President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney met Monday evening at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., to discuss foreign policy in the third and final debate before the Nov. 6 election.
The 90-minute debate, moderated by veteran journalist Bob Schieffer, focused on the international role of the commander in chief. On the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Schieffer reminded both candidates that every president faces threats to our national security from abroad. The topics covered political turmoil in the Middle East, the recent embassy attack in Libya, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. defense spending and America’s role in the global economy.
Romney began by discussing the recent turmoil in the Middle East. He mentioned the 30,000 civilians killed in Syria and the recent terrorist attack on the American embassy in Libya before reminding Americans that Iran is “four years closer to a nuclear weapon.” Romney congratulated Obama for taking out Osama bin Laden, adding that we need a “comprehensive and robust strategy” to reject radical violent extremism.
“My first job as commander in chief is to keep the American people safe,” Obama said. “That’s what we’ve done over the last four years.
“I know you haven’t been in a position to actually execute foreign policy, but every time you’ve offered an opinion, you’ve been wrong,” Obama said. “What we need is strong, steady leadership, not wrong and reckless leadership that is all over the map.”
The two candidates had fewer disagreements over foreign policy than they had over the domestic issues of the first two debates.
“Romney failed to distinguish himself from the president on foreign policy, often agreeing with Obama’s policies,” said Kenneth White, Political Science professor and faculty adviser to the KSU Young Democrats. “It’s still Obama’s race to lose.”
On occasion, the candidates got off topic and began discussing domestic issues. Romney said that if he gets elected, the first thing he’ll do in office is “get rid of Obamacare.”
“There are a number of things that sound good, but frankly, we just can’t afford them,” Romney said. “That one doesn’t sound good, and it’s not affordable.”
Romney accused Obama of wanting to reduce military spending. Obama reminded him that military spending has increased every single year that he’s been in office and “we spend more on our military than the next 10 countries combined.”
International Affairs major Patricia Cox said that Obama knew more about foreign policy but that Romney won the debates overall.
“I don’t know if Obama could fully recover from the first debate,” Cox said. “I think it will pull some independent voters.”
The Nielsen Company, which measures television ratings, estimated that 59.2 million people tuned in to watch. Those viewership numbers were down slightly from the first two presidential debates, but historically speaking, Americans are less concerned with foreign policy than they are with domestic issues. A study conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows that the economy remains American voters’ top concern this election.
As the Nov. 6 election nears, the presidential candidates are deadlocked in the polls. Some polls show Romney with a slight advantage. Some show Obama with a slender lead, and others show that the candidates are tied.
“The national race is tight in terms of the popular vote,” White said. “But the Electoral College system is how presidents are elected, and Obama has more ways to reach 270 Electoral College votes than Romney does.”
RealClearPolitics, a political news and polling data aggregator, listed 10 states as “toss-ups,” meaning they could go to either candidate. The states are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. Look for both candidates to campaign in these states in the days leading up to the elections, as they contain 131 of the 538 electoral votes. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
“I think that Romney has done enough to pull it off, but it’s going to be incredibly close,” said Weston Slaton of the KSU College Republicans. “These next two weeks are going to be crazy.”
