Nobody thought the Des Moines Register would actually endorse a Republican. But they’ve done something they haven’t done in 40 years and endorsed Mitt Romney for the presidency, the first time endorsing a GOP candidate for president since Nixon:

The Register endorsement: Mitt Romney offers a fresh economic vision

Ten months ago this newspaper endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president. An overarching consideration was which of the party’s candidates could we see occupying the White House, and there was no question that Romney was qualified for the job.

Now, in the closing days of the general election campaign, the question is which of the two contenders deserves to be the next president of the United States.

Both President Barack Obama and Governor Romney are superbly qualified. Both are graduates of the Harvard University Law School who have distinguished themselves in government, in public service and in private life. Both are devoted husbands and fathers.

American voters are deeply divided about this race. The Register’s editorial board, as it should, had a vigorous debate over this endorsement. Our discussion repeatedly circled back to the nation’s single most important challenge: pulling the economy out of the doldrums, getting more Americans back in the workforce in meaningful jobs with promising futures, and getting the federal government on a track to balance the budget in a bipartisan manner that the country demands.

Which candidate could forge the compromises in Congress to achieve these goals? When the question is framed in those terms, Mitt Romney emerges the stronger candidate.

READ MORE HERE

Romney responded, grateful for the endorsement:




Comment Policy: Please read our new comment policy before making a comment. In short, please be respectful of others and do not engage in personal attacks. Otherwise we will revoke your comment privileges.

91 comments
bobemakk
bobemakk

Great endorsement, let's hope the other publications wake up and we need more Jewish people to come out and support Romney. Obama has thrown Israel under the bus too many times. And we need more celebrities too like Kid Rock, Tim Allen, Chuck Norris, Clint Eastwood and LL Cool J, who is also a conservative.....many of the politically uneducated idolize celebrities and enough of them come out, he will get more support.....ROMNEY MUST WIN!!!

SKL53
SKL53

Good for the Des Moines press for recognizing that Obama has been a dishonest, lacking integrity, lacking honor, failing, tyrant!!!

drphibes
drphibes

Excepting the part about how "BOTH...are superbly qualified" (are you kidding me?)....this is a great endorsement for Romney, the ONLY able and presidential one.

Lilly Kobold
Lilly Kobold

Tyrone Woods, the Seal who was murdered in Benghazi while Obama watched in real time and ignored cries for help. Our stupid Vice President Joe Biden asked Tyrone's fahter, “Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?”

Gary
Gary

I predict:

They will call the election for Romney BEFORE the west coast polls close on election day .

thk
thk

I've been fantasizing about that for weeks now. 11/6/12 will be a day that we will remember forever. The sheer joy we will feel Mitt makes takes the podium to thank us for restoring American values. I get teary eyed thinking about it.

Libertyship46
Libertyship46

Wow, this IS big. First time the newspaper endorsed a Republican since Nixon. What's next, the New York Times endorsing Romney? I think I'd faint if that ever happened! But, I'm more realistic than that. We'll take all the help we can get, though. Keep it coming for Romney. We have a little over a week (and a hurricane) to go before the big day. Keep the momentum going!

wodiej
wodiej

My grandma always said "people vote their pocketbook." This is more proof of that. obama has not only lost the large percentage of Independents, he's also lost 20% of women support and even lost some Democrats. Why? NO MONEY, NO JOBS, NO VOTE. Most of his support is no doubt from people who are either on welfare, have fixed income like SS, welfare or disability or who are gov't workers paid w tax dollars. Other newspapers that have endorsed Democrats have endorsed Romney as well.

Last night my cousin said a Democrat friend of hers was furious at my Letter to the Editor that was printed because I blamed everything on Democrats and that I don't know squat about politics. I told her everything in that letter was true. I ticked off statistics, one after another on everything from the unemployment rate to gas prices to the huge increase of people on welfare. I said Democrats had full control of congress for 4 years. 2 during the last 2 years of Bush's presidency, then 2 years w a Democrat president. No wonder she was angry-those pesky facts. lol...

conservative58
conservative58

wodiej, your grandma's saying brings back memories of my grandparents. :-)

"people vote their pocketbook."

A lot of Obama supporters vote with OUR taxpayer 'pocketbook' - terrified the freebies will go away if dear leader is not re-elected.

I've pretty much stopped reading the local editorials. It seems every time a conservative brings out the 'facts', the liberals go on a frantic rant and attack, attack, attack. Truth hurts. Especially when your whole campaign is based on lies.

Chris
Chris

From their editorial endorsement:

Romney could be assured that Democrats would work to defeat him as hard as Republicans worked against Obama is if he were to adopt the reactionary agenda of the most extreme elements of the Republican Party. Romney had to tack to the right during the primary season. Since then, he has recalibrated his campaign to focus on his concern for the middle class, and that is believable if the real Mitt Romney is the one on display as governor of Massachusetts who passed a health care reform plan that became the model for the one passed by Congress.

