Today, undecided voters await anxiously for the final Presidential Debate as President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney discuss foreign policy beginning at 6 p.m., Oct. 22. The purpose of the debate is to inform undecided voters which candidate has a clearer plan for the nation.
In the Oct. 3 debate, Governor Romney came out as the aggressor, while President Obama almost seemed absent. However, in the vice presidential debate, Joe Biden came out as the aggressor in the Oct. 11 and Obama was the aggressor in the Oct. 16 Presidential Debate.
Often political commentators and news programs declare the aggressor as the victor which sometimes is true. However, aggressiveness does not always convince the undecided voters one way or the other. They, like the rest of the American public, aren?t looking for partisan based or personal attacks. The undecided voters are looking for solutions to the problems that face the United States.
The undecided electorate could care less which candidate yells louder or smirks more; they want to see a clearly outlined plan. Before the first debate, President Obama was leading in most national polls, yet as of the first debate, Governor Romney has received a much needed surge. In the Oct. 17 Gallup Poll, Romney leads Obama: 51 to 45 percent. Other polls do not suggest this.
This means that in the debates the Romney-Ryan team seems to be more appealing to voters by creating more clarity to their plans. Also, after watching the debate, it appears that many people who had previously voted for Obama in 2008 have lost their trust in him and his policies. This is not only a result of the debates but a result of the current problems in the nation that have either risen in the last four years, such as the national debt or as tensions rise in the Middle East.
It is true that President Obama was handed a very difficult situation and a difficult responsibility in solving these issues. Voters of every party of viewpoint can agree on this. However, many Americans over the last four years feel that President Obama has not lived up to his promises or has left them with the confidence that he is the candidate who can bring us to future prosperity.
Though the unemployment rate has both increased and decreased in Obama?s term, it has finally reached 7.8 percent, which is still far from his promise of 5.4 percent Fact Check before his presidency.
The problem is that most Americans are “hurting” economically. This is a problem that has not been solved in the last four years. To many voters it makes no difference whether the candidate is a Democrat or a Republican, it matters that they serve their purpose and solve the issues at hand.
To many undecided voters these debates have made the difference in helping them decide their potential vote. In this last debate, the focus will turn from domestic policy to foreign policy, a topic that has been very important in light of recent events in the Middle East.
The attack on the US embassy in Benghazi, Libya along with Iran?s nuclear capability will be the major talking points discussed between the two candidates. Also the candidates will discuss how they plan to handle terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda in places like Afghanistan.
Today is the last day for voter registration in California to vote for this 2012 Presidential Election.
For more information watch tonights debate on any of the major news networks at 9-10:30 p.m. Eastern.
For more political columns, read the Oct. 16 article, Presidential candidates dispute economics, jobs (VIDEO).
