Horrible Season

On this day before the Presidential election, everything that needs to be said has been said. Every data point has been considered, every element of leadership has been assessed, and every consequential decision and policy made over the past four years has been discussed. It's now time for the American people to decide—do we continue our current trajectory and reward incompetent leadership, or do we vote for change?

Cat del Valle Castellanos, a young woman who you'd think would have been frightened by the Obama campaign's mendacious claim about Romney's "war on women" makes the following comment on her voting decision:

The truth is that voting for a candidate doesn't mean you stand united on every issue. This is not Build-a-Bear. I cannot create my own candidate, taking the best features from each then add a glowing heart and a soft, plush, huggable exterior.

Nevertheless, I have made a choice. I'm young, female and decided. Drumroll, please...

I'm voting for Mitt Romney.

"Well, duh, your dad's a Republican strategist."

My father Alex Castellanos' affiliation has not affected my decision. Although I respect his "suggestions," my choices are my own, as even he would tell you.

What has resolved this contest for me? Was it the cantankerous candidates in the last debate, fighting to fight for the safety of our great nation?

No. Personally, I found the last debate tremendously boring, except for President Obama's "bayonets" comment.

Ultimately, my decision came down to this: I could not rehire Bobby Valentine.

Valentine, manager of the Boston Red Sox this past year, was fired after a horrible season.

His team's poor record wasn't entirely Bobby's fault. In fact, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said, "Bobby was dealt a difficult hand." No doubt Valentine inherited a lot of problems.

But looking ahead, there was no reason for Sox fans to hope that next season Valentine would lead his team differently or deliver a better record.

Obama inherited a lot of problems, too. In his defense, our expectations for hope and change were too high. Unless he Midas-touched his way through the White House, Obama was destined to disappoint us.

But manager Obama has not achieved the goals he led us to believe he would. He has not turned his team around.

You don't keep a failing manager when there is an acceptable alternative. It's time for a replacement.

I can only hope that millions of other young men and women will look at Obama's record, recognize that he's had a "horrible season," and vote for his replacement. Tomorrow, we'll know.

Final -- Preference Cascade Update:

In the final hours of the campaign, additional centrist or liberal newspapers that endorsed Obama in 2008 recognize their error and now endorse Mitt Romney. To date, eight major newspapers in swing states that endorsed Obama in 2008 have decided against endorsing him in 2012. Interesting.

“Four years ago, the Daily News endorsed Obama, seeing a historic figure whose intelligence, political skills and empathy with common folk positioned him to build on the small practical experience he would bring to the world’s toughest job. We valued Obama’s pledge to govern with bold pragmatism and bipartisanship. The hopes of those days went unfulfilled. . . . The regrettable truth is that Obama built a record of miscalculations and missed opportunities.” The New York Daily News

“Had Barack Obama done the job of president with the same passion and vision he displayed in seeking it, he would likely deserve another term. He did not. . . . Romney’s potential to put America back to work earns him our endorsement.” Long Island Newsday

"...election is about jobs, the slow economy and Washington’s dysfunction. Our leaders can’t even pass a budget, much less stabilize soaring debt that’s burdening our children and grandchildren." Wisconsin State Journal