Obama Aggressive in Final Debate

10/23/12 15:45 PM

by Billy Embody Email: bembody@smu.edu   The final debate of this 2012 election for President Barack Obama and Republican Party candidate Mitt Romney featured questions from CBS News’ Bob Schieffer focusing mainly on foreign policy. After being criticized for not being attentive to Gov. Romney and disinterested while Romney was speaking during the first debate, Obama was more attentive, but came off a little hot-headed at times as he interrupted the governor and fired back with sharp remarks and zingers. In one exchange, Obama said, “Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military has changed,” Obama said. President Obama was on the offensive from the get-go to try and show the American people how much better suited he is to...

Second presidential debate: fiery and fiesty

10/17/12 18:21 PM

  by Katie Godbold Email: kgodbold@smu.edu Last night’s debate easily ranked about a nine on the Richter scale of tension. Both Romney and Obama had their guns out and, at any moment, were ready to shoot and blow away the other candidate. The second presidential debate can easily be summed up in three words: lack of control. This debate was vastly different from the first time the two candidates debated. In the first, the candidates seemed calm, cool, and collected, but in the second, it was as if they were fire-breathing dragons ready to mutilate the other. I was scared. Neither candidate cared to hear what the other had to say. The debate was held at Hofstra University in New York, where the candidates debated in a town hall format, answering questions...

Why is the biggest star of the first presidential debate a big yellow bird?

10/16/12 17:36 PM

by Julie Fancher Email: jfancher@smu.edu   In the week since the first presidential debate between President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney, the biggest star isn’t either of the candidates, but rather Big Bird and PBS. Watching the debate I remember feeling slightly uncomfortable when Romney promised to cut taxpayer funding to PBS, home to Big Bird, the Sesame Street gang and moderator Jim Lehrer. It almost felt like a mob hit was being taken out on my childhood. But the debate moved forward and President Obama stumbled and floundered. He seemed distracted, as if he didn’t want to be there, and even though I found Romney condescending at times to Lehrer, he was well-prepared, engaged, and even likable. The Romney campaign staff must have been ecstatic considering...

An aggressive Romney leaves Obama fumbling in debate

10/04/12 13:14 PM

by Courtney Spalten Email: cspalten@smu.edu   No major attack lines were delivered during the first presidential debate on Wednesday night, but President Obama and Mitt Romney made plenty of aggressive moves as they battled it out over key domestic issues. Although President Obama is often commended for his smooth rhetoric and persuasive public speaking skills, it was Romney who defended his position on key issues in an authoritative, fluid manner that left his opponent visually upset at moments and staring downwards at the podium as he listened to the Republican candidate. It is each candidate’s position on these very issues that will ultimately determine who will win the Presidential campaign in November. With President Obama currently ahead in the national opinion polls...

How Much Do the Debates Impact an Election?

10/03/12 09:39 AM

by Reem Abdelrazik  Email: rabdelrazi@smu.edu   The presidential campaigns that started almost two years ago are now reaching their final leg. Wednesday, Oct. 3 kick-starts the presidential debates with Barack Obama and Mitt Romney duking it out over domestic policy. After that, they and their VPs will have three more chances to change voters’ minds before they cast their ballots on Nov. 6. Or do they? According to a 2008 Gallup study, there were only two years between 1960 and 2004 when debates made an actual difference in votes. While they may have shifted around public preferences, those popularity boosts don’t necessarily translate into votes. Gallup reports that the debates “did not change the fundamentals of the races; the candidate leading before...

Are Romney and Obama two sides of the same coin?

10/02/12 16:06 PM

by Leila Mustafa Email: lmustafa@smu.edu   President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney may be from different political parties, but when it comes down to it are the two really that different? Newt Gingrich didn’t seem to think so when he told ABC News they were “the same” people.  Obama and Romney certainly have their differences, and to realize this one needs to look no further than at the candidates’ stances on foreign policy.  While Obama seeks cuts in defense spending, Romney wants to increase it significantly: by almost 10 trillion over 10 years according to Miami Herald. When it comes to Iran, an area of focus for this election, the two hold opposing views. Romney said he might launch a preemptive military strike when the Tehran regime...

Forward vs. Believe in America

10/01/12 11:26 AM

by Danielle Gersh Email: dgersh@smu.edu   On Wednesday evening nearly 60 million Americans will tune their televisions to watch the first debate of the 2012 presidential campaign. The debate is similar to the Kentucky Derby in the sense that even those uninterested in horse racing will watch it. Come Thursday morning, the race could very well be redefined depending on the candidate’s performances and the way the media chooses the frame the debate. The debate will focus on domestic policy and, more specifically, the economy—which has proven to be a touchy subject for President Obama. Not only will he be speaking without the assistance of his teleprompter, he will be forced to talk about the unemployment rate and other subjects he has cautiously avoided. It will be...