Qualified to fix economy, Romney says

Arizona satisfied on Obama birth records, will put name on ballot

President Barack Obama speaks to supporters at a campaign fundraiser, Wednesday, May 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama speaks to supporters at a campaign fundraiser, Wednesday, May 23, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

— Originally planning to focus on education, Mitt Romney instead reignited the debate over his business credentials Wednesday, welcoming scrutiny of the private-equity firm he cofounded and declaring he’s a far more qualified steward of the economy than President Barack Obama.

At the same time, Romney said that if he wins the White House, he wants Congress to delay addressing looming tax increases and spending cuts until after he takes office.

Also Wednesday, Arizona’s secretary of state said Hawaii’s official verification of Obama’s birth records meets necessary requirements, meaning the president’s name will appear on Arizona’s ballot in the fall.

In an interview with Time magazine, Romney focused on the economy.

“Right now we have an economy in trouble, and someone who spent their career in the economy is more suited to help fix the economy than someone who spent his life in politics and as a community organizer,” he said.

Romney told Time magazine that if he wins the presidency, he wants Congress to wait until he takes office to deal with the so-called fiscal cliff on Jan. 1, 2013, whentwo rounds of tax cuts expire and automatic spending cuts to defense and domestic programs kick in. In the interview, Romney suggested that he was open to a temporary measure to keep the economy going until he had a chance to shape a “permanent” solution.

Romney also said that heading off the looming tax increases and spending cuts could be done in a piecemeal way. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has suggested he wants a fiscal “grand bargain” to address the country’s ills.

Government analysts say that current fiscal policies, if unchanged, would likely cause a recession.

The former Massachusetts governor defended his work in the private sector in the interview, but he initially struggled to identify specific skills or policies he learned at Bain that would help him create an environment in which jobs would be created. He later identified trade, labor and energy policies.

“I happen to believe that having been in the private sector for 25 years gives me a perspective on how jobs are created - that someone who’s never spent a day in the private sector, like President Obama, simply doesn’t understand,” he said.

Asked whether he’d welcome a focus and debate on his career at Bain, Romney said: “Well, of course. I’d like to also focus on his record.”

‘THIRD-WORLD EDUCATION’

Romney’s comments largely overshadowed a Washington speech that offered the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s first extensive plans for the nation’s education system. Romney, who has been reluctant to stray far from the economic issues at the core of the presidential campaign, charged that millions of American children are getting a “third-world education” under Obama.

“And America’s minority children suffer the most,” Romney declared. “This is the civil-rights issue of our era. And it’s the great challenge of our time.”

He continued: “President Obama has made his choice, and I have made mine. As president, I will be a champion of real education reform in America.”

Romney outlined a voucherlike plan to let low-income and disabled students use federal money to attend public schools, public charter schools and, in some cases, private schools. Federal funds could also be used for tutoring or digital courses.

The proposal is in line with GOP changes aimed at givingstudents more educational choices. But it’s unclear how schools in areas that depend on the federal funding would fare.

The proposal is not expected to include any new federal money for education, but it represented his most detailed plans to date on what he called a “failing” education system.

Romney aggressively criticized the president’s connection to teachers unions, suggesting that his dependence on organized labor’s campaign donations have prevented him from improving the system.

“The teachers unions are the clearest example of a group that has lost its way,” Romney said. “The teachers unions don’t fight for our children.”

ARIZONA BALLOT

The inquiry launched recently by Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett gave official weight to a long-simmering political controversygenerated by those who say that Obama was not born in the U.S. and therefore is ineligible to hold the nation’s highest office.

The Obama administration attempted a year ago to dismiss the conflict by releasing his long-form birth certificate showing that he was born in Hawaii.

But skeptics maintainedtheir stance and eventually Bennett announced he would seek further verification at the request of numerous voters who contacted his office, even saying he was prepared to leave Obama’s name off the state’s ballot in November.

Bennett said in a written statement that Hawaii officials “have complied with the request, and I consider the matter closed.”

Bennett’s off ice says Obama’s name will appear on Arizona’s November ballot as long as he wins his party’s nomination and all paperwork is properly completed.

Hawaii Registrar Alvin Onaka sent the document Tuesday confirming the information on Obama’s birth certificate, such as the Honolulu hospital where he was born and the names and ages of his parents.

Hawaii officials have repeatedly verified Obama’s citizenship as skeptics have maintained that the president was born in Kenya, his father’s home country.

State and federal courts also have rejected lawsuits over the issue.

Information for this article was contributed from Miami by Christine Armario, from Phoenix by Jacque Billeaud, from Colorado Springs, Colo., by Ken Thomas and from Washington by Jack Gillum of The Associated Press.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 05/24/2012

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