After months of fervent campaigning, President Obama and Governor Romney entered the final phase of debates on Monday, October 22 at Lynn University—and with a topic of foreign policy, it was sure to be an interesting one.
So who, exactly, won this last dispute?
Although the question may seem basic, the opinions concerning the topic are endless. Plus, with recent national polls showing a close tie of 47%-47% among likely voters, it’s definitely crunch-time for the two political candidates.
Some, such as the New York Times, feel that Obama was the clear victor.
“During the debate, on issue after issue, Mr. Romney sounded as if he had read the boldfaced headings in a briefing book — or a freshman global history textbook — and had not gone much further than that. Twice during the first half-hour, he mentioned that Al Qaeda-affiliated groups were active in northern Mali. Was that in the morning’s briefing book?” states a representative from the New York Times about Romney’s performance.
ABC news contributor Donna Brazile also feels that Obama seemed more experienced and confident.
“First of all Mitt Romney couldn’t talk about foreign policy because he hasn’t been there and hasn’t traveled enough to understand what’s going on. I thought President Obama was strong, he was clear. He knows the threats. He’s dealt with the threats,” Brazile said.
However, not everyone is so hard-set on Obama’s foreign policy triumph; in fact, just as many Republicans are rooting for Romney’s success.
“The sure sign to me it was a win by the Romney campaign is they pulled Obama into a debate about the economy which they feel like is their strong suit,” said ABC new analyst Nicolle Wallace.
But it’s not just the professionals who watched the debate—in fact, the final presidential debate brought in a whopping 60 million viewers. Whether opinionated or neutral, there’s no doubt that the people of America stand firmly beside their ideals.
“I think both candidates have an equal opportunity…they both have their strengths, such as the economy and women’s rights, so it’s hard to tell who will win,” says FHS Junior Melissa Karp. “It’s just a matter of what people want to see the future look like.”
Regardless, the Presidential Election will be taking place on Tuesday, November 6th—so the question remains: Who will win?