President Barack Obama will give a “good, soaring” speech as he accepts the nomination for a second term on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell tells Newsmax.TV.
“And then, tomorrow morning, we’re going to wake up and find out, most likely, that unemployment is over 8 percent for the forty-third consecutive month – the entire Obama presidency,” the Republican governor tells Newsmax. Story continues below. McDonnell noted two other dire economic reports released earlier in the week: one reporting the highest gas prices on Labor Day in the nation’s history and another on the national debt topping $16 trillion. “President Obama called it unpatriotic when it was $10 trillion under President Bush.”
“Speeches might give everybody a short-term, positive feeling about either Republicans or Democrats, but this is a serious election and these are serious times for our country,” McDonnell continued. “The president’s policies, while well-intentioned, simply haven’t worked – and I think people will be ready to make a change.”
But former President Bill Clinton’s speech on Wednesday, endorsing an Obama second term, was solid, McDonnell said.
“The president always delivers a good speech. There was a lot of passion. But the president is a good team player. He did the best he could do to defend what is a poor record of accomplishment on the big issues that face the country.”
McDonnell, who was chairman of the platform committee for the Republican National Convention last week in Tampa, Fla., said it was “startling” to see the rancor surrounding the Democrats’ huge about-face in restoring God and support for Israel to the party platform.
The changes came amid strong Republican criticism – and the measures were passed on three voice votes. Delegates booed loudly and shouted “no” at every step, even though the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte was about half full.
“It is most incomprehensible that the Democratic Party would actually have the debate as to whether or not a mention of God should be in their platform and whether or not they should recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” McDonnell said. “The president apparently asked for them to be put back in. The fact that they were taken out in the first place is mind-boggling.”
The debate illustrated that the Democratic Party now “is certainly very liberal – and I can’t really understand how they can have a debate, and how God would receive so much opposition,” he said.
“We put in language that stated our unequivocal support for our best ally in the Mideast, Israel, and that Jerusalem was the capital – and that we are going to maintain strong relationships with Israel and support them in their fight against terrorism.”
In his exclusive Newsmax interview, McDonnell also said that:

• GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney can attract more minority voters with “a credible plan of economic development and job growth.” He added: “Mitt Romney needs to tell that story and tell his record of Governor of Massachusetts: When the debt went down, the unemployment went down and the bond rating went up.”
• President Obama’s poor leadership on sequestration issue will draw far more military voters to Romney. “This president will not find ways to cut other places – and, as a result, we’re seeing these trillion-dollar cuts to the military over the next decade. It’s just not acceptable, and our men and women in uniform and veterans are going to support Mitt Romney in a big way, because he sees our military as second to none.”

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