Obama Needs a Jobs Plan and Romney Needs an Experienced VP

With three months to go before the election, Yahoo! News asked a handful of undecided voters how they're leaning in the presidential race. Here's a perspective from one voter.

COMMENTARY |

The first step in dealing with any problem is to admit there is one. Neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney seems aware, at least publicly, of their problems.

In order to woo undecided voters like me, each candidate needs to overcome a serious weakness. Pitching a jobs plan that can get through a Republican Congress will help Obama, just as adding someone to the ticket with international diplomacy skills is a must for Romney, something more important than the person's race, ethnicity, gender, or how many Electoral College votes the choice might bring in.

To this undecided voter's eyes, President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had a forgettable month of July.

With the July jobs report, unemployment barely budged again, which represents several months of flat labor growth. And, to me, Obama doesn't seem as troubled as he should be. As effective as arguments about Bain and Romney's taxes have been for the president, he is risking a lot by not telling us what he'll do during his next four years.

If Congress is stonewalling him, how can President Obama reach out and compromise with Republicans? If the Senate goes to the GOP as well (a likely prospect), he'll need to show that he can do this over the next two to four years, if he wins re-election.

For Romney, it was an even more troubling July. Despite raising tons of campaign cash, he had an awful international visit in what was an easy assignment: travel to America's allies and show he can handle simple foreign affairs. Insulting his British hosts, dumping on Palestinian culture and an awkward time with Poland's Solidarity movement all prove that Romney is an undiplomatic character.

As a voter, I worry: What's going to happen when there's a tougher foreign policy test, like negotiating with China over economics, Russia over weapons, or building an international coalition to deal with Syria or Iran's nuclear weapons? How will he handle a European monetary zone collapse, or work with Asian allies on a belligerent North Korea? America has been at its best when it worked with others.

Romney needs someone on the ticket that knows a lot about foreign policy. People including this author have suggested Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, but conservatives have already indicated they'll block her nomination as vice president.

Perhaps a better vice-president choice would be Rob Portman, someone I've mentioned as a better choice. In addition to negotiation expertise as a former U.S. trade representative, Portman has legislative experience, something Romney lacks. Being from Ohio doesn't hurt him either.

John A. Tures, 41, is an associate professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Ga.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-needs-jobs-plan-romney-needs-experienced-vp-211300514.html

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