Obama and Romney, talking over each other
A much more aggressive President Barack Obama showed
up to the second presidential debate Tuesday, which at times devolved
into angry crosstalk with Republican rival Mitt Romney.
President Obama was under pressure to perform dramatically better at
this debate—held at Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y.—than the one
held two weeks ago. Gov. Romney’s energetic performance at that first
debate quickly boosted him in the polls, with some recent measures
showing he and the president in a virtual tie among likely voters.
Romney kept up his Denver demeanor, attacking Obama on his jobs
record, failure to pass immigration reform, policies in the Middle East,
and other issues. But this time, instead of simply repeating portions
of his stump speech, Obama was ready with specific retorts and
counter-attacks. The president frequently accused Romney of twisting
facts, occasionally interrupting him as he spoke.
At one point, the debate almost became a shouting match over whether
President Obama had cut back oil extraction from public lands. Obama
repeatedly said Romney was lying about his claim that oil production was
down, pointedly saying, “Not true, Governor Romney.” (Politifact ranked
a similar claim by a conservative super PAC “half true.”) Feeling the
heat, moderator Candy Crowley took the candidates to another topic.
The 90-minute town hall-style debate got personal at times. Romney
took a detour on an answer on immigration reform to address Obama
campaign claims that his personal fortune is invested in China and
shielded from taxes. “Mr. President, have you looked at your pension?”
he asked, implying the president is also unaware of the nature of his
investments. “You know, I don’t look at my pension,” Obama retorted,
adding, “It’s not as big as yours so it doesn’t take as long.”
Obama returned more than once to the topic of Romney’s wealth, saying
Romney sees nothing unfair about millionaires paying the same tax rate
as a nurse or other middle-class worker. Later in the debate, Romney
criticized Obama for attending political events so soon after the U.S.
ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed, and also said Obama’s
campaign unfairly painted him as a villain. Obama closed the debate by
mentioning Romney’s leaked comments that half the country is dependent
on government.
Both candidates appeared comfortable with the more intimate town
hall-style, during which an audience of 80 undecided voters, handpicked
by polling organization Gallup, watched and asked questions. Audience
members picked by Crowley asked the candidates about immigration reform,
jobs, gun control, the gender pay gap, and other issues. In answer to a
question about the economy from college student Jeremy Epstein, Romney
said if elected he could guarantee Epstein would find employment when he
graduates in 2014. “I’m going to make sure you get a job,” Romney said.
Obama answered a question about the pay gap with a personal story about
his mother’s struggle to make ends meet while raising two children on
her own.
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