Republican: A speech can't heal the economy

By Reince Priebus
Special to the Observer

President Obama drops into North Carolina for a speech on the economy today. But while a presidential visit can be an exciting event for any state, presidential speeches cannot heal the broken economy. Nor can they cover up the president’s record of failures: high unemployment, a failed stimulus, onerous regulations, Obamacare, higher gas prices, record debt, and more.

Over three years since President Obama took office, families in North Carolina are still hurting. Unemployment remains unacceptably high, despite Obama’s massive $833 billion stimulus.

Worse still, his policies have made life harder for Americans. With excessive regulations, he has made it more difficult for job creators to do business. In turn, they are less able to hire unemployed workers. With Obamacare, he placed burdensome and costly mandates on large and small businesses alike, further weakening the economy.

When President Obama took office, the average price of a gallon of regular gas was $1.84. Today, it’s over $3.75—and climbing. Americans are paying the price for Obama’s failure to tackle the cost of energy over the last three years. If he had produced an energy policy as promised, our situation might be very different.

Americans are tightening their belts in this difficult economy, but Democrats have been on a reckless spending spree with taxpayer money. Their record spending has produced annual budget deficits in excess of one trillion dollars and accelerated the growth of the massive national debt, which now totals over $15.5 trillion. That debt threatens government solvency, our children’s future, and our economic stability. Yet President Obama, despite his promises to cut the deficit in half, has made the problem worse.

Our current path is unsustainable, but the president offers North Carolina no solutions—only speeches. And voters are ready for a new direction.

North Carolina Democrats know this. They know they are headed toward defeat in November thanks to the unpopularity of their policies. For proof, look no further than Gov. Bev Perdue, who has decided not to run for reelection.

In 2008, she was swept into office on President Obama’s coattails. But after the president’s time in the White House and her time in the governor’s mansion, North Carolina is undeniably worse off. Many desperate Democrats claim otherwise, but if the economy were truly doing better, why wouldn’t she run for reelection as she once planned?

President Obama’s record is defined by failed policies, broken promises, and wrong priorities. Thankfully, North Carolina voters will have a chance to change course in November. They can cast their votes for Republicans, who stand for economic opportunity, free markets, and fiscal responsibility.

Speeches cannot grow the economy. But Republican policies can. Lower taxes, efficient government, responsible spending, and a comprehensive energy policy will get our economy moving again.

North Carolina deserves a president who stands up for economic growth, not one who stands in its way. And in just a few months, they will have the chance to elect one—the chance to send a Republican to the White House.