It was a remarkable event in my life to attend the 2012 U.S. presidential debate hosted on Wednesday night October 3rd by the University of Denver. I saw the 2008 U.S. presidential debate on TV, but the feeling I have from being in the actual debate is far more exciting. I felt so inspired by the American democracy, hopeful for the future of democracy in Mauritania, and proud to be a representative of my country at the University of Denver. In this article, I will talk about the importance of the presidential debate in advancing democracy, evaluate the U.S. presidency candidates’ performance in this debate, and provide some advice for countries, like Mauritania, that may wish to start or improve their presidential debates.
The purpose of presidential debates is to inform the public about domestic policy agendas for each candidate. During the debate, the candidates will be asked about their opinions on some issues of differences. They may also be asked for response to impromptu controversial issues. The foreign policies are also brought up in these presidential debates. The ultimate goal is to enable the public to make informed decisions in elections.
This 2012 presidential debate at the University of Denver focused entirely on domestic issues. I want to objectively give my opinion about the debate between President Obama and Governor Romney. I think this debate will help Governor Romney close up some gap in the upcoming polls. Romney did really well on the discussion of the economy, particularly about creating jobs and supporting small businesses. He also made great statements about the role of U.S government in the life of the American people. He got lucky to be the last to close the debate with his statement which will be the last thing to stick with some voters.
Obama clearly got his message across that Romney did not have specifics about how to balance the budget deficit. He also doubted if Romney has the leadership required to say “no” to his Republican party when that is necessary. Both candidates shared views about the importance of good education for the Americans.
I would like to give some advice to countries like Mauritania about how to engage the public to help make informed decisions in presidential elections. Our country should organize a series of presidential debates before every election for the public to be informed about the candidates’ domestic and foreign policies. It’s very important that the organizer of these debates be an independent organization. Commission of Presidential Debates and National Democratic Institute are doing great work internationally to help with their expertise organize presidential debates for countries interested in the idea.
By Housseine MHeimid, a former Fulbright alumnus and current graduate student at the University of Denver for Peace Newspaper