On September 11, 2012, both Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama expressed their sorrow for those who lost their lives during the attacks eleven years ago. It should be noted that each of these two candidates used the opportunity to make the situation advantageous for himself.
  Looking to win voters even as they swore off negative attacks, President Obama touted his administration’s military accomplishments on the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. “Al-Qaeda’s leadership has been devastated and Osama bin Laden will never threaten us again. Our Country is safer and out people are resilient,” the president said at a Pentagon memorial service.
  Romney, in a speech to a National Guard Convention in Reno, Nevada, argued that the United States now had a “duty to steer it onto the path of freedom, peace and prosperity. America must lead the free world and the free world must lead the entire world.” While Romney won applause for expressing his gratitude for the Navy SEALs who killed bin Laden—he did not mention President Obama—he added: “I wish I could say the world is less dangerous now.”
  However, there are some voices that express concerns on the budget that was intended to combat terrorism. Kevin Wu (9) stated that he is supportive towards cutting defense budgets because he thinks that the conflicts have been resolved. Wu declared, “I think not [many] realize [how much] money was wasted during Obama’s administration”.
  Though Obama and Romney pulled their negative ads and avoided appearing at campaign rallies, but the politicking did not stop. An interview with Obama aired Tuesday morning Tuesday morning on Miami’s “The DJ Laz Morning Show”, which was taped over the weekend while Obama was in Florida. The interview focused on the re-election bid to appeal to voters who are not typically politically engaged.
  “We’ve got a lot of work to do and I can only do it if I’ve got people out there who are getting registered and making sure they vote,” Obama said in the interview. It was expected Romney would address criticism he faced for not including a salute to the troops in his GOP convention speech last week before members of the National Guard.
  But Romney delivered a political speech—criticizing defense cuts scheduled to take place early next year and suggesting to end the war in Afghanistan that lacks a clear mission, even though his strategy is similar to that of President Obama. “With less that two months to go before the Election day, I would normally speak to a gathering like this about the differences between my and my opponent’s plans for our military and for our national security,” Romney told thousands packed convention hall. “There is a time and a place for that, but this day is not it.”
  Some argue that Romney’s statement may signal a time of reconciliation. Katherine Miller (11), who had witnessed the negative rivalry between the two candidates prior to these events, conceded, “I hope the day [comes] when both parties [can] get together to decide on national matters, not on which party is better than the other. Our country needs to improve on that.”

   Despite extreme differences in opinion, the campaigns of the Republican and Democratic Party carry a message to the publics: one voice can change millions.