Surprise … Des Moines Register Endorses Mitt Romney

Bad news for Barack Obama in Iowa and fantastic new for Mitt Romney … Des Moines Register endorses ROMNEY!!!

The Des Moines Register has changed their 2008 endorsement of Barack Obama to a 2012 endorsement of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. For the first time in 40 years the Des Moines Register is backing a Republican over a Democrat. The Register cited the number one issue of the economy as their reason for the endorsement.

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.

What did they think of Obama in the end, it’s the economy stupid. This should provide great insight to voters as to just how bad Obama has gummed up the economic job recovery. For the first time in 40 years the paper endorses a Republic over a Democrat for President. That should speal volumes to Iowans. The paper stated that they thought Obama’s efforts to fix the economy have fallen short and there was nothing to believe that the same would not continue to be the case if given another four years.

“The president’s best efforts to resuscitate the stumbling economy have fallen short. Nothing indicates it would change with a second term in the White House.”

Maybe the Des Moines Register’s final decision to not endorse Barack Obama came from Obama’s comment to them in what was supposed to originally be an off the record interview, that Obama had no regrets on prioritizing Obamacare over jobs in his first two years.

The president was also asked about his decision to spend his substantial political capital, and exploit his large Congressional majorities, to aggressively push his partisan health care law, rather than in pursuit of other economic priorities.  Obama’s answer?  “Absolutely” no regrets:

QUESTION: “Some say you had a super majority in your first two years and had this incredible opportunity, but because of what you were talking about, as you were running, you had to go to get Obamacare done. Do you have any regrets taking on some of the economic issues, some of the issues that we’re talking about for your second term, that when you had the chance, so to speak, during your first — do you have any regrets that you didn’t do that at that time?”

OBAMA: “Absolutely not, Laura.”

Will this endorsement shake up the presidential race in Iowa? RCP has the average of polling at +2.3% Obama; however, that is with a rather suspect +8 Obama NBC/WSJ/Marist poll. Rasmussen has it an even tie.

UPDATE I: As reported at NewsBusters, the libs are in disbelief and trying to trivialize the endorsement as a joke. Actually Libs, the only joke has been that who has been in the White House the past 4 years. Even more sadly, the sick joke has been one perpetrated on America, and its citizens are not laughing.