Justin Higgins
JHPolitics
10/27/2012
I’m not a huge fan of the Des Moines Register (I went after their editorial board today, for instance). They haven’t endorsed a single Republican since 1976, when they endorsed Richard Nixon, but all of that makes their endorsement this year all the more powerful. The Register went for Obama in 2008, and is arguably one of the most powerful newspapers in a swing state, in this case, Iowa. They’re endorsing Mitt Romney:
Barack Obama rocketed to the presidency from relative obscurity with a theme of hope and change. A different reality has marked his presidency. His record on the economy the past four years does not suggest he would lead in the direction the nation must go in the next four years.
Voters should give Mitt Romney a chance to correct the nation’s fiscal course and to implode the partisan gridlock that has shackled Washington and the rest of America — with the understanding that he would face the same assessment in four years if he does not succeed.
The Register spends a decent amount of time in the editorial urging Romney to govern as a centrist, but also praising his fiscal conservatism. They (like many liberal outlets) defend the initial stimulus spending, but lament Obama’s calls for more “investments”, also known as more government spending. The DMR endorsement is a big get for Romney, and might actually help in the Hawkeye State.
Related: via Twitchy the front page of last Thursday’s Register (10/25/2012). A larger view of the image is at the link.
At Twitchy, Des Moines Register endorses Romney; Paper’s first Republican pick since Nixon
