News Editor
As we near the end of the race, the candidates are closer than ever in the polls and every jab counts. The final two presidential debates have been crucial as President Barack Obama and Republican Governor Mitt Romney battle to win over the remaining undecided voters.
The second presidential debate had Obama and Romney facing off at
Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on October 16. The debate, moderated
by CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley, was held in a town hall
style with an audience comprising of 80 undecided New York voters.
Romney was ready to deal more blows after his victory at the first
presidential debate, but this time Obama was poised to fight back. One of the
most hard-hitting remarks at the debate was when the President compared Romney
to former President George W. Bush, but called Romney’s agenda “more extreme,”
citing Romney’s goal to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. Romney defended
himself by saying that he differs from Bush on the issues of the deficit, China,
and energy policy.
Another remark that generated buzz was Romney’s “binders full of women”
comment. In response to a question about what the candidates will do about
gender inequality in the workplace, Romney replied that he was brought “whole
binders full of women” qualified for positions in his company. The domain name
“bindersfullofwomen.com” was bought only 90 seconds after Romney’s remark.
The third presidential debate, held in Boca Raton, Florida, was a bit
toned down compared to the previous debate which consisted of the candidates
circling each other on the debate floor. Focused on foreign policy, this debate
was similar in style to the vice presidential debate with the candidates seated
at a table.
Romney pushed more military spending and a larger navy, citing that the
United States Navy is the smallest it’s been since 1917. Obama retorted saying
that we also have “less horses and bayonets,” and that we should focus our
defense spending on cyber-security and other 21st century defense
methods.
Romney attacked president Obama’s attitude toward the recent wave of
dissent in the Middle East. “When there were dissidents in the streets of
Tehran, a Green Revolution, holding signs saying, is America with us, the
president was silent,” said Romney. He also criticized the fact that Obama has
not visited Israel in his time as President.
Despite a few minor differences, the two candidates agreed on most of
foreign policy. Both candidates understood the importance of friendship with
Israel, and had similar positions on whether or not the United States should
have kept troops in Iraq.
Election Day is November 6, and according to CBS News, Obama holds the
lead in the major swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio. However, polling
experts generally discourage using polls as a reliable method of predicting the
election.
