Politics & Government

Who Won the Third and Final Presidential Debate 2012?

The Oct. 22 debate focused on foreign policy. Iowans react to who won.

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney faced off in their third and final debate Monday, with a much more forceful president repeatedly calling the former Massachusetts governor on what he called inconsistencies in a foreign policy debate that reached into the at-home issues of employment rates and taxation.

“I am glad President Obama was forceful and supported his positions so strongly against Romney,” said Kathy Rethman, a Democrat from West Des Moines. “I’m glad that Obama supported what he has been doing for four years.”

"Same ol', same ol'," said Gary Kirke, a West Des Moines developer and a Republican. "I don't see any mistakes made by either side of the aisle."

Focusing on foreign policy but with forays into taxes, the outsourcing of jobs and the impact of China on the U.S. economy, the debate was the least interruptive of the three debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates but perhaps the most substantive.

"Obama won the debate because he knows how to connect with people," said Jess Mazour, 25, of West Des Moines, who said she is an Independent. "Romney uses scripted talking points that have no weight behind them."

In the minds of many, Monday’s debate was akin to a rubber game. In Iowa, Romney was given high marks even by Democrats and a win for his first debate performance, while Obama was given the edge in the second debate.

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"President Obama won the debate because he was able to review his foreign policy successes and because nearly everything Romney said he would do, Obama was able to say we are already doing," said David Leonard, a Democrat from Waukee. 

"Although I thought Governor Romney started out slow, he gained traction as the debate went on," said Chris McLinden, a Republican and business owner from Waukee.  "I just never heard once – not once, what President Obama planned to do the next four years – so I guess the voters are to assume his prescription for the next four years- is the same as the last four years…

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Both Romney and Obama devoted their weekends to preparing for the 90-minute debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL, and whether he won the debate or not, by any measure Obama’s certainty was more pronounced than in either of the previous debates.

"President Obama showed he has no clear solutions for America's foreign policy, only more attacks on Romney's positions," said Chad Airhart, Dallas County Recorder. "It was obvious that Barack Obama felt he needed to score points by attacking Romney."

Within minutes of the start of this third debate, the confrontational tone of the first two debates was renewed.

The president told Romney about his foreign policy matters: “Every time you’ve offered an opinion, you’ve been wrong.”

Moderator Bob Schieffer asked the candidates about everything from the bloody crackdown in Syria, economic angst in Europe, security concerns in Afghanistan and China's growing power – all that and more are on the agenda.

The debate began with an exchange about Libya. Romney said that Obama had focused too much on killing enemies, and too little on softer uses of American power.

“We can’t kill our way out of this mess,” in the Middle East, Romney said. “We’re going to have to put in place a very comprehensive [strategy] … to help the world of Islam reject this violent extremism.”

Obama, by contrast, defended a military solution he used in Libya last summer. That's when he organized an international air campaign that helped defeat dictator Moammar Gaddafi. 

The candidates went into the debate practically tied, with Obama having an edge in the electoral college totals.

The Huffington Post’s average of the most recent presidential polls showed Iowan’s favor Obama by 48.2 percent to 46 percent.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News presidential poll released Sunday showed each candidate favored by 47 percent of likely voters. With early voting under way in Iowa and many other states, Monday’s debate marked the final time both candidates would have the attention of millions of voters at once.
More than 4 million Americans already have voted.

To underscore the importance of Iowa’s six delegates in electoral math calculations, Obama will visit Iowa on Wednesday, at The Quad at the The Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport. The president visited Iowa after last Tuesday’s debate, too.

When it comes to their foreign policy credentials, both candidates have reasons for optimism and concern: While foreign policy has been a strength of Obama throughout the campaign, some recent polls show his advantage narrowing. The Pew Research Center's October poll, for example, found that 47 percent of Americans favored Obama to make "wise decisions about foreign policy," while 43 percent preferred Romney.

Kyle Etzel ISU College Republicans President said this debate seemed the closest. "This debate was more of a draw than the other two," he said. He said both men demonstrated they could make the tough foreign policy decisions


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