Economists think Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would be better for the economy than Obama

Nine of 17 top economists surveyed picked Romney when asked who's election would help the economy grow more. Only three picked Obama. The remaining five made no pick, with several suggesting that neither would provide much of a lift to the sagging economy. "Romney's policies would likely be less bad for the economy than Obama's," said Bill Watkins, executive director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at Cal Lutheran University. Several of the economists who thought Romney would be better for the economy pointed out the flaws in Obama's record. These economists felt that there is too much regulatory uncertainty hanging over businesses and that gridlock between the White House and Republicans in Congress also is a drag on hiring and growth. "Romney might be more likely to get Congress to do something, whereas Obama has shown he can't," said David Wyss, a fellow at Brown University. Allen Sinai of Decision Economics gave the Republican challenger the most enthusiastic support of those surveyed, saying Romney's calls for "cutting growth of government outlays, lowering tax rates and closing loopholes, less regulatory uncertainty ...smaller government and entitlement reform all must be tackled."