Nation’s condition argues against Obama re-election

The Republican presidential nominating convention is over, and, within days, Democrats will be gathering for their convention to formally launch their effort to give President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden another four years to run the country.

Based on what has happened during the past three and a half years and the current economic situation in this country, there is reason to question why voters would want another four years of the Obama administration.

Republicans put together a well-planned, well-orchestrated four-day convention, but Mother Nature threw the planners a curve ball, and the overall show had to be redesigned and condensed into a tightly packed three-day program.

Those at the convention, as might be expected, gave the gathering good marks and, likewise, supposedly neutral observers said GOP strategists got their message across. However, one of the big questions or challenges for both Republican and Democratic officials is now many people are paying attention to what was said at the Tampa convention and what will be said at the upcoming Democratic show in Charlotte, N.C.

It is reported the number of people watching televised coverage of the conventions was down significantly. The major networks made severe cuts in their coverage with Fox News drawing the largest number of viewers. However, even Fox viewership was down compare with the number who watched the 2008 convention.

Does this mean a large share of the public already has made up its mind about who will get their vote on Nov. 6 no matter what the candidates may have said in Tampa or will say in Charlotte? Or have a growing number simply turned off “politics”?

Most of those reporting on the GOP show emphasized the extremely strong “bench strength” of the Republican Party, particularly the number of women who were superb in delivering their messages. The GOP has a number of young, able, articulate and highly successful officeholders who are ready to assume even more important state and national roles. The Republican cupboard of potential major officeholders is well stocked.

Presidential nominee Mitt Romney faced a major challenge as many of his supporters, as well as his critics, stressed his presentation would be the most important of his life. Aside from his most severe critics, most political pundits give Romney a good grade, perhaps a “B” but not a strong “A.”

Nevertheless, Romney and the many supporting speakers got their message across:

• The Obama administration has failed to measure up to most of the promises Obama made at the 2008 convention in Denver.

• The country and its citizens are not better off today than in 2008.

• The national debt is frightening and growing more dangerous day by day.

• The jobless numbers are tragic and actually higher than the 8.3 percent figure reported when considering the many millions who have given up looking for a job or currently are underemployed.

• And there is no evidence of strong, visionary leadership from the White House. The country is treading water, actually losing ground in most every measurement. This is why the upcoming election is so critical.

Four more years of the same scene in Washington would not be good for the country. Obama has not gotten the job done. He has failed and should be replaced. However, with approximately 50 percent of the public on some kind of federal assistance, he is going to get millions of voters. He and his aides are sure to use the fear game to scare voters and suggest they will lose all government goodies if they vote for Romney, whether or not this is true.

Consider the continued stalemate in Washington and damage to the country if Obama should win and also hold onto a slim majority in the Senate, while Republicans hold a strong majority in the House. Turn it around and have Romney winning the White House, holding onto the House but not getting control of the Senate.

Is this nation to be politically deadlocked after the Nov. 6 election, and, if so, what would it mean for this nation — four more years of drifting with the citizenry becoming more divided and Uncle Sam losing respect throughout the world?

Again, Obama has failed to deliver what he promised. Common sense suggest the odds for anything better in the next four years are slim.

This being the case, it seems clear the best chance for this country to rebound is for Romney to win and for Republicans to pick up the few additional Senate seats they need for a majority in the Senate and hold their House majority. When Obama enjoyed control of both the Senate and House, he was unable to turn his words into actions. He is a great orator but unable to deliver on his grand-sounding pledges.

It will be interesting to hear how the president will describe his record over the past three and a half years, his unfulfilled promises and why he should be given four more years. He is sure to claim Romney does not have the skills, experience or proper vision for this country, that he favors deadly cutbacks in federal assistance programs and that only the “rich” will get ahead with the middle class and poorer Americans being left in the ditch.

Romney faced a big challenge in drafting and delivering “the most important speech of his life.” Given the current state of affairs in the country, how will Obama confront his challenge of trying to convince the public he deserves four more years in the White House when he has failed to measure up and follow through on his 2008 pledges and commitments?