On October 22, 2012, the Republican candidate Mitt Romney and his Democratic opponent, President Barack Obama, met in Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL, to fix the trajectory of their arguments.  The debate, which was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News,  concentrated on topics that had been established during the previous debates. The candidates’ opinions on these topics, which included national security, global leadership, and financial plans, were much solidified.

Romney started out by illustrating America’s loss of position as a global leader. He claimed that the tragic killing of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, led to deficiency of global respect for America. When Obama tackled Romney for his false statements, Romney disputed, “Attacking me is not talking about how we’re going to deal with the challenges that exist in the Middle East, and take advantage of the opportunity there, and stem the tide of this violence.” The GOP candidate additionally stated that financial and military weakness of America can be accounted for its downfall. Romney also claimed that Obama went on an “apologetic tour” in the Middle East in order to appease its nations. He accused Obama of “denouncing and deriding America”, lamenting, “This weak leadership led to development of Iranian nuclear facilities.” The candidate declared that at the start of his term as a president, he would label China as a currency manipulator. Many claimed his statement to be “bold and revolutionary”. The CNN commentator Tom Cohen believed that “Romney succeeded in solidifying his arguments.”

Many thought Obama’s performance outshined Romney’s. Obama at first commended his own administration by recalling interference in Libya—which helped Libya to reach political freedom—and the capturing and the killing of the terrorist Osama bin Laden. President Obama discredited Governor Romney by declaring his strategy unsafe and fluctuating. President Obama cited many discrepancies in Romney’s reports, saying Romney failed to take a side on many issues. President Obama stressed the importance of social welfare, which can strengthen the middle class. The president seemed to be more detailed in his argument, an attempt to show the accumulation of his experience as the Commander-in-chief and diplomatic skills. Mina Ragheb (12) admitted, “Obama is definitely more experienced in diplomacy.” Ragheb added, “Someone who’s been the president for a long time would know more than someone who’s not,” explaining that Obama, as the president, was advantageous in his knowledge of diplomacy. President Obama concurred, “China is both an adversary, but also a potential partner in the international community if it’s following the rules. So my attitude coming onto office was that we are going to insist that China plays by the same rules as everybody else.” Obama also pioneered that America, in order to be the global leader, must pressure China to meet the international currency hold, and displayed disdain at Romney’s inability to check facts.

Many claim that the debate was Obama’s victory. Yuni Cho (11) believes that Romney’s wealth does not automatically grant him an advantage in economic knowledge. “He has way too much money for me to believe his words,” she claimed. Some, in contrast, showed dissatisfaction at Obama’s feats as a president. “From what I’ve been seeing for the last 4 years,” stated Mr. Vincent Comparsi, “I’m not very impressed.” However, both candidates were able to illustrate to the voters their side in various arguments.