Transcripts For CSPAN Presidential Debate At Hofstra University 20161009

[applause] journals washington live with policy impacts positive dexia. Up, we preview tonights second president ial debate at Washington University in st. Louis. Plus, charlie cook. Rothernberg editor stuart rothenberg. They will also talk about key swing states in the senate and a ofely democratic takeover that chamber. Be sure to watch washington journal live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern. Join the discussion. The 2012 townhall president ial debate between president barack obama and former Massachusetts Governor mitt romney was held at Hofstra University. Moderated by cnns Candy Crowley, this is almost two hours. Ms. Crowley good evening from Hofstra University in hempstead, new york. Im Candy Crowley from cnns state of the union. We are here for the second president ial debate, a town hall, sponsored by the commission on president ial debates. The Gallup Organization chose 82 uncommitted voters from the new york area. Their questions will drive the night. My goal is to give the conversation direction and to ensure questions get answered. The questions are known to me and my team only. Neither the commission, nor the candidates have seen them. I hope to get to as many questions as possible. And because i am the optimistic sort, im sure the candidates will oblige by keeping their answers concise and on point. Each candidate has as much as two minutes to respond to a common question, and there will be a twominute followup. The audience here in the hall has agreed to be polite and attentive no cheering or booing or outbursts of any sort. We will set aside that agreement just this once to welcome president barack obama and governor mitt romney. [applause] ms. Crowley gentlemen, thank you both for joining us here tonight. We have a lot of folks whove been waiting all day to talk to you, so i want to get right to it. Governor romney, as you know, you won the coin toss, so the first question will go to you. And i want to turn to a firsttime voter, jeremy epstein, who has a question for you. Question mr. President , governor romney, as a 20yearold 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 . Mr. Romney thank you, jeremy. I appreciate your your question, and thank you for being here this evening and to all of those from Nassau County that have come, thank you for your time. Thank you to Hofstra University and to Candy Crowley for organizing and leading this this event. Thank you, mr. President , also for being part of this this debate. Your question your question is one thats being asked by college kids all over this country. I was in pennsylvania with someone who had just graduated this was in philadelphia and she said, ive got my degree. I cant find a job. Ive got three part time jobs. Theyre just barely enough to pay for my food and pay for an apartment. I cant begin to pay back my Student Loans. So what we have to do is two things. We have to make sure that we make it easier for kids to afford college. And also make sure that when they get out of college, theres a job. When i was governor of massachusetts, to get a high school degree, you had to pass an exam. If you graduated in the top quarter of your class, we gave you a john and Abigail Adams scholarship, four years tuition free in the college of your choice in massachusetts, its a public institution. I want to make sure we keep our Pell Grant Program growing. Were also going to have our loan program, so that people are able to afford school. But the key thing is to make sure you can get a job when you get out of school. And whats happened over the last four years has been very, very hard for americas young people. I want you to be able to get a job. I know what it takes to get this economy going. With half of college kids graduating this year without a college excuse me, without a job. And without a College Level job, thats just unacceptable. And likewise youve got more and more debt on your back. So more debt and less jobs. Im going to change that. I know what it takes to create good jobs again. I know what it takes to make sure that you have the kind of opportunity you deserve. And kids across this country are going to recognize, were bringing back an economy. Its not going to be like the last four years. The middleclass has been crushed over the last four years, and jobs have been too scarce. I know what it takes to bring them back, and im going to do that, and make sure that when you graduate when do you graduate . Question 2014. Mr. Romney 2014. When you come out in 2014, i presume im going to be president. Im going to make sure you get a job. Thanks jeremy. Yeah, you bet. Ms. Crowley mr. President . Pres. Obama jeremy, first of all, your future is bright. And the fact that youre making an investment in Higher Education is critical. Not just to you, but to the entire nation. Now, the most important thing we can do is to make sure that we are creating jobs in this country. But not just jobs, good paying jobs. Ones that can support a family. Pres. Obama and what i want to do, is build on the five million jobs that weve created over the last 30 months in the private sector alone. And there are a bunch of things we can do to make sure your future is bright. Number one, i want to build manufacturing jobs in this country again. Now when governor romney said we should let detroit go bankrupt. I said were going to bet on American Workers and the American Auto industry and its come surging back. I want to do that in industries, not just in detroit, but all across the country and that means we change our tax code so were giving incentives to companies that are investing here in the United States and creating jobs here. It also means were helping them and Small Businesses to export all around the world to new markets. Number two, weve got to make sure that we have the best Education