A major theme of Mitt Romney and other speakers at the GOP National Convention was that President Barack Obama was given four years to succeed, and he failed and should be replaced.

"America has been patient. Americans have supported this president in good faith," Romney sorrowfully lamented. What Americans is he talking about? Certainly not Republican members of Congress, who tried to defeat every proposal of the president so that this fall they could claim he was a failed president.

"What America needs is jobs. Lots of jobs," Romney pontificated. "Nearly one out of six Americans is living in poverty. Look around you. These are not strangers. These are our brothers and sisters, our fellow Americans. His [Obama's] policies have not helped create jobs." Did Romney miss the many pleadings of Obama for Congress to pass a jobs bill, only to have his fellow Republicans yell "No"?

Interestingly, Romney didn't call for both sides to work together to solve our problems, as Obama has repeatedly done.

The Republicans shouldn't be rewarded for making "our bothers and sisters" suffer for four years just so they could defeat Obama by now promising jobs. That's not being a compassionate conservative.

Andrew Beckett

Salt Lake City