Look... the enemy of the enemy is my friend.

But I clearly disagree here with the DM Register...

I guess we can all agree on one thing: Obama is a Stuttering Clusterf*** of a Miserable Failure .

xjesterx
xjesterx

Well seeing that painting of Romney, although I wasn't a supporter during the primary, made me think, "he looks like a president!" No matter how much Bush fizzled on us in the end, the man was presidential. We need someone who can actually do the damn job and protect our people who are fighting and dying overseas. Who will fight for us, the people who voted to get him there.

I'm watching for the Ohio fraud stories, and their out there, but I'm also hoping that the morning after election day I will be hungover because I will seriously drink when this guy is done.

Two things though-

1. We REALLY have to watch O during his last two months as a lame duck. Executive orders and pardons will be flying everywhere.

2. We REALLY have to keep pulling Romney to the right when he gets in. There's a lot of talk of "reaching across the aisle"....screw that crap. We have to fix our damn country!! We have to call, email, and write Romney and tell him, "hey...they don't want to work with you...they want to destroy you!!"

Supreme Court appointments, getting rid of Obamacare, and so much more will require us, the voting public, to keep the pressure on so that he doesn't get all squishy on us.

Just remember what O said when he was supposedly "reaching out" to Republicans (as the endorsement claimed). "I won."

thk
thk

Check out huffpo, if you can stand it. Their heads are exploding. Wonder what Madcow and Chrissy Tingles will have to say about this??

MagyarKishka
MagyarKishka

I REALLY wish a conservative HomePage with news, sports, weather etc was available. It absolutely kills me to log on to aol and have to support the HuffPo every time I want to read a story. I won't hit any of their political stories, needless to say, but just the fact that I have to go there to read general stories just ruins my day. Yahoo's no better. Wonder why conservatives haven't come up with an alternative? We have made great strides conquering the internet presence that the left had since 04 and 08, but seem to lack a decent HomePage alternative to what's available.

thk
thk

Wow...what a great idea. I wish I knew enough about technology to get that started. I know the support would be overwhelming. Hopefully after BHO is gone, someone will take this ball and run with it.

wodiej
wodiej

There are plenty of places to get news without huffpoop and the daily kook sites. Real Clear Politics, Human Events, American Thinker, Breitbart, CNS news, Townhall, Gateway Pundit, National Review etc.

MagyarKishka
MagyarKishka

Oh, for sure, that's the ONLY place to get political news ... the new media. I was more talking about at General Home page ~

tvlgds
tvlgds

Good! Keep 'em coming!

MagyarKishka
MagyarKishka

Not only is this a HUGE endorsement, the GORGEOUS artists portrait of Mitt, with the flag AND the Whitehouse in the background that they are advertising for sale on the endorsement page is the cherry on top! The DMR really knows how to rub it in!!

Nukeman60
Nukeman60

I've always predicted that Romney needed Fl, NC, Va, Co, Ia, and Wi to assure an electoral college victory. With NC and Fl having come over to Romney's side, and then Co following suit, it looks like Ia has decided to be on the winning side, as well. That leaves Wi and Va, and they are both looking good.

He should get a lot more than these 6 states in his landslide victory, but these assure over 270 and it's downhill from here.

NCHokie02
NCHokie02

I've actually heard that Romney is doing a lot better in Ohio than polls have him at. Even with that though he is still tied in Ohio or very close at the least.

Nukeman60
Nukeman60

Agreed. Romney is doing much better than any poll shows for four simple reasons that I have mentioned several times before. Bottom line is when the polls say it's a close race, watch for the landslide.

However, we can't get overly confident. We must stay diligent and push for all the votes we can get, in order to stifle the massive voter fraud the Obama campaign has planned.

PhillyCon
PhillyCon

Your edit gave me a laugh, thank you!

Lazarus_Returns
Lazarus_Returns

It is clear that mittmentum is moving our way. As long as we all continue to do our part; then we will win this. We need to continue to be vigilant; it will be part of the lefts strategy to still this election. We are down to the end game now, let’s making sure we do our part. We need to do all that is legal to help win this election. Let the other side be the ones that try to steal and cheat their way to this election. God will not stand by and support the side that use such dishonest tactics. If we are to restore honor and integrity to this county, than we must win with honor and integrity.

Lazarus_Returns
Lazarus_Returns

Normally I don’t believe that endorsements help much, this Newspaper endorsement is bigger than the others for a few reasons though. First: the media attention to this paper; The Des Moines Register generated a lot of media coverage when they called out Obama for refusing to go on record with the interview. Even more coverage was generated when Obama let the interview be released. Second: this is a critical swing state’s major news paper. And Third: This is a democrat leaning news paper that hasn’t endorsed a republican in 40 years. Things are starting to look great. We are going to win this!!!

Arrrggghhh
Arrrggghhh

The DMR, a true random act of journalism. Thank you very much. Let this be the first of many.

