US Presidential Elections: the Debate that Wowed the World

It appears that the duel will continue for one more month. The first of the television debates that will help decide the next presidential election (Nov. 6) has taken place in Denver, Colorado. President Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, had until now been leading in all the opinion polls, but after the debate, a CNN poll found that 67 percent of respondents thought that the Republican candidate, former governor Mitt Romney, had won the debate.

I’m sure that they have felt Mr. Romney’s resurgence. For a while, it seemed like President Obama would pull out with a big lead, but now he will not win re-election so easily. The next two debates will be major factors, and foreign policy will be the theme. People around the world will be watching this superpower choose its leader. The world is expecting a spirited debate, which should include a discussion of the Senkaku Island problem that is plaguing Japan.

The theme of the debate on the night of Oct. 3 (in Japan, the morning of Oct. 4) was domestic policy. Focusing on jobs, President Obama boasted that “over the last 30 months, we’ve seen 5 million jobs… created.” Meanwhile, Mr. Romney criticized the Obama administration’s big government and big deficit spending, calling for more job growth through private sector leadership. He promised to create 12 million new jobs.

Concerning President Obama’s health care reform, which pushes for national health insurance, Mr. Romney emphasized that he will repeal it, saying that it costs too much money. In America, there are many people who are against health care reform. He has politely described the problem to the general public, but they have a calm and generally favorable impression of the president.

The wealthy Mr. Romney’s approval rating began to weaken when he said that “47 percent of Americans pay no income tax” and that the masses are sponging off the government. He has also made firm comments showing that he is counting on support from the Tea Party, a grassroots effort criticizing public expenditures on financial institution assistance and health care reform, as well as from social conservatives who are opposed to gay marriage, etc. For someone who was originally a moderate in his party, wouldn’t it be a better idea to follow that path?

It’s certain that President Obama will win the large states of California and New York, and he is leading in Florida, which hosted the Republican National Convention. According to some reports, of the 538 delegates from across the U.S., President Obama very nearly has the 270 majority guarantee.

However, that is only the current state of affairs, and in the U.S. they have a phrase called the “October Surprise.” An example of this occurred just before the 2000 election, when it came out that then candidate Bush was arrested some 20 years prior for drunk driving. You can’t take your eyes off the road until the very end in the presidential elections, which unravel like a scheme hatched behind closed doors.