COMMENTARY | Ohio is one of the hot battleground states in the 2012 election. Once again both Democratic and Republican contenders for the White House are courting votes in the Buckeye State. Earlier this week both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney attempted to persuade Ohioans to cast a ballot in their direction this November. Obama's charisma will be far less effective this time around. Three years of failed policies, continued unemployment and government waste will not easily be erased from the minds of voters.
Ohio's 18 electoral votes are up for grabs. Neither candidate should count on party loyalty to turn the state in their favor. Catchy phrases and blaming former President George W. Bush for the nation's current problems will not coerce enough Ohioans to believe that Obama deserves a second term.
The president spent a significant amount of time during his speech blaming Republicans for the fiscal crisis. Obama chastised folks who, in his opinion, forgot how "America was built," according to The Hill. It is Obama and his liberal cohorts who have a cloudy memory. The country was built by individuals who possessed incredible self-reliance, a strong sense of personal responsibility and dreams of freedom. The federal government has grown in both size and power to ridiculous levels.
Our Founding Fathers did not envision a land ruled by a big government which taxed citizens into submission to pay for entitlement programs. The tax increases Obama stumped for during his speech will not be used to pay down the nation's mounting debt but to throw more money at social programs and research projects.
It is hard for Obama to claim he thwarted the majority of America's economic woes while so many small businesses are still struggling and homeowners are forced into foreclosure. While addressing Ohio voters from a shuttered factory Romney did not shy away from discussing his financial success, according to the Associated Press. The Hill reports that President Obama cast dispersions in Romney's direction when he stated the neither he nor his wife were "born with a silver spoon" in their mouths. Romney should not have to apologize because his father, who was born poor, worked hard and became very successful.
President Obama would not continue to demonize success unless the message resonated with his far-left base. Romney's belief that if you work hard anything is possible adheres more closely to the mainstream America mindset.