Jazcox
Jazcox

This is hugh! Even CNN reported on it! I'm very confident that we will have a new President!

kong1967
kong1967

I'm not confident yet. Dems were bussing in a lot of illegals to go vote, and the interpreters were telling them to vote Democrat.

We need some serious voter fraud crackdown. Start throwing those a-holes in prison for ten years. ACORN gets away with it because the little guys making $8 an hour go to jail and the execs giving the orders walk away. Start telling the execs that they will be held responsible for what their volunteers do....by going to jail.

Robin Carmack
Robin Carmack

Both are "superbly qualified?" Obama? He couldn't run a lemonade stand. The only thing that he is superbly qualified to do is destroy.....well, and stare at himself in the mirror.

Jasper Silvis
Jasper Silvis

How could he run a lemonade stand with all the regulations his party placed on those throughout liberal townships and counties in America? :-)

Nukeman60
Nukeman60

Lemon waivers, my friend. Lemon waivers.

spottedreptile
spottedreptile

That's just the DMR giving itself a bit of cover.

proudhispanicconservative
proudhispanicconservative

I had never felt better to be an american then when Reagan was president I remember being 12 years old and feeling that there was hope and the future looked so promising, never did I think that we would never have a president that made you feel good and united us like no one before. I hope Romney wins and unites this country again after the divider in chief, lets all pray from now until November 06, that God protects Romney and give him the wisdom to take this nation out of the hole is in.

Romney/Ryan 2012

MichaelAndrewAlaniz
MichaelAndrewAlaniz

Florida is in Mitt's hands, this was at a rally in Pensacola today. Check out the rally crowd that filled the arena. WOW!!!

https://twitter.com/dgjackson/status/262240440437309442/photo/1/large

Omgwtfroflmao
Omgwtfroflmao

Yeah i live about 100 miles from Pensacola and everywhere you go there is nothing but Romney signs.. I seriously have not seen any Obama signs. Nor Obama bumper stickers except them saying NOBAMA etc.

I am sure Obama will lose Florida no doubt.

proudhispanicconservative
proudhispanicconservative

Wow, thanks for posting it really pumps me up and makes me proud to be from Florida, thats a picture that really shows what a sharp difference from the Obama rallies where they are now blaming the small crowds to that they want more intimate gatherings. Lmao......thanks again it makes feel so good.

freenca
freenca

Not an empty seat, WONDERFUL!!!

MichaelAndrewAlaniz
MichaelAndrewAlaniz

These folks, and me, are tired of the empty suit that's occupying the WH. Which is why you don't see an empty seat in the arena. :)

SoLongSong
SoLongSong

OOH!! THANK you for that!! Now, in addition to sleeping like a baby, I'll have sweet dreams...hard to do these days. Thank you.

Earthforce1
Earthforce1

All these unusual paper endorsements have my spider senses alarmed.

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but something is up. I'm of two minds (a) they know Obama is gonna lose hard and want to maintain some sort of relevancy. (b) they have inside knowledge of this current administration's gross malfeasance and don't want to be seen as endorsing a criminal (virtual or real).

They may not be reporting it, but they certainly know what is going on.

Orangeone
Orangeone

Gag me with the kudos to Barky Boy. He deserves no respect for what he has done to our country and citizens the last 4+ years. Because of his racial divide, gender divide, class warfare, attacks on success, deaths under his regime, he is not worthy of having his name in print.

freenca
freenca

Just watched Judge Jeanine on Fox and all of her guests,(including the DEMS.) did all but accuse BO of treason, publicly. 4 former military men included! The political aura right now is getting toxic.

2besusie
2besusie

I watched too. I thought Pat Caddell was going to jump out of his chair he was so angry. He ripped the media, practically accusing them of being an enemy of the people for their silence on the Benghazi debacle.

Orangeone
Orangeone

And is Boehner going to demand his arrest Monday morning?  What more has to happen.

i don't have cable so I have to wait for the tweet with the link or Scoop to have it

famouswolf
famouswolf

I hope his name is stricken from history as our president, and future history books refer to this four year period as the 'American Interregnum', with no legitimate 44th President of the United States.

And that he is the first ex-president to be executed for high crimes, misdemeanors and TREASON.

Orangeone
Orangeone

Have you seen this? Maybe I'm behind but General Ham was disobeying Obama and was relieved of his command. http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/10/was-africom-general-replaced-for-his-efforts-to-save-benghazi-security-officials/

famouswolf
famouswolf

I honestly don't know how these days. Wife and cat help more than anything.

You take care of yourself, too.

And, thanks.

Orangeone
Orangeone

Okay good.  Keep your blood pressure low please, we need you!

famouswolf
famouswolf

Among other things.

Three stints.

Orangeone
Orangeone

Are you on an aspirin therapy?

famouswolf
famouswolf

I did indeed.

The pit is getting deeper and deeper, and 'president' loser is digging it himself.

I'm on a sustained adrenaline high right now, hope I don't have a stroke before I get a chance at some rioters next week.

I am PI**ED.