In 1992, I was the executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. I managed political operations for the Democrats in one of the largest swing states in our nation.

Our nominee, Bill Clinton, went on to win the presidency, and he fostered eight prosperous years in our nation’s history. He delivered balanced budgets and surpluses that reduced the nation’s debt.

Clinton was the type of Democrat I’ve supported my whole life, fiscally conservative while still focused on the needs of the hard-working middle class. Clinton famously declared, “The era of big government is over.” Barack Obama is a completely different kind of Democrat.

In every challenge that faces our nation, Obama sees a solution that can only come with another government-spending program. He fails to harness the ingenuity of entrepreneurs; instead he actually places obstacles, like burdensome regulation, in front of their path to progress.

For decades, I have been fortunate to work at the intersection of business and government policy. I have seen firsthand how decisions made by our elected officials can either foster growth or grind our economy to a halt. Perhaps no better Obama policy reflects the extreme level of economic interference than the heavy-handed nationalization of our health care. Instead of expanding choice and free-market opportunities for families, it limits options and place a new tax on individuals.

With Obama’s failed stimulus program and other reckless spending, the nation’s debt has increased more in his first term than it did during the eight years of George W. Bush’s presidency. This unsustainable spending spree has jeopardized the country’s credit worthiness and could ruin the economy for future generations.

Worse still, is the Obama campaign's persisting narrative that economic investment is bad or should be punished. Specifically, the attacks on the work Mitt Romney did in private equity demonstrate a dangerous lack of understanding of how important risk-taking investors are in the U.S. economy. Companies are created and grow precisely because of the funding of private investors. If we want jobs in America, we need to reward and encourage these investments, not make them the basis of hyperbolic attacks.

Contrary to the failed Obama policies, informed by his experience in the private sector, Mitt Romney has a plan for cutting and capping the government’s spending to bring us balanced budgets. He gets that job creators need less regulation and stable tax policy in order to invest and grow. Romney also understands that when America’s families get back to work, they will have what they need to raise their children and own a home.

I am a Democrat, and I plan to remain a Democrat. But, in this election, I will be voting for the candidate I see best fit to restore our nation to economic greatness. I’m voting for Mitt Romney.



Barney Bishop is a lifelong Democrat, Florida native, and former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. He recently concluded his tenure as the CEO of Associated Industries of Florida to start Barney Bishop Consulting, and for decades he has been a prominent adviser to leaders in business and government both nationally and in Florida.