FRANK LEWIS
PDT Staff Writer
CHILLICOTHE — A large and enthusiastic crowd welcomed Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney to town Tuesday night. Romney, accompanied by U.S. Senator Rob Portman and Ohio Governor John Kasich, arrived nearly 40 minutes late, but the crowd’s spirits weren’t dampened, as Romney attempted to show the stark differences between himself and incumbent President Barack Obama.
“The people I have met on this tour, the thousands of Americans I have visited within break rooms and lunch rooms, schools and gymnasiums, and on factory floors, they are worried about their children. They are worried about their jobs, mortgages and their futures,” Romney told the crowd in front of the Ross County Courthouse. “They have a right to be worried. All across the country I see people who are hurting. Some have lost their jobs. Others are now working two jobs just to get by. Some people have fallen out of the middle class, and now they’re struggling to get back in – to get back where they started. The cost of living keeps going up and they’re living from paycheck to paycheck. They’re tired of being tired.”
Romney then went on the attack on a recurring theme – Medicare.
“If the president is re-elected he will succeed in raiding $716 billion from Medicare,” Romney said. “He’s taking your money to finance his risky takeover of the health care system. He’s putting Medicare at greater risk. He’s putting health care at greater risk. He’s putting your jobs at greater risk. We will not dare let that happen.”
Romney then explained his five point plan to overhaul the economy – energy, getting the skills Americans need, expanding trade and cracking down on those who are cheating, creating a balanced budget, and championing small business.
“We are going to see a comeback of America’s middle class,” Romney said. “This is what this campaign has to be about. I have spent 25 years in business. I know what it takes in the private sector to create jobs. I know what it takes to bring jobs back. And I know what it takes to make America the best place in the world for entrepreneurs, innovators and job creators. I just don’t think President Obama knows what drives the economy. America runs on freedom. Free men and free women pursuing their dreams – working hard to build a better future for their families.”
Before Romney spoke, Portman told the crowd America has, under Obama, experienced higher unemployment and slower growth. “He (Obama) said if he was elected he would cut the deficit in half. He has just given us another trillion dollar deficit for the first time in the history of our country. Is it working?” The crowd responded – “no.” He continued to ask – “is it working?” to which the partisan crowd continued to respond with “no.”
Kasich told the audience when he took office there was an $8 billion deficit, which he said he turned into a half-million in the black.
Romney spent about 20 minutes shaking hands, signing autographs and posing for pictures while the crowd dispersed.
Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan is expected to be in Ohio today. Two new surveys show a tight race for the important swing state of Ohio, with one showing a razor-thin Obama lead and the other finding a tie in the state. One new poll conducted by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, finds Obama leading Romney, 48 percent to 45 percent, within the margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. The other, a Rasmussen Report poll finds Obama and Romney tied at 45 percent.
Frank Lewis can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or flewis@heartlandpublications.com.
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