'It's an election about the course of America'
Moderator Jim Lehrer: ... what would you do as president?Republican Party’s nominee for US President, Mitt Romney: We — as president, I will sit on Day 1 — actually, the day after I get elected — I’ll sit down with leaders — the Democratic leaders, as well as Republican leaders, and continue — as we did in my state — we met every Monday for a couple of hours, talked about the issues and the challenges in the — in our state in that case. We have to work on a collaborative basis, not because we’re going to compromise our principle, but because there’s common ground.
And, the challenges America faces right now — look, the reason I’m in this race is there are people that are really hurting today in this country. And, we face — this deficit could crush the future generations. What’s happening in the Middle East, there are developments around the world that are of real concern. And, Republicans and Democrats both love America. But we need to have leadership — leadership in Washington that will actually bring people together... and could not care less if — if it’s a Republican or a Democrat. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again.
Lehrer: Mr President?
US President Barack Obama: Well, first of all, I think Governor Romney’s going to have a busy first day, because he’s also going to repeal Obamacare, which will not be very popular among Democrats as you’re sitting down with them.
(Laughter) But, look, my philosophy has been, I will take ideas from anybody, Democrat or Republican, as long as they’re advancing the cause of making middle-class families stronger and giving ladders of opportunity to the middle class. That’s how we cut taxes for middle-class families and small businesses. That’s how we cut a trillion dollars of spending that wasn’t advancing that cause. That’s how we signed three trade deals into law that are helping us to double our exports and sell more American products around the world... So, we’ve seen progress even under Republican control of the House of Representatives. But, ultimately, part of being principled, part of being a leader is being able to describe exactly what it is that you intend to do, not just saying, “I’ll sit down”, but you have to have a plan. What’s important is occasionally you’ve got to say no, to — to folks both in your own party and in the other party. And, you know, yes, have we had some fights between me and the Republicans when they fought back against us reining in the excesses of Wall Street? Absolutely, because that was a fight that needed to be had.
When we were fighting about whether or not we were going to make sure that Americans had more security with their health insurance and they said no, yes, that was a fight that we needed to have. And, so part of leadership and governing is both saying what it is that you are for, but also being willing to say no to some things. And, I’ve got to tell you, Governor Romney, when it comes to his own party during the course of this campaign, has not displayed that willingness to say no to some of the more extreme parts of his party.
Lehrer: That brings us to closing statements. It was a coin toss. Governor Romney, you won the toss and you elected to go last, so you have a closing two minutes, Mr President.
Obama: You know, four years ago, we were going through a major crisis. And, yet my faith and confidence in the American future is undiminished. The reason is because of its people, because of the woman I met in North Carolina who decided at 55 to go back to school because she wanted to inspire her daughter and now has a job from that new training that she’s gotten; because a company in Minnesota who was willing to give up salaries and perks for their executives to make sure that they didn’t lay off workers during a recession.
The auto workers that you meet in Toledo or Detroit take such pride in building the best cars in the world, not just because of a paycheck, but because it gives them that sense of pride, that they’re helping to build America. And, so the question now is how do we build on those strengths...
All those things are designed to make sure that the American people, their genius, their grit, is — is channelled and — and they have an opportunity to succeed... And, everybody’s getting a fair share... You know, four years ago, I said I’m not a perfect man and I wouldn’t be a perfect president. That’s probably a promise that Governor Romney thinks I’ve kept. But I also promised that I’d fight every single day on behalf of the American people, the middle class, and all those who were striving to get into the middle class. I’ve kept that promise and if you’ll vote for me, then I promise I’ll fight just as hard in a second term.
Romney: This is an important election and I’m concerned about America. I’m concerned about the direction America has been taking over the last four years. I know this is bigger than an election about the two of us as individuals. It’s bigger than our respective parties. It’s an election about the course of America. What kind of America do you want to have for yourself and for your children... There’s no question... if the president were to be reelected, you’ll continue to see a middle-class squeeze with incomes going down and prices going up. I’ll get incomes up again... We’ve had 43 straight months with unemployment above eight per cent. If I’m the president, I will create — help create 12 million new jobs in this country with rising incomes.
If the president’s reelected, Obamacare will be fully installed. In my view, that is going to mean a whole different way of life for people who counted on the insurance plan they had in the past. Many will lose it. You’re going to see health premiums go up by some $2,500 per family. If I’m elected, we won’t have Obama. We’ll put in place the kind of principles that I put in place in my own state and allow each state to craft their own programs to get people insured... Finally, military. The president’s reelected, you’ll see dramatic cuts to our military... I will not cut our commitment to our military. I will keep America strong and get America’s middle class working again.
Excerpts from the US presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney at the University of Denver, United States, on October 3