USA: Obama, Romney go after swing votes in final presidential debate on foreign policy

Record ID: 346673

  • Title: USA: Obama, Romney go after swing votes in final presidential debate on foreign policy
  • Date: 23rd October 2012
  • Summary: STUDENTS WATCHING DEBATE SCREEN WITH OBAMA AND ROMNEY DURING DEBATE
  • Embargoed: 7th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA7K6EQUOF75VRXNBNE7BWYGV7H
  • Story Text: In a final campaign push, Republican Mitt Romney blamed President Barrack Obama on Monday (October 22) for foreign affairs failures during his four year term.
    But Obama defended his record and repeatedly attacked Romney reminding American voters how frequently he has changed his mind about foreign policy and most other election topics in an effort to blunt his opponent's surge in the polls with two weeks left until Election Day.
    The high-stakes debate strayed frequently into domestic policy, with Romney seeking to bolster his argument that Obama had bungled the U.S. economic recovery with high unemployment and rising debt.
    Neither man threw a knockout punch or made a noticeable gaffe in the 90-minute encounter at Lynn University in Boca Raton, although Obama scored enough debating points to be declared the winner in the first surveys.
    The candidates sparred over the hotly contested election issues drawing reactions from students watching the debate on big screens at Lynn University.
    Kaity Black, an alumni from Lynn University which hosted the debate, said that she is tired of the Romney playing the blame game and on this final debate she made up her mind for Obama.
    "He's dealing with two wars that were put in by the previous administration and he's trying to deal with it as best he can. He didn't start them. And I feel like that's what just makes me go crazy. How can you blame this man for not fixing everything in three and a half years when the previous administration got him in such a hole," said Black.
    Chris Campbell, a graduate student at Lynn University, said he liked that Obama was clear and convincing on all points on foreign policy and national security - something he felt Romney did not accomplish.
    "If it came to a choice in which I never voted before or I don't know who these two gentlemen are, and I looked at both of their perspectives and their agendas and their plans as far as the U.S. as a whole, I would say Obama," said Campbell.
    Romney has closed the gap with President Obama and the two candidates are now tied in the November 6 presidential race, according to a Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll released on Monday.
    "I like the small business part. Everyone graduates from high school. We start small businesses. We never start from the top so that's one of the things I like most about him," said Gustavo Guerrero about Romney, a Venezuelan student who fled Venezuela under Hugo Chavez to start a small business in the United States.
    Many students at Lynn University said they have been tuning in to the campaign trail for months to make sure they choose the right candidate for the United States presidency.
    Chandra Lugo said he has been obsessively studying all the main issues facing the candidates and she is convinced that Obama will make a better more authentic president.
    "His aggression. He contradicted himself throughout the whole debate because he kept mentioning how we need peace but he wants to expand our military forces. Peace is not expanding military forces. If you believe in expanding military forces, that means you believe in violence. If you believe in peace, you would want to cut down. You would want to bring back the soldiers home."
    Most polls are showing Obama and Romney tied in a dead heat increasing the stakes for their third and final debate.
    With foreign policy a low priority in a campaign focused mostly on the economy, it was unclear what impact the debate would have on the race, which enters the final frenzy of campaigning with both men tied in the polls before the November 6 election.
    The debate was one last chance for the candidates to appeal to millions of voters watching on television and Obama was the aggressor from start to finish.
    Obama still holds an advantage in swing states such as Ohio, Virginia and Florida which are considered key in determining the outcome of the election.
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