Philadelphia area families react to final presidential debate
Last night’s final debate between President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney was not as combative as the second. We checked in with families from the NewsWorks series “The Stakes: Local Families View the Election” to find out how the debate played in their living rooms.
Listen and read their reactions to the face-off on foreign policy. What is you reaction to the last debate? Did either candidate sway you decision in the November elections?
Tell us in the comments below.
Boris Kheyfets and Yana Chernov, Wynnefield Heights, Philadelphia
Yana Chernov: “I did not see debate. Yes, they interrupted each other, President Obama says yes Mr. Romney I agree with your position and Mr. Romney said he was agreeing with Mr. Obama position. So where’s the debate?”
Boris Kheyfets: “This is what I would have wanted Romney to say. I didn’t hear it. I didn’t hear any specific example of how Obama led this country down for years. Instead, when Obama said that he has great success in his foreign policies without any single evidence. There was no opposition to that.”
Crystal Portlock and Alisha Jones, Bear, Del.
Crystal Portlock: “I felt that Obama stayed more focused on the issues as they relate to foreign policy and maybe because he’s been president, he’s more abreast, Romney diverted quite often and he was more comfortable coming back to the other issues here in America, so he really didn’t answer any of the questions.”
Alisha Jones: “I thought this debate was definitely a more subdued debate, I think it was about getting familiar with foreign policy, it’s always a difficult thing to talk about and they do share a lot of similar views with foreign policy but it was definitely a really slow debate this time around.”
Tex Kubacki, East Falls, Philadelphia
“Well, it wasn’t much of a debate. I mean, they agreed on everything pretty much. I’m not going to declare a winner.”
Don Simon, Roxborough, Philadelphia
“Obama came across as strong and thoughtful. Romney comes across as a bully who thinks if he keeps talking loudly enough everyone will forget how many times he’s changed his position.
“I think Romney is a great salesman. He knows how to do market research so he can tell people what they want to hear. But is there any substance behind his presentation?
“It was interesting to me that Romney’s position on many foreign policy issues (e.g. Syria, Iran) were no different than Obama’s even though he’s been critical of those same positions previously. I believe Romney really has the same neoconservative go-it-alone attitude that got us into trouble in the first place while Obama has developed an inclusive and thoughtful foreign policy that is far more effective. Romney’s criticism of Obama’s offer to meet with Ahmadinejad was specious. It was Moshe Dayan who said: ‘If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.'”
“Governor Romney gave a commanding performance. He has all the attributes of a real leader.
“Romney blasted Obama for his apology tour — that may have been the biggest home run. He really emphasized point-by-point and country-by-country how Obama looks weak in the eyes of our foreign enemies.”
“For the record, Hope fell asleep (again).
“My initial reaction was that last night’s debate took a back seat to the earlier debates. My sense is that, for most voters, the recent events in Libya and Syria are far less important than issues such as jobs and overall financial security on a personal and national level.
“That said, the President came out fighting again. At the outset, I thought that it would be important for him to remind voters that he is the commander in chief and to repeatedly reference the demise of Osama Bin Laden, the end of the Iraq war and the withdraw from Afghanistan. He accomplished those objectives.
“In sum, I don’t think this debate will prove to be a game changer. The next few weeks should be interesting.”
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