New York newspapers flip for Romney

(CNN) – The New York Daily News and Long Island's Newsday endorsed Republican nominee Mitt Romney for president, switching from their 2008 pick of then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

In an article published in the newspaper's opinion section Sunday, the Daily News' editorial board dissected the nation's economic hardships down to the dollars and cents of an increasingly expensive subway ride to a

"Paychecks are shrunken after more than a decade in which the workplace has asked more of wage earners and rewarded them less," wrote the Daily News . "The decline has knocked someone at the midpoint of the salary scale back to where he or she would have been in 1996."

In the last presidential election, the Daily News threw their support behind a "historical 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."

But the hope with that came with Obama's candidacy in 2008 went "unfulfilled," wrote the Daily News, ticking off what the paper deems as failed accomplishments; the 2009 stimulus plans, Obama's signature health care initiative, a growing national debt and failed attempt to reach a fiscal deal with Congress.

Newsday agreed writing , "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."

"Obama's failure to accelerate the improvement of the economy is the dominant reason Romney is the right choice, but it's not the only one," wrote the Long Island paper's editorial board, also pointing to a rising national debt and Obama's failure to break the partisan divide in Washington, to name a few.

Comparing the candidates' plans for economic recovery, "Romney's approach is the stronger," wrote the Daily News, touting the GOP standard bearer's tax proposal, energy plan and Medicare reform.

Newsday wrote that its "decision to endorse Romney is not an easy one," noting the devastating aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and Romney's plan to shift relief efforts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to states "is a great risk" as well as a number of "distinct achievements" under the Obama administration including the bailout of the auto industry.

Still, while both papers agree the Republican candidate not perfect, Newsday cites "Romney's potential to put America back to work" as reason for their support, and the editorial board at the Daily News wrote it is "compelled to stand with Romney" in this crucial economic time.