System in the world. And the fact that youre going to college is great, but i want everybody to get a great education and weve worked hard to make sure that Student Loans are available for folks like you, but i also want to make sure that Community Colleges are offering slots for workers to get retrained for the jobs that are out there right now and the jobs of the future. Number three, weve got to control our own energy. Now, not only oil and natural gas, which weve been investing in; but also, weve got to make sure were building the Energy Source of the future, not just thinking about next year, but ten years from now, 20 years from now. Thats why weve invested in solar and wind and biofuels, Energy Efficient cars. Weve got to reduce our deficit, but weve got to do it in a balanced way. Asking the wealthy to pay a little bit more along with cuts so that we can invest in education like yours. And lets take the money that weve been spending on war over the last decade to rebuild america, roads, bridges schools. We do those things, not only is your future going to be bright but americas future is going to bright as well. Ms. Crowley let me ask you for more immediate answer and begin with mr. Romney just quickly what what can you do . Were looking at a situation where 40 percent of the unemployed have been unemployed have been unemployed for six months or more. They dont have the two years that jeremy has. What about those long term unemployed who need a job right now . Mr. Romney well what youre seeing in this country is 23 Million People struggling to find a job. And a lot of them, as you say, candy, have been out of work for a long, long, long time. The president s policies have been exercised over the last four years and they havent put americans back to work. We have fewer people working today than we had when the president took office. If the the Unemployment Rate was 7. 8 percent when he took office, its 7. 8 percent now. But if you calculated that Unemployment Rate, taking back the people who dropped out of the workforce, it would be 10. 7 percent. We have not made the progress we need to make to put people back to work. Thats why i put out a fivepoint plan that gets america 12 million new jobs in four years and rising takehome pay. Its going to help jeremy get a job when he comes out of school. Its going to help people across the country that are unemployed right now. And one thing that the president said, which i want to make sure that we understand, he said that i said we should take detroit bankrupt. And thats right. My plan was to have the company go through bankruptcy like 7eleven did and macys and condell airlines and come out stronger. And i know he keeps saying, you want to take detroit bankrupt. Well, the president took detroit bankrupt. You took General Motors bankrupt. You took chrysler bankrupt. So when you say that i wanted to take the Auto Industry bankrupt, you actually did. And i think its important to know that that was a process that was necessary to get those Companies Back on their feet, so they could start hiring more people. That was precisely what i recommended and ultimately what happened. Ms. Crowley let me give the president a chance. Go ahead. Pres. Obama candy, what governor romney said just isnt true. He wanted to take them into bankruptcy without providing them any way to stay open. And we would have lost a million jobs. And that dont take my word for it, take the executives at gm and chrysler, some of whom are republicans, may even support governor romney. But theyll tell you his prescription wasnt going to work. And governor romney says hes got a fivepoint plan . Governor romney doesnt have a fivepoint plan. He has a onepoint plan. And that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. Thats been his philosophy in the private sector, thats been his philosophy as governor, thats been his philosophy as a president ial candidate. You can make a lot of money and pay lower tax rates than somebody who makes a lot less. You can ship jobs overseas and get tax breaks for it. You can invest in a company, bankrupt it, lay off the workers, strip away their pensions, and you still make money. Thats exactly the philosophy that weve seen in place for the last decade. Thats whats been squeezing middle class families. And we have fought back for four years to get out of that mess. The last thing we need to do is to go back to the very same policies that got us there. Ms. Crowley mr. President , the next question is going to be for you here. And, mr. Romney governor romney therell be plenty of chances here to go on, but i want to. Mr. Romney that that detroit that detroit answer. Ms. Crowley we have all these folks. Detroi answerat that detroit answer ms. Crowley i will let you absolutely mr. Romney and the rest of the answer, way off the mark. Ms. Crowley ok. Will will you certainly will have lots of time here coming up. Because i want to move you on to something thats sort of connected to cars here, and and go over. And we want to get a question from phillip tricolla. Question your energy secretary, steven chu, has now been on record three times stating its 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 . Pres. Obama the most important thing we can do is to make sure we control our own energy. So heres what ive done since ive been president. We have increased Oil Production to the highest levels in 16 years. Natural Gas Production is the highest its been in decades. We have seen increases in Coal Production and coal employment. But what ive also said is we cant just produce traditional source of energy. Weve also got to look to the future. Thats why we doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars. That means that in the middle of the next decade, any car you buy, youre going to end up going twice as far on a gallon of gas. Thats why we doubled clean Clean Energy Production like