Senator Menendez: Don't Go Back to 'Failed' Republican Policies

As U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) attends the Democratic National Convention this week, he wants voters to know they have a clear choice between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

"(Obama) inherited the Bush Great Recession, the new Depression, businesses that made risky bets with two wars raging abroad, while millions of people in our country go to sleep every night without health-care insurance," said Menendez—the state delegation's honorary chairman—of the failures of the Bush administration and the progress made under Obama.

Menendez touted Obama's achievements that include, despite opposition in the House and Senate, include passing historic health care legislation, ending the war in Iraq, giving college Pell grants and keeping student loan rates low.

Voters shouldn't be fooled by Republican candidates' promises, because they've heard them before, the senator added.

"We understand the critical nature of this election, which way the country goes, under the Romney and Ryan vision that you're on your own," Menendez said. "What we don't want to do is go back to the policies of Romney and Ryan, risky bets, collective debt, ending medicare as Romney and Ryan promote a voucher program—we could end up in another war like Iraq."

The New Jersey convention delegation is a diverse group that represents the multiculturalism of the state, Menendez said. Delegates include Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash, state Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (D-4) and Assemblyman Gilbert “Whip” Wilson (D-5).

"The New Jersey Democrats will feel their spunk, we'll show the real Jersey that we represent. The state has shown in the polling it believes in the vision of the Democrats," he said. "I'm feeling optimistic, I'm feeling the electricity."

"I'm looking forward to the president and Joe Biden—to remind the American people what we've inherited, what we've achieved and where we can lead the country in the next four years."