As Mitt Romney prepares for the first Presidential Debate with Barack Obama there has been a lot of speculation on what Romney’s strategy should be. There have been more than a few Republican strategists who say Romney should call out Obama on his countless lies and broken promises that he has made over the years. If done properly this is the right strategy as long as he doesn’t allow himself to get too far off his own message.

You see the American people know our country isn’t better off than we were four years ago. However, Obama has been protected by the main-stream-media to the point that he should be listing the major news outlets as in-kind donors to his campaign. This is why this debate should be exciting. Obama will finally have to answer for his failed policies and broken promises without the protective filter of the media to aide him.

This will be a change of pace from his scripted interviews with People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, or the Obie and Lil Shawn Morning Show. Of course, I don’t blame Obama. If I were him I would be avoiding these tough press conferences as well. Do you remember what happened the last time he meet with the White House press corps? He said the private sector was doing “just fine.” Ouch. That one must still sting.

So the natural question we must ask ourselves is what lies and broken promises should Romney call out Obama on during the debates? There are so many he can choose from that it would be easy to get lost in the weeds. Do you remember when he said he would shut down Gitmo? Or when he said would slash earmarks as president? Or that he would cut $4 trillion from our deficit? There are dozens and dozens of lies and broken promises, but since Wednesday night’s debate is on domestic policy only here are the top 5 that Romney should focus on:

1.) While campaigning Obama stated that he wouldn’t raise taxes a dime on people making under $250,000 a year. Obama clearly broke this promise when he raised taxes on cigarettes that disproportionately fall on low income Americans. Let’s not forget Obamacare that created individual mandate tax and it raises taxes on flexible spending accounts and the use of tanning beds, among other items. Obama won’t be able to escape this lie if Romney hones in on it.
2.) Now this broken promise might make you laugh. In 2009, Obama stated that he would cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. No, that wasn’t a typo. Not only did he not cut the deficit in half he never even lowered it. In fact, he set four straight years of record setting deficits during his term. This broken promise almost defines the Obama presidency and Romney shouldn’t hold back on reminding the voters about this whopper.
3.) Now on this broken promise Obama redefines what the word guarantee means. Obama stated that during the first year in office he guaranteed he would be supporting and pushing through an immigration bill. Turns out Obama never supported or even pushed for an immigration reform bill. A guarantee is only as good as the person who gives it and Romney needs to remind the American people what an Obama guarantee means.
4.) A mere six months after Obama signed the Recovery Act into law he was boasting how it had saved or created 150,000 jobs. If we ignore the question of “How did Obama know how many jobs were saved?” considering the government doesn’t keep track of this statistic because it is nearly impossible to calculate we are left with the 150,000 jobs that were created. However, when Obama made this statement 1.6 million jobs had been lost since the Recovery Act was passed. Romney needs to remind the voters and especially the people who have lost their job under Obama how far he will go to deceive the American people.
5.) Obamacare is still unpopular with American and it seems like each day it becomes a little bit more expensive that we were originally told. Obama told us that Obamacare wasn’t a tax, but of course it is. Not only did the Supreme Court say it was a tax, but the government even argued it as such. Obama said you can keep your current plan, but Obamacare makes it extremely hard for many businesses to continue to carry their health insurance plan. He also said you can also keep your doctor, that is if he or she hasn’t left their practice under the weight of new regulations that makes it harder to practice medicine. The entire concept of Obamacare is a lie and Obama and Romney both know this. If Romney bites his tongue and doesn’t explain clearly what Obamacare really means for America, Medicare, and seniors he might as well pack up and go home.

As you can see Obama talks and talk and talks, but his actions never match his words. Romney would be wise to continuously jab Obama with these lies and broken promises and remind our country who Obama really is.