wind and solar and biofuels. And all these things have contributed to us lowering our oil imports to the lowest levels in 16 years. Now, i want to build on that. And that means, yes, we still continue to open up new areas for drilling. We continue to make it a priority for us to go after natural gas. Weve got potentially 600,000 jobs and 100 years worth of energy right beneath our feet with natural gas. And we can do it in an environmentally sound way. But weve also got to continue to figure out how we have efficiency energy, because ultimately thats how were going to reduce demand and thats whats going to keep gas prices lower. Now, governor romney will say hes got an alloftheabove plan, but basically his plan is to let the Oil Companies write the Energy Policies. So hes got the oil and gas part, but he doesnt have the clean energy part. And if we are only thinking about tomorrow or the next day and not thinking about 10 years from now, were not going to control our own economic future. Because china, germany, theyre making these investments. And im not going to cede those jobs of the future to those countries. I expect those new Energy Sources to be built right here in the United States. Thats going to help jeremy get a job. Its also going to make sure that youre not paying as much for gas. Ms. Crowley governor, on the subject of gas prices . Mr. Romney well, lets look at the president s policies, all right, as opposed to the rhetoric, because weve had four years of policies being played out. And the president s right in terms of the additional Oil Production, but none of it came on federal land. As a matter of fact, Oil Production is down 14 percent this year on federal land, and Gas Production was down 9 percent. Why . Because the president cut in half the number of licenses and permits for drilling on federal lands, and in federal waters. So whered the increase come from . Well a lot of it came from the bakken range in north dakota. What was his participation there . The administration brought a criminal action against the people drilling up there for oil, this massive new resource we have. And what was the cost . 20 or 25 birds were killed and brought out a Migratory Bird act to go after them on a criminal basis. Look, i want to make sure we use our oil, our coal, our gas, our nuclear, our renewables. I believe very much in our renewable capabilities; ethanol, wind, solar will be an important part of our energy mix. But what we dont need is to have the president keeping us from taking advantage of oil, coal and gas. This has not been mr. Oil, or mr. Gas, or mr. Coal. Talk to the people that are working in those industries. I was in coal country. People grabbed my arms and said, please save my job. The head of the epa said, you cant build a coal plant. Its virtually impossible given our regulations. When the president ran for office, he said if you build a coal plant, you can go ahead, but youll go bankrupt. Thats not the right course for america. Lets take advantage of the Energy Resources we have, as well as the Energy Sources for the future. And if we do that, if we do what im planning on doing, which is getting us energy independent, north America Energy independence within eight years, youre going to see manufacturing jobs come back. Because our energy is low cost, that are already beginning to come back because of our abundant energy. Ill get america and north America Energy independent. Ill do it by more drilling, more permits and licenses. Were going to bring that pipeline in from canada. How in the world the president said no to that pipeline . I will never know. This is about bringing good jobs back for the middle class of america, and thats what im going to do. Ms. Crowley mr. President , let me just see if i can move you to the gist of this question, which is, are we looking at the new normal . I can tell you that tomorrow morning, a lot of people in hempstead will wake up and fill up and they will find that the price of gas is over 4 a gallon. Is it within the purview of the government to bring those prices down, or are we looking at the new normal . Pres. Obama candy, theres no doubt that world demands gone up, but our production is going up, and were using oil more efficiently. And very little of what governor romney just said is true. Weve opened up public lands. Were actually drilling more on public lands than in the Previous Administration and my the previous president was an oil man. And natural gas isnt just appearing magically. Were encouraging it and working with the industry. And when i hear governor romney say hes a big coal guy, i mean, keep in mind, when governor, when you were governor of massachusetts, you stood in front of a coal plant and pointed at it and said, this plant kills, and took great pride in shutting it down. And now suddenly youre a big champion of coal. So what ive tried to do is be consistent. With respect to Something Like coal, we made the largest investment in clean coal technology, to make sure that even as were producing more coal, were producing it cleaner and smarter. Same thing with oil, same thing with natural gas. And the proof is our oil imports are down to the lowest levels in 20 years. Oil production is up, natural Gas Production is up, and, most importantly, were also starting to build cars that are more efficient. And thats creating jobs. That means those cars can be exported, cause thats the demand around the world, and it also means that itll save money in your pocketbook. Mr. Romney and production on gas [crosstalk] pres. Obama its just not true. Mr. Romney its absolutely true. Look, theres no question but the people recognize that we have not produced more [inaudible] on federal lands and in federal waters. And coal, Coal Production is not up; coal jobs are not up. I was just at a coal facility, where some 1,200 people lost their jobs. The right course for america is to have a true alloftheabove policy. I dont think anyone really believes that youre a person whos going to be pushing for oil and gas and coal. Youll get your chance in a moment. Im still speaking. Pres. Obama well mr. Romney and the answer is i dont believe people think thats the case pres. Obama [inaudible]. Mr. Romney that wasnt the question. Pres. Obama ok. Mr. Romney that was a statement. I dont think the American People believe that. I will fight for oil, coal and natural gas. And the proof, the proof of whether a strategy is working or not is what the price is that youre paying at the pump. If youre paying less than you paid a year or two ago, why, then, the strategy is working. But youre paying more. When the president took office, the price of gasoline here in Nassau County was about 1. 