Why I Am Voting For Mitt Romney

Real change. If I had to boil down my reason for supporting Mitt Romney to only two words, those would be the two.

I truly believe the election this Tuesday is about more than just the next four years — it’s about the next generation and the future we want to build for them.

We already know that the path our country is on isn’t the right one.

This past Friday, we saw unemployment tick up to 7.9 percent, higher than when President Obama came into office and far above the level we were promised the stimulus plan would deliver. Today, nearly one in six Americans is living in poverty, and the number of people on food stamps has hit record highs.

We simply can’t afford another four years like the last four years.

Fortunately, elections offer us the opportunity to choose a new leader and, with him, a new path. Governor Romney knows what it takes to effect real change – I’ve seen him do it before.

I served as Gov. Romney’s lieutenant governor when he led Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. When we came into office in the midst of a recession, Massachusetts was losing jobs, and the state faced a projected $3 billion budget deficit. Romney recognized the importance of bringing people together to address those challenges, so he made a concerted effort to work with the state legislature, which was 87 percent Democratic. By the time we left office, tens of thousands of new jobs had been created and unemployment had fallen below 5 percent. Massachusetts schools were the best in the nation.

Romney applied the same problem-solving skills to turn around the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and to launch companies like Staples and The Sports Authority that today employ hundreds of thousands of people all across the country. And when he is elected president, Mitt Romney will get to work on November 7 with the same commitment to problem solving and the same focus on job creation and economic growth that made him successful in both public service and in the private sector.

Real change will begin on day one of a Romney presidency.

I believe his economic plan will create 12 million jobs and jumpstart growth by championing small business, reining in government spending, pursuing energy independence, making trade work for America and ensuring every American has the skills to succeed. He will bring manufacturing jobs back to our shores, reform the tax code, get our country on the path to a balanced budget and ensure the 21st century is an American Century that ensures peace through strength.

The American people are what make our nation great, and we need a leader who believes in us and who will empower us to succeed and thrive. After all, our nation has always been one to strive for greater things – never to settle.

The choice this election is between four more years of the status quo and the promise of four more years that will be better than the last.

I know Mitt Romney, and I know that he is uniquely qualified to help lift our nation up during these tough times. He has the experience and the plan to deliver the real recovery our country has been waiting for.

In short, a vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for real change – change that will get America back on track fiscally and preserve the American Dream for future generations.

We need Mitt Romney’s leadership to put America on the path to renewed prosperity and to restore the United States’ leadership in the world.

That’s why Mitt Romney has my vote.

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