Presidential debate snapshots
Compared to the first presidential debate, round two introduced a new arena, a different moderator, the voters asked the questions directly, and there was a series of intense exchanges between President Obama and Mitt Romney. The topics ranged from immigration to the job market, equal pay, gun violence, China, tax plans, the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, and the character of the candidates. We asked on Facebook what you would have brought up and got: Medicaid, abortion, LGBT rights, Pell grants, health care, and DOMA. Have an issue to add to the list? Post it in a comment.
Click on each picture to enlarge.
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- President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the debate with moderator Candy Crowley on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
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- President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the debate on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
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- President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the debate on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)
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- President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney shake hands after the debate on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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- President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at the town hall debate on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
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- President Obama with Michelle Obama at the town hall debate at Hofstra University on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: Shannon Stapleton-Pool/Getty Images)
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- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney with Ann Romney at the town hall debate at Hofstra University on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: Shannon Stapleton-Pool/Getty Images)
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- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Obama answer questions during the debate on October 16, 2012. (Photo credit: Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
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Filed under: 2012 Election • Mitt Romney • President Barack Obama • Presidential Debate |
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The US needs a different analysis and real solutions. There are only two fundamental problems: #1. We have to stop transferring our wealth to other countries every day – when Americans fill up their car with gas, they transfer their hard earned dollars to the Middle East or South America – when Americans buy more low cost junk from Walmart, they are transferring their hard earned dollars to China, Thailand and Viet Nam. #2 We need a robust sustainable economy, meaning a 1% growth in GDP will fix the deficit in a more sustainable way than any cut in spending ever will (please look at the proportion of the jobless rate related to losses in city, state and federal cutbacks). Don't kid yourself America. There is no easy fix. This is not reality show that resolves issues in 60 minutes. Stand up, be a real leader, be a real man. We did not get here in the last 5 minutes, so the fix is one that requires a thoughtful, careful analysis so we have a strategic long-term plan with near term tactics that deliver results in the right direction. That's reality. It's a process of change. Get serious and get to work if you want to be the leader of the free world and restore the United States economic strength.
There needs to be a fact check about the types of people in society who should not carry weapons. I was highly disappointed when the president brought up mental illness as a possible threat to society if such peoples carry weapons. As someone working for a humanitarian organization, I can say that most criminals and those who are violent most likely do not have a mental illness. Moreover, mental illness does not mean that that person will violent. A violent person will be violent regardless of their condition. One thing is the condition, another thing is the violence. Also, according to most doctors/psychiatrists/psychologists, most people with mental illness are not violent. In fact, they are vulnerable and danger can come upon them. They are vulnerable like in the case of the homeless gentleman in Los Angeles who was abused by members of society who should have offered him help. He had a brain condition and was vulnerable and was attacked. For everyone and anyone who knows someone with a brain condition/depression/bipolar/etc..., I know how disappointed you feel with the bad reputation and the stereotypes that invade society when we hear the word, 'mental illness.'
Gov. Romney repeatedly uses the state of Massachusetts as his model for success for the United States. Upon listening to him I was sure that the state was fully behind and supported him. But in looking at the polls for his state, it appears that Mr. Obama has slight lead in the polls. I wonder why his state does not fully back Mr. Romney, especially after he has done so many great things for the citizens. Now I know you can't please everyone, but I never thought Mr. Obama would have ever have a lead in the polls of Mr. Romney's state of Massachusetts.
we keep hearing about the inequality of wages earned by women but what we do not hear is that men make more for specific reasons...men work in dangerous places like mines and the oil industry and construction they are in fact 3000 that is three thousand percent more likely to get injured or killed than a woman. I have worked in offices and have asked women why they are not running things and they all said the same thing I do not want the pressure of that job I like my job just fine...they are not applying for the top jobs whereas if a man stays in the mail foom for ever the wife will leave because he is not applying for the higher up more pay jobs.. go to colleges and see where the women are they are all in just a few courses whereas men are in many there is a thing called supply and demand if I want a manufacturing technologist I may have to search the world for one and pay lots to get him to come work for me if I want a secretary I just need to make a phone call agoin supply and demand Tell you what women will earn equal pay on average when the death and injury rate in the workplace is fifty percent women instead of less than five. Go ahead check these facts I have. Why do we not hear the whole truth about pay equity one cannot keep spealing just the facts they like and call it the truth.
Governor Romney needs to make up his mind he has said "As President I'll create Jobs" and last night he told president Obama " The Government doesn't create jobs private sector does that" another flip flop Governor Romney?
Romney repeats over and over that he worked with the strongly democratic legislature while Governor of Massachusettes.
In fact he vetoed about 800 pieces of legislation and virtually all of them were overridden by the legislature. Mitt Romney was and is an obstructionist. He is a master of taking credit for things he had no part in creating.
Americans did not use the attack on 911 as a fault of George Bush and for people to do use the attack of US citizens in Libya as a fault of Obama is a bad political move by the Republican party. This shows the true character of Romney and the people he has chosen to be on his team. Why isn't anyone on CNN addressing this?
Candy Crowley did a very biased and unfair job for the debate, favoring the president. She allowed him more than three minutes extra, allowed him to go on and on without calling him down, and did not stop him various times when she should. Then, she intervened about the presidents statement about 9/12 in the rose garden, and was wrong!!!! She will no longer get my viewership. This was a terrible dis-service to the American people, who deserved a fair debate. This election is extremely important, more than ever in my 70 plus years. No more respect left for CNN. None!
Governor Romney's content won the debate in any objective state of reality. But Candy Crowley's incorrect defense of what the President said did not help him, in fact, it hurt him. In a court of law, it might have resulted in a mistrial. The President was referring to the first 9/11 when he mentioned act of terror not to Libya. And, his and the Administrations rhetoric after the Rose Garden speech did not mention terror or terrorism until weeks after the incident. Whose payroll is Candy on?
What I find so disturbing about the Oil discussion is the absence of the real information about the real cost of gasoline. If we had 100% of our oil needs, the oil companies would not sell the oil in the US for half the price that the would get selling the oil to the rest of the world. The world market drives the cost of oil, not the amount we drill for in this country. Who pays the cost? Not the oil companies,but the middle class. Will someone address how having more oil in the US drives the cost of gasoline down????
Candy Crowley should not be walking her statement back. If you read the full statement given by President Obama in the Rose Garden you will see that he referred to the 9/11 attacks as just that. "Attacks". The same way in which he referred to these most recent attacks in Libya. When he referred to 'acts of terror' he is referring to and including the 9/11 attacks as well as the Libyan attacks. All were meant as acts of terror. C'mon people. It was in the context in which he was speaking. Look at his statement as a whole and not just one single sentence. Do you really think the President believes the 'attacks' on 9/11 were not terrorist attacks because he did not use the word 'terrorist' in one part of his statment. Of course not. He then refers to these acts as 'acts of terror'. Candy was right and she has no reason to walk this statement back. Go read the full statement in its entirety. His statement was inclusive of all attacks as acts of terror. Period.
If Mitt is so concerned about American jobs, why won't he commmit to making the companies that he's invested with bring back the jobs that they are currently outsourcing?
What's happened to "respect" for the office of president and common courtesy? During the debate, Gov. Romney showed complete lack of respect for our president and for our country. Totally disgusting.