86 a gallon. Now, its 4. 00 a gallon. The price of electricity is up. If the president s Energy Policies are working, youre going to see the cost of energy come down. I will fight to create more energy in this country, to get America Energy secure. And part of that is bringing in a pipeline of oil from canada, taking advantage of the oil and coal we have here, drilling offshore in alaska, drilling offshore in virginia where the people want it. Those things will get us the energy we need. Ms. Crowley mr. President , could you address, because we did finally get to gas prices here, could you address what the governor said, which is if your Energy Policy was working, the price of gasoline would not be 4 a gallon here. Is that true . Pres. Obama well, think about what the governor think about what the governor just said. He said when i took office, the price of gasoline was 1. 80, 1. 86. Why is that . Because the economy was on the verge of collapse, because we were about to go through the worst recession since the great depression, as a consequence of some of the same policies that governor romneys now promoting. So, its conceivable that governor romney could bring down gas prices because with his policies, we might be back in that same mess. What i want to do is to create an economy that is strong, and at the same time produce energy. And with respect to this pipeline that governor romney keeps on talking about, weve weve built enough pipeline to wrap around the entire earth once. So, im all for pipelines. Im all for Oil Production. What im not for is us ignoring the other half of the equation. So, for example, on wind energy, when governor romney says these are imaginary jobs. When youve got thousands of people right now in iowa, right now in colorado, who are working, creating wind power with goodpaying manufacturing jobs, and the republican senator in that in iowa is all for it, providing tax breaks to help this work and governor romney says im opposed. Id get rid of it. Thats not an Energy Strategy for the future. And we need to win that future. And i intend to win it as president of the United States. Ms. Crowley i got to i got to move you on mr. Romney he gets the first ms. Crowley and the next question mr. Romney he actually got ms. Crowley for you mr. Romney he actually got the first question. So i get the last question last answer ms. Crowley [inaudible] in the follow up, it doesnt quite work like that. But im going to give you a chance here. I promise you, im going to. And the next question is for you. So if you want to, you know, continue on but i dont want to leave all mr. Romney candy, candy ms. Crowley sitting here mr. Romney candy, i dont have a policy of stopping wind jobs in iowa and that theyre not phantom jobs. Theyre real jobs. Ms. Crowley ok. Mr. Romney i appreciate wind jobs in iowa and across our country. I appreciate the jobs in coal and oil and gas. Im going to make sure were taking advantage of our Energy Resources. Well bring back manufacturing to america. Were going to get through a very aggressive Energy Policy, 3 1 2 million more jobs in this country. Its critical to our future. Pres. Obama candy, its not going to ms. Crowley were going to move you along pres. Obama im used to being interrupted. Ms. Crowley were going to move you both along to taxes over here and all these folks that have been waiting. Governor, this question is for you. It comes from mary follano follano, sorry. Mr. Romney hi, mary. Governor romney, you have stated that if youre 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, whats that other credit . I forgot. Pres. Obama youre doing great. 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 . Mr. Romney thank you very much. And let me tell you, youre absolutely right about part of that, which is i want to bring the rates down, i want to simplify the tax code, and i want to get middleincome taxpayers to have lower taxes. And the reason i want middleincome taxpayers to have lower taxes is because middleincome taxpayers have been buried over the past four years. Youve seen, as middleincome people in this country, incomes go down 4,300 a family, even as gasoline prices have gone up 2,000. Health insurance premiums, up 2,500. Food prices up. Utility prices up. The middleincome families in america have been crushed over the last four years. So i want to get some relief to middleincome families. Thats part thats part one. Now, how about deductions . cause im going to bring rates down across the board for everybody, but im going to limit deductions and exemptions and credits, particularly for people at the high end, because i am not going to have people at the high end pay less than theyre paying now. The top 5 of taxpayers will continue to pay 60 of the income tax the nation collects. So thatll stay the same. Middleincome people are going to get a tax break. And so, in terms of bringing down deductions, one way of doing that would be say everybody gets ill pick a number 25,000 of deductions and credits, and you can decide which ones to use. Your Home Mortgage interest deduction, charity, Child Tax Credit, and so forth, you can use those as part of filling that bucket, if you will, of deductions. But your rate comes down and the burden also comes down on you for one more reason, and that is every middleincome taxpayer no longer will pay any tax on interest, dividends or Capital Gains. No tax on your savings. That makes life a lot easier. If youre getting interest from a bank, if youre getting a statement from a mutual fund or any other kind of investment you have, you dont have to worry about filing taxes on that, because therell be no taxes for anybody making 200,000. 