The second presidential debate occurred on Oct 16. Barack Obama, President of the United States, and Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, discussed their platform and  stances on policies in front of national audiences. The debate occurred in a town meeting format and focused on foreign and domestic issues, such as the assault weapons ban, illegal immigration, the Libyan attacks and other policies.

“I support Obama because I am middle class,” freshman Pedro Romero said.

The general consensus on this second debate varies, unlike the first debate which had a nearly unanimous agreement that Romney succeeded far more than Obama. The even footing of this debate ultimately should reflect the rest of the pre-election season.

“I have never seen polls react this obviously to a debate,” government teacher Mark Harris said.  “I expect that President Obama’s performance will counter that to some extent, but I expect the polls to be very tight the rest the way.”

These debates proved very successful for Mitt Romney, jumping up his ratings in the polls by several points and they continue to move in his favor. This spike in the polls bears little resemblance to the polls earlier this year. The opinion of the general populace changed greatly from the performance of the first debate, changing this election year from a land slide to a neck and neck race that will be tense for all who watch.

“Settle in for a close election battle.  It will be a nail bitter.”