Mitt Romney made the closing argument of his campaign on Friday at a speech in Milwaukee, Wis., sharply criticizing President Obama as having "fallen so very short" at fixing the economy.
"The question of this election comes down to this: Do you want more of the same or do you want real change?" Romney asked. "President Obama promised change, but he could not deliver it. I promise change, and I have a record of achieving it."
Just four days out from the presidential election, Romney took a tough tone with his rival, repeatedly hitting Obama's record.
He also tailored his remarks to the lingering undecided voters, those who "are just now putting aside the demands of daily life and considering how their vote will affect their life, the lives of their children, and the course of the country we love." To those voters, Romney pledged to focus on the economy, citing his experience running Bain Capital and the Salt Lake City Olympics as evidence he knows how to turn around the economy.
"I won't waste any time complaining about my predecessor," Romney said. "I won't spend my effort trying to pass partisan legislation unrelated to economic growth. From Day One, I will go to work to help Americans get back to work."
Romney gave one his harshest critiques of Obama in his remarks, describing hiring as "stagnant" hours after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the economy had added 171,000 jobs in October, beating expectations. But with more unemployed Americans looking for work, the unemployment rate ticked up — from 7.8 to 7.9 percent — a fact Romney seized on.
"Think of that — unemployment today is higher than the day when Barack Obama took office," Romney said.
Obama, meanwhile, touted the "real progress" the economy made under his tenure during a campaign stop in Oho.
“We’ve made real progress, but we are here today because we know we’ve got more work to do,” Obama told the boisterous crowd. “As long as there’s a single American who wants a job and can’t find one, as long as there are families working harder but falling behind, as long as there’s a child anywhere in this country whose languishing in poverty and barred from opportunity, our fight goes on. We’ve got more work to do.”
For more on Romney's remarks, click here.