00 per year and less, on your interest, dividends and Capital Gains. Why am i lowering taxes on the middleclass . Because under the last four years, theyve been buried. And i want to help people in the middleclass. And i will not i will not under any circumstances, reduce the share thats being paid by the highest income taxpayers. And i will not, under any circumstances increase taxes on the middleclass. The president s spending, the president s borrowing will cost this nation to have to raise taxes on the American People. Not just at the high end. A recent study has shown the people in the middleclass will 4,000 per year in higher taxes as a result of the spending and borrowing of this administration. I will not let that happen. I want to get us on track to a balanced budget, and im going to reduce the tax burden on middle income families. And whats that going to do . Its going to help those families, and its going to create incentives to start growing jobs again in this country. Ms. Crowley thanks, governor. Pres. Obama my philosophy on taxes has been simple. And that is, i want to give middleclass families and folks who are striving to get into the middleclass some relief. Because they have been hit hard over the last decade. Over the last 15, over the last 20 years. So four years ago i stood on a stage just like this one. Actually it was a town hall, and i said i would cut taxes for middle class families, and thats what ive done, by 3,600. 00. I said i would cut taxes for Small Businesses, who are the drivers and engines of growth. And weve cut them 18 times. And i want to continue those tax cuts for middleclass families, and for Small Business. But what ive also said is, if were serious about reducing the deficit, if this is genuinely a moral obligation to the next generation, then in addition to some tough spending cuts, weve also got to make sure that the wealthy do a little bit more. So what ive said is, your first 250,000. 00 worth of income, no change. And that means 98 of american families, 97 of Small Businesses, they will not see a tax increase. Im ready to sign that bill right now. The only reason its not happening is because governor romneys allies in congress have held the 98 hostage because they want tax breaks for the top 2 . But what ive also says is for above 250,000, we can go back to the tax rates we had when bill clinton was president. We created 23 million new jobs. Thats part of what took us from deficits to surplus. It will be good for our economy and it will be good for job creation. Now, governor romney has a different philosophy. He was on 60 minutes just two weeks ago and he was asked is it fair for somebody like you, making 20 million a year, to pay a lower tax rate than a nurse or a bus driver, somebody making 50,000 year . And he said, yes, i think thats fair. Not only that, he said, i think thats what grows the economy. Well, i fundamentally disagree with that. I think what grows the economy is when you get that tax credit that we put in place for your kids going to college. I think that grows the economy. I think what grows the economy is when we make sure Small Businesses are getting a tax credit for hiring veterans who fought for our country. That grows our economy. So we just have a different theory. And when governor romney stands here, after a year of campaigning, when during a republican primary he stood on stage and said im going to give tax cuts he didnt say tax rate cuts, he said tax cuts to everybody, including the top 1 , you should believe him because thats been his history. And thats exactly the kind of topdown economics that is not going to work if we want a strong middle class and an economy thats striving for everybody. Ms. Crowley governor romney, im sure youve got a reply there. [laughter] mr. Romney youre absolutely right. You heard what i said about my tax plan. The top 5 will continue to pay 60 , as they do today. Im not looking to cut taxes for wealthy people. I am looking to cut taxes for middleincome people. And why do i want to bring rates down, and at the same time lower exemptions and deductions, particularly for people at the high end . Because if you bring rates down, it makes it easier for Small Business to keep more of their capital and hire people. And for me, this is about jobs. I want to get americas economy going again. 54 of americas workers work in businesses that are taxed as individuals. So when you bring those rates down, those Small Businesses are able to keep more money and hire more people. For me, i look at whats happened in the last four years and say this has been a disappointment. We can do better than this. We dont have to settle for, how many months, 43 months with unemployment above 8 , 23 million americans struggling to find a good job right now. There are 3. 