2nd Presidential Debate

Daily News Article   —   Posted on October 18, 2012

The second presidential debate was held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
It was moderated by Candy Crowley from CNN’s “State of the Union.”  
The debate was a town hall meeting, in which citizens asked questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each had two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion.
The town meeting participants were 82 undecided voters from the New York area selected by the Gallup Organization.
Ms. Crowley selected the questions from the 82 undecided voters that were asked in the debate.

QUESTION #1 (from first-time voter, Jeremy Epstein):
Mr. President, Governor Romney, as a 20-year-old college student, all I hear from professors, neighbors and others is that when I graduate, I will have little chance to get employment. What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?

QUESTION #2 (from Phillip Tricolla) for President Obama:
Your energy secretary, Steven Chu, has now been on record three times stating it’s not policy of his department to help lower gas prices. Do you agree with Secretary Chu that this is not the job of the Energy Department?

QUESTION #3 (from Mary Follano):
Governor Romney, you have stated that if you’re elected president, you would plan to reduce the tax rates for all the tax brackets and that you would work with the Congress to eliminate some deductions in order to make up for the loss in revenue.
Concerning the — these various deductions, the mortgage deductions, the charitable deductions, the child tax credit and also the — oh, what’s that other credit? I forgot.
Oh, I remember — The education credits, which are important to me, because I have children in college. What would be your position on those things, which are important to the middle class?

QUESTION #4 (from Katherine Fenton):
In what new ways to you intend to rectify the inequalities in the workplace, specifically regarding females making only 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn?

QUESTION #5 (from Susan Katz):
Governor Romney, I am an undecided voter, because I’m disappointed with the lack of progress I’ve seen in the last four years. However, I do attribute much of America’s economic and international problems to the failings and missteps of the Bush administration. Since both you and President Bush are Republicans, I fear a return to the policies of those years should you win this election. What is the biggest difference between you and George W. Bush, and how do you differentiate yourself from George W. Bush?

QUESTION #6 (from Michael Jones):
Mr. President, I voted for you in 2008. What have you done or accomplished to earn my vote in 2012? I’m not that optimistic as I was in 2012. Most things I need for everyday living are very expensive.

QUESTION #7 (from Lorraine Osorio):
Mr. Romney, what do you plan on doing with immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as productive members of society?

QUESTION #8 (from Mr. Kerry Ladka) to President Obama:
This question actually comes from a brain trust of my friends at Global Telecom Supply (ph) in Minneola yesterday. We were sitting around, talking about Libya, and we were reading and became aware of reports that the State Department refused extra security for our embassy in Benghazi, Libya, prior to the attacks that killed four Americans.
Who was it that denied enhanced security and why?

QUESTION #9 (from Nina Gonzalez):
President Obama, during the Democratic National Convention in 2008, you stated you wanted to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. What has your administration done or planned to do to limit the availability of assault weapons?

QUESTION #10 (from Carol Goldberg) to Governor Romney:
The outsourcing of American jobs overseas has taken a toll on our economy. What plans do you have to put back and keep jobs here in the United States?

QUESTION #11 (from Barry Green):
Hi, Governor. I think this is a tough question. To each of you. What do you believe is the biggest misperception that the American people have about you as a man and a candidate? Using specific examples, can you take this opportunity to debunk that misperception and set us straight?