Unimpressed by United States President Barack Obama's fiery speech seeking re-election, the two Indian-American governors, Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal, on Friday said that Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, is the best person to lead the country.
Both Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, and Haley, the governor of South Carolina, are rising stars of the Republican Party. They were quick to issue statements after Obama concluded his Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech ahead of the November 6 presidential polls.
"The last time Barack Obama spoke before the Democratic National Convention, he told us of hope and change that we could believe in. What a difference four years makes," Haley said.
"Today, with Americans around this country hurting, with 23 million of our family, our friends, and our neighbors struggling for work, empty words and empty rhetoric of the kind we heard tonight will no longer sway us," she said.
"We need leadership, and we need a plan for a real recovery. Where President Obama has failed to lead, Mitt Romney will act. He has a comprehensive plan to get our economy going again and generate good jobs for everyone who seeks them," Haley said.
"Where President Obama has disappointed us, Mitt Romney will keep faith with the American people. We are not better off than we were four years ago, but with Mitt Romney as president, we will have a much brighter story to tell four years from now," she said.
Jindal, who is still battling the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac that hit his state last week, said Americans across the country know that they are not better off today than they were four years ago.
"No amount of lofty rhetoric, promises of hope, or appeals for more time can make up for three and a half years of disastrous economic policies that have left millions of people out of work, underwater on their mortgages, and struggling to stay out of poverty," he said.
"Our country needs and deserves better -- and that demands new leadership in the White House. Mitt Romney knows what it takes to create jobs and grow the economy, and he has the experience and the plan our country needs to get back on track," Jindal said.
However, Dr Syed Taj, the Indian-American Congressional candidate from the Democratic Party in Michigan, said that Obama spoke to the essence of America in his speech.
"He not only highlighted the clear policy differences between Democrats and Republicans on jobs, Medicare, Social Security, health care, and national security; he reminded us of what makes our nation great and brings us together as Americans," he said.
"His eloquence was matched by the power of his words and positive results of his actions. I am proud to join him in fighting for working families and a forward looking vision for our nation," Taj said.