5 million more women living in poverty today than when the president took office. We dont have to live like this. We can get this economy going again. My fivepoint plan does it. Energy independence for north america in five years. Opening up more trade, particularly in latin america. Cracking down on china when they cheat. Getting us to a balanced budget. Fixing our Training Programs for our workers. And finally, championing Small Business. I want to make Small Businesses grow and thrive. I know how to make that happen. I spent my life in the private sector. I know why jobs come and why they go. And theyre going now because of the policies of this administration. Ms. Crowley governor, let me ask the president something about what you just said. The governor says that he is not going to allow the top 5 , believe is what he said, to have a tax cut, that it will all even out, that what he wants to do is give that tax cut to the middle class. Settled . Pres. Obama no, its not settled. Look, the cost of lowering rates for everybody across the board, 20 . Along with what he also wants to do in terms of eliminating the estate tax, along what he wants to do in terms of corporates, changes in the tax code, it costs about 5 trillion. Governor romney then also wants to spend 2 trillion on additional military programs even though the militarys not asking for them. Thats 7 trillion. He also wants to continue the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. Thats another trillion dollars thats 8 trillion. Now, what he says is hes going to make sure that this doesnt add to the deficit and hes going to cut middleclass taxes. But when hes asked, how are you going to do it, which deductions, which loopholes are you going to close . He cant tell you. The the fact that he only has to pay 14 on his taxes when a lot of you are paying much higher. Hes already taken that off the board, Capital Gains are going to continue to be at a low rate so we were not going to get money that way. We havent heard from the governor any specifics beyond big bird and eliminating funding for planned parenthood in terms of how he pays for that. Now, governor romney was a very successful investor. If somebody came to you, governor, with a plan that said, here, i want to spend 7 or 8 trillion, and then were going to pay for it, but we cant tell you until maybe after the election how were going to do it, you wouldnt take such a sketchy deal and neither should you, the American People, because the math doesnt add up. And and whats at stake here is one of two things, either candy this blows up the deficit because keep in mind, this is just to pay for the additional spending that hes talking about, 7 trillion 8 trillion before we even get to the deficit we already have. Or, alternatively, its got to be paid for, not only by closing deductions for wealthy individuals, that that will pay for about 4 reduction in tax rates. Youre going to be paying for it. Youre going to lose some deductions, and you cant buy the sales pitch. Nobody whos looked at it thats serious, actually believes it adds up. Ms. Crowley mr. President , let me get let me get the governor in on this. And governor, lets before we get into a mr. Romney i i ms. Crowley vast array of who says what study says what, if it shouldnt add up. If somehow when you get in there, there isnt enough tax revenue coming in. If somehow the numbers dont add up, would you be willing to look again at a 20 mr. Romney well of course they add up. I was i was someone who ran businesses for 25 years, and balanced the budget. I ran the olympics and balanced the budget. I ran the the state of massachusetts as a governor, to the extent any governor does, and balanced the budget all four years. When were talking about math that doesnt add up, how about 4 trillion of deficits over the last four years, 5 trillion . Thats math that doesnt add up. We have we have a president talking about someones plan in a way thats completely foreign to what my real plan is. And then we have his own record, which is we have four consecutive years where he said when he was running for office, he would cut the deficit in half. Instead hes doubled it. Weve gone from 10 trillion of national debt, to 16 trillion of national debt. If the president were reelected, wed go to almost 20 trillion of national debt. This puts us on a road to greece. I know what it takes to balance budgets. Ive done it my entire life. So for instance when he says, yours is a 5 trillion cut. Well, no its not. Because im offsetting some of the reductions with holding down some of the deductions. Ms. Crowley governor, ive gotta gotta actually, i need to have you both i understand the stakes here. I understand both of you. I will get run out of town if i dont [crosstalk] mr. Romney and i just described i just described to you, mr. President i just described to you precisely how id do it which is with a single number that people can put and they can put theyre theyre deductions and credits [crosstalk] ms. Crowley mr. President , were keeping track, i promise you. And mr. President , the next question is for you, so stay standing. Pres. Obama great. Looking forward to it. And its katherine fenton, who has a question for you. In what new ways to you intend to rectify the inequalities in the workplace, specifically regarding females making only 72 of what their male counterparts earn . Pres. Obama well, katherine, thats a great question. And, you know, i was raised by a single mom who had to put herself through school while looking after two kids. And she worked hard every day and made a lot of sacrifices to make sure we got everything we needed. My grandmother, she started off as a secretary in a bank. She never got a college education, even though she was smart as a whip. And she worked her way up to become a Vice President of a local bank, but she hit the glass ceiling. She trained people who would end up becoming her bosses during the course of her career. She didnt complain. Thats not what you did in that generation. And this is one of the reasons why one of the first the first bill i signed was something called the Lily Ledbetter bill. And its named after this amazing woman who had been doing the same job as a man for years, found out that she was getting paid less, and the Supreme Court said that she couldnt bring suit because she should have found about it earlier, whereas she had no way of finding