Full Iacocca op-ed endorsement for Mitt Romney below the post.
Former Chrysler chief executive, Lee Iacocca, issued a statement on Thursday, reported first by Detroit Free Press, endorsing Mitt Romney.
In his endorsement message, Iacocca complained that “America is in deep trouble,” facing high debts and still suffering “anemic” economic growth. He said “hope and speeches won’t get our people back to work.”
More on Iacocca at Forbes.
Via Human Events:
After a lifetime of voting for and supporting Democrats — and even declining appointment to the U.S. Senate from a Democratic governor — Lee Iacocca Thursday endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for president.
The blessings of the onetime Chrysler chairman are expected to help Romney in two highly competitive states: Pennsylvania, where the 88-year-old Iacocca was born and raised and is still widely respected, and in Michigan, where Iacocca rose to become a major figure in the auto industry and won international praise for cobbling together the government-backed loans that saved Chrysler in 1980.
Iacocca, who now lives in California, issued a statement saying he backed Romney because of his “dozens of years of experiences in the public and private sectors” and because the GOP nominee has a plan that “will enable a stronger America.”
Endorsements generally do not turn the tide, so to speak, but when riding a wave of successes as Romney has been doing since the first presidential debate, with polling showing a consistent and sustained surge in polls, then an endorsement like Iacocca's helps add more wind the the sails.
Full statement, via Detroit Free Press op-ed, below:
America needs a turnaround, which is why I'm voting Romney
I've seen a lot of situations that needed a turnaround in my time, and I know one when I see one. Trust me, America needs a turnaround.
America is in deep trouble. After four years, economic growth is still anemic, our annual deficits were not cut in half as promised, and our staggering $16 trillion federal debt hangs over us and our kids like the plague. Our people are hurting, they can't find jobs, they have lost a major part of their net worth, the number of Americans living in poverty is at unacceptable levels, and we just aren't doing the things that would get our country back on the right track.
Like any turnaround it must begin by honestly facing our problems; hope and speeches won't get our people back to work. It will require experienced leadership that can create and lead policy change that will enable a more robust and competitive America. We need leadership that understands that government, just like American families, can't continue to spend beyond its means. We must find leadership that won't pander to the people, but rather will speak honestly to them about our situation, explaining in simple terms what we have to do to get back on the right track. And we need leadership that can bring us together in a sense of shared responsibility so that we can move forward as a team. All of us. As Americans.
America needs new leadership
Mitt Romney has successfully led both public and private sector turnarounds. He is a bright and successful man; he is a good man, a caring man, a man of integrity, family and faith. Importantly, he recognizes we are in a tough situation. With dozens of years of real world experience in the public and private sectors, he knows what he's talking about. His policies will enable a stronger America, one in which all Americans can share. He was groomed and trained for this moment.
The future of our country is at stake
If you are out of work or worried about your job, having trouble making ends meet, are worried about your kids' future or your own, or if you just have a nagging sense that as Americans we can do better than this, it's time to wake up and stop just hoping it will all work out in a few more years. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it won't!
It's time for straight talk.
I'm asking you to vote for change that will get us moving in the right direction, and to be ready to be part of the solution. Everything depends on it. We don't have time to waste. It's time to make America great again.
Vote for Mitt Romney for president.
