HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — President Barack Obama has failed to lead, the leading Republican presidential candidates declared Tuesday night, accusing him of indulging in too much regulation and too much politicking.
In a televised debate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry went after the president instead of each other at the start, laying the blame for the nation's weak economy at Obama's feet.
Romney said Obama "has divided the nation and tried to blame other people" for the stubbornly high unemployment rate.
Perry said the government must open the way for more production of domestic energy. The nation must "pull back those regulations that are strangling American entrepreneurship," he said.
Another candidate, Herman Cain, repeated his call for replacing the U.S. tax code with a 9 percent national sales tax and a 9 percent levy on personal and corporate income.
© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.