out about it. So we fixed that. And thats an example of the kind of advocacy that we need, because women are increasingly the breadwinners in the family. This is not just a womens issue, this is a family issue, this is a middleclass issue, and thats why weve got to fight for it. It also means that weve got to make sure that young people like yourself are able to afford a college education. Earlier, governor romney talked about he wants to make pell grants and other education accessible for young people. Well, the truth of the matter is, is that thats exactly what weve done. Weve expanded pell grants for millions of people, including millions of young women, all across the country. We did it by taking 60 billion that was going to banks and lenders as middlemen for the student loan program, and we said, lets just cut out the middleman. Lets give the money directly to students. And as a consequence, weve seen millions of young people be able to afford college, and thats going to make sure that young women are going to be able to compete in that marketplace. But weve got to enforce the laws, which is what we are doing, and weve also got to make sure that in every walk of life we do not tolerate discrimination. Thats been one of the hallmarks of my administration. Im going to continue to push on this issue for the next four years. Ms. Crowley governor romney, pay equity for women . Mr. Romney thank you. And important topic, and one which i learned a great deal about, particularly as i was serving as governor of my state, because i had the chance to pull together a cabinet and all the applicants seemed to be men. And i and i went to my staff, and i said, how come all the people for these jobs are are all men. They said, well, these are the people that have the qualifications. And i said, well, gosh, cant we cant we find some some women that are also qualified . We took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a number of womens groups and said, can you help us find folks, and they brought us whole binders full of women. I was proud of the fact that after i staffed my cabinet and my senior staff, that the university of new york in albany did a survey of all 50 states, and concluded that mine had more women in Senior Leadership positions than any other state in america. Now one of the reasons i was able to get so many good women to be part of that team was because of our recruiting effort. But number two, because i recognized that if youre going to have women in the workforce that sometimes you need to be more flexible. My chief of staff, for instance, had two kids that were still in school. She said, i cant be here until 7 or 8 oclock at night. I need to be able to get home at 5 00 so i can be there for making dinner for my kids and being with them when they get home from school. So we said fine. Lets have a flexible schedule so you can have hours that work for you. Were going to have to have employers in the new economy, in the economy im going to bring to play, that are going to be so anxious to get good workers theyre going to be anxious to hire women. In the last women have lost 580,000 jobs. Thats the net of whats happened in the last four years. Were still down 580,000 jobs. I mentioned 3 1 2 million women, more now in poverty than four years ago. What we can do to help young women and women of all ages is to have a strong economy, so strong that employers that are looking to find good employees and bringing them into their workforce and adapting to a Flexible Work schedule that gives women opportunities that they would otherwise not be able to afford. This is what i have done. Its what i look forward to doing and i know what it takes to make an economy work, and i know what a working economy looks like. And an economy with 7. 8 unemployment is not a real strong economy. An economy that has 23 Million People looking for work is not a strong economy. An economy with 50 of kids graduating from college that cant find a job, or a College Level job, thats not what we have to have. Ms. Crowley governor . Mr. Romney im going to help women in america get good work by getting a stronger economy and by supporting women in the workforce. Ms. Crowley mr. President why dont you get in on this quickly, please . Pres. Obama katherine, i just want to point out that when governor romneys campaign was asked about the Lilly Ledbetter bill, whether he supported it . He said, ill get back to you. And thats not the kind of advocacy that women need in any economy. Now, there are some other issues that have a bearing on how women succeed in the workplace. For example, their healthcare. You know a major difference in this campaign is that governor romney feels comfortable having politicians in washington decide the Health Care Choices that women are making. I think thats a mistake. In my health care bill, i said Insurance Companies need to provide contraceptive coverage to everybody who is insured. Because this is not just a a health issue, its an economic issue for women. It makes a difference. This is money out of that familys pocket. Governor romney not only opposed it, he suggested that in fact employers should be able to make the decision as to whether or not a woman gets contraception through her insurance coverage. Thats not the kind of advocacy that women need. When governor romney says that we should eliminate funding for planned parenthood, there are millions of women all across the country, who rely on planned parenthood for, not just contraceptive care, they rely on it for mammograms, for Cervical Cancer screenings. Thats a pocketbook issue for women and families all across the country. And it makes a difference in terms of how well and effectively women are able to work. When we talk about child care, and the credits that were providing. That makes a difference in whether they can go out there and and earn a living for their family. These