Mitt Romney vs. Barack Obama

by Candace Salima, a regular contributor to US Daily Review

With the 2012 presidential campaign heavily underway, it is time we start comparing the Republican candidates to Barack Obama instead of to each other. Just how will each measure up to America's 44th president? Not as popular as he once was, and that's putting it mildly, Barack Obama is directly in the metaphorical crosshairs of every political party in America, including his own. Of course, it's going to come down to one Republican, and one Democrat, that's just the way the cookie crumbles in America.

So today, we are going to compare Mitt Romney to Barack Obama.

U.S. CONSTITUTION

Barack Obama is a huge proponent of over-sized federal government and very little powers attributed to the states and the American people. As such, he has declared the U.S. Constitution to be fundamentally flawed. Obama "said in a radio interview the U.S. has suffered from a fundamentally flawed Constitution that does not mandate or allow for redistribution of wealth." Source

Mitt Romney on the other hand said, "We believe in individual initiative, personal responsibility, opportunity, freedom, small government, [and] the Constitution. These principles, these American principles are key to getting our economy back to being successful and leading the world." Source

Two men who see the same document, the rule of law in America, completely different.

HEALTHCARE

Barack Obama. Let's move on to the key issue on every politically savvy mind in America, healthcare. We have Obamacare, otherwise known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Which, by the way, neither protects nor makes healthcare affordable. It invades every aspect of the American citizen's privacy, mandates the purchase of health insurance, insures Obama his million man civilian army, establishes bureaucratic panels which determine whether a patient lives or dies, staying true to the "cradle to grave" mentality of socialized medicine. It violates every tenet of the U.S. Constitution, not to mention every moral, ethical or legal aspect of American life.

Barack Obama has clearly stated he will veto any repeal to Obamacare.

Mitt Romney. Compared to Romneycare, Obamacare falls grossly short. Massachusetts' healthcare was originally based on a free enterprise system. When the legislature first passed the legislation through and onto Governor Romney's desk, he exercised Massachusetts' Line Item Veto on several portions of the law, including the state-paid abortions, and sent it back to the legislature, who promptly overrode it.

This legislation was targeted toward the 8% of Massachusetts citizens who were uninsured, leaving the 92% insured citizens alone. Contrary to the sound bytes being bandied about, this healthcare program was completely within the bounds of the Massachusetts and U.S. Constitutions. The 10th Amendment gives this right to the states, who were always intended by the Founding Fathers to be laboratories.

Mitt Romney has also clearly stated, and published in his book Believe in America, that he will issue Obamacare waivers to all 50 states until Obamacare can be repealed.

2nd AMENDMENT

Barack Obama does not support the 2nd Amendment in any way, shape, or form. However, he continues to claim that he supports the 2nd Amendment, although he supported the gun bans in Chicago, IL and Washington, D.C. And looking back, I found an article on Pajamas Media stating, "[Obama] remains strangely silent about his eight years (1994-2002) as a director of the Joyce Foundation, a billion dollar tax-exempt organization. He has one obvious reason: during his time as director, Joyce Foundation spent millions creating and supporting anti-gun organizations." So while Obama says one thing, he has consistently done another. He does not support the 2nd Amendment.

Mitt Romney said "I support the 2nd Amendment as one of the most basic and fundamental rights of every American. It's essential to our functioning as a free society, as are all the liberties enumerated in the Bill of Rights. I've been proud to have the support of pro-2nd Amendment Groups and Sportsman Groups." Source

I dug further into Romney's 2nd Amendment stances, as he's being attacked on them so regularly, and found that the National Rifle Association considers legislation passed during Romney's tenure as Massachusetts governor as a net win. Was it perfect? No, it wasn't. But it wasn't the all-out ban of which everyone has been accusing him. Source

This brings this short comparison to a close. Space prevents me from comparing them further, issue by issue.

However, what it boils down is this:

1) Barack Obama is a self-avowed Marxist. Mitt Romney is a strong supporter of the U.S. Constitution.

2) Barack Obama has no experience, hence the wild tax and spend plans he keeps putting forth. Mitt Romney is the turnaround king, and has brought companies, and Olympics, not to mention Massachusetts, back from the financial brink.

3) Barack Obama wants to make America completely dependent on other nations for energy. Mitt Romney has clearly stated, and written in his book, that he intends to start research and drilling immediately.

4) Barack Obama is a strong supporter of abortion. Mitt Romney is staunchly pro-life.

5) Barack Obama is anti-business, and I give you every aspect of the Obama Administration's last three years as an example. Mitt Romney is a strong supporter of business, entrepreneurship, and has stated that cutting back on the federal government and regulations is the only way to grow business in America again.

The differences between the two candidates are stark, and wide. If you want big government and no control over your business or life, vote for Barack Obama. If you believe in an independent spirit and the ability to strive for your dreams without government interference, Mitt Romney is your man.