As many of us know, the first presidential debate of 2012 took place this last Wednesday, October 3 at the University of Denver. I unfortunately missed the televised showing, but was able to watch a version on Youtube. For those that were also unable to catch the televised showing, here’s the version:
The hour and half debate was a bit dreadful to watch as current president, Barack Obama and ex-governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney constantly interrupted and argued over the moderator, Jim Jehrer. The moderator was continuously cut off throughout the session and could not maintain an organized debate because both candidates kept running over the two-minute mark in order to further explain their points. Because each candidate had no intention of staying within structure, the both of them continually deviated from the given question to speak about their own stances and point of views, which the public has already heard these past few months.
The first segment was the about the economy, an ever-growing problem in this era. One of the biggest concerns for Collegiettes, of course, is finding the right job after college. Obama addressed this economic problem by proposing investment in education and training. Apart from education, he plans to work on finding new sources of energy, help small businesses that invest in America, and to reduce the deficit. Romney, on the other hand, has five parts to improve the economy: make the U.S. energy independent, create more trade opportunities (especially with Latin America), give training to people in order for them to do well in the world, create a balance budget, and finally, help small companies and businesses.
The second big issue covered was taxes. Obama claims that he will continue to cut taxes for small businesses and families, while Romney asserts that there will be no cuts that will add to the deficit. Romney also adds that he will not raise taxes for those who earn middle-income. What became frustrating during this point of the debate was the constant bickering back and forth about the same topic. Obama continuously mentioned how Romney’s suggestion of adding all the loopholes and deductions would not equal to the tax cut of $5 trillion and $2 trillion in government spending. Romney endlessly fired back saying that he did not say such a thing. At this rate who knows which candidate’s word to trust?
Sometimes debates and the candidates’ statements are hard to follow without actual research. It’s extremely tricky, so here are some links that could help with the debate’s encrypted words and the election of 2012:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2012/oct/03/fact-checkin…
or
http://factcheck.org/2012/10/dubious-denver-debate-declarations/.
The rest of the debate covered each candidate’s position on the federal deficit, social security and entitlements, health care, and mission of the federal government. For more detail and a quick summary of these stances, visit http://www.examiner.com/article/highlights-of-presidential-debate-2012.
It’s important to stay informed about each candidate, their positions, and information about each proposition. Keep on doing that research and stay informed about the elections this year. The future is ours if we just take it!
Image from: http://www.thedaily.com/article/2012/10/04/100412-news-campaign-debate-v…