On Feb. 17, 1993, President Bill Clinton gave his first State of the Union address. In it, he expressed his eagerness to improve our great nation’s economy, military prowess and 20th- and 21st-century supremacy across the world. I recently analyzed the full address for the first time, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

I am a Republican, though I am a fair supporter of the Bill Clinton presidency — I very much like what the President had to offer the American people.

In his speech, Clinton declared, “There is plenty of blame to go around in both branches of the government and both parties. The time has come for the blame to end. I did not seek this office to place blame. I come here tonight to accept responsibility, and I want you to accept responsibility with me. And if we do right by this country, I do not care who gets the credit for it.”

As one may notice, Clinton did not call out Republicans for all the wrongs in the country’s legislative process, nor did he blame his predecessor for any economic or social problems he inherited. He did not incite poisonous rhetoric to stoke the flames in his favor, and he certainly did not try to wage a war against business or upper class Americans.

I believe that Clinton understood that when the leader of the United States preaches hate and partisanship on a world stage, it halts both political and social progress that could come about through bipartisanship efforts. Clinton worked efficiently with the Republican Party for eight solid years, and his presidency was a blessing — we were stable, prosperous and even fiscally responsible.

On the contrary, President Barack Obama has consistently supported partisan politics. His blaming of the Republican Party knows no bounds, and his inability to effectively work with Congress has become the greatest example of his failure as president. Instead of uniting the country, he has divided Americans by age, gender, religion, race, and income level — all to take focus off the economy and his failed promise to improve the nation.

Come Nov. 6, our current president needs to be replaced. His partisan beliefs and hateful rhetoric have put Congress in a tailspin, and both Republicans and Democrats feel political bickering is bringing government to a screeching halt.

Clinton was elected to office and accomplished his goals while working side by side with Republicans; Obama has failed to improve our economy and only continues to berate those who disagree with him. The governing process, when torn apart by political parties, does nothing to help the American people.

Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts and accomplished his goals with an 85-percent majority Democratic legislature. I personally feel we should give Romney a chance to improve this country. Four more years of Obama will leave us with more of the same: the suffering and economic downfall of the United States.

Alan Rhea is the secretary of the

Kent State College Republicans.