
his wife, Ann, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Secretary of
State Condi Rice, and vice presidential nominee, Congressman Paul Ryan.

Romney touted his private sector experience at Bain Capital which
he called a “great American success story.”

He said Obama’s flawed economic stewardship can be partly traced to
the fact that “he had almost no experience working in a business.”

Obama will accept the Democratic nomination next week in Charlotte,
North Carolina.

The president is expected to argue that he inherited an economy
that was in free fall due to eight years of destructive Republican
economic policies and he has helped stabilize the economy and created
the foundation for a slow but steady recovery.

** MNI Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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