are not just womens issues. These are family issues. These are economic issues. And one of the things that makes us grow as an economy is when everybody participates and women are getting the same fair deal as men are. Ms. Crowley mr. President pres. Obama and ive got two daughters and i want to make sure that they have the same opportunities that anybodys sons have. Thats part of what im fighting for as president of the United States. Ms. Crowley i want to move us along here to susan katz, who has a question. And, governor, its for you. Governor romney, i am an undecided voter, because im disappointed with the lack of progress ive seen in the last four years. However, i do attribute much of americas 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 . Mr. Romney thank you. And i appreciate that question. I just want to make sure that, i think i was supposed to get that last answer, but i want to point out that that i dont believe pres. Obama i dont think so, candy. Mr. Romney i dont believe pres. Obama i want to make sure our timekeepers are working here. Mr. Romney the time the time ms. Crowley ok. The timekeepers are all working. And let me tell you that the last part, its for the two of you to talk to one another, and it isnt quite as [inaudible] you think. But go ahead and use this two minutes any way youd like to, the question is on the floor. Mr. Romney id just note that i dont believe that bureaucrats in washington should tell someone whether they can use contraceptives or not. And i dont believe employers should tell someone whether they could have contraceptive care of not. Every woman in america should have access to contraceptives. And the president s statement of my policy is completely and totally wrong. Pres. Obama governor. Mr. Romney let me come back and and answer your question. President bush and i are are different people and these are different times and thats why my five point plan is so different than what he would have done. I mean for instance, we can now, by virtue of new Technology Actually get all the energy we need in north america without having to go to the the arabs or the venezuelans or anyone else. That wasnt true in his time, thats why my policy starts with a very robust policy to get all that energy in north america become energy secure. Number two, trade ill crack down on china, president bush didnt. Im also going to dramatically expand trade in latin america. Its been growing about 12 per year over a long period of time. I want to add more free trade agreements so well have more trade. Number three, im going to get us to a balanced budget. President bush didnt. President obama was right, he said that that was outrageous to have deficits as high as half a trillion dollars under the bush years. He was right, but then he put in place deficits twice that size for every one of his four years. And his forecast for the next four years is more deficits, almost that large. So thats the next area im different than president bush. And then lets take the last one, championing Small Business. Our party has been focused too long. I came through Small Business. I understand how hard it is to start a Small Business. Thats why everything ill do is designed to help Small Businesses grow and add jobs. I want to keep their taxes down on Small Business. I want regulators to see their job as encouraging small enterprise, not crushing it. And the thing i find the most troubling about obama care, well its a long list, but one of the things i find most troubling is that when you go out and talk to Small Businesses and ask them what they think about it, they tell you it keeps them from hiring more people. My priority is jobs. I know how to make that happen. And president bush has a very different path for a very different time. My path is designed in getting Small Businesses to grow and hire people. Ms. Crowley thanks, governor. Mr. President . Pres. Obama well, first of all, i think its important to tell you that we did come in during some tough times. We were losing 800,000 jobs a month when i started. But we had been digging our way out of policies that were misplaced and focused on the top doing very well and middle class folks not doing well. Now, weve seen 30 consecutive 31 consecutive months of job growth, 5. 2 million new jobs created. And the plans that i talked about will create even more. But when governor romney says that he has a very different economic plan, the centerpiece of his economic plan are tax cuts. Thats what took us from surplus to deficit. When he talks about getting tough on china, keep in mind that governor romney invested in companies that were pioneers of outsourcing to china, and is currently investing in countries in companies that are building surveillance equipment for china to spy on its own folks. Thats governor, youre the last person whos going to get tough on china. And what weve done when it comes to trade is not only sign three trade deals to open up new markets, but weve also set up a task force for trade that goes after anybody who is taking advantage of American Workers or businesses and not creating a level Playing Field. Weve brought twice as many cases against unfair trading practices than the Previous Administration and weve won every single one thats been decided. When i said that we had to make sure that china was not flooding our domestic market with cheap tires, governor romney said i was being protectionist; that it wouldnt be helpful to American Workers. Well, in fact we saved 1,000 jobs. And thats the kind of tough trade actions that are required. But the last point i want to make is this. You know, there are some things where governor romney is different from george bush. George bush didnt propose turning medicare into a voucher. George bush embraced comprehensive Immigration Reform. He didnt call for selfdeportation. George bush never suggested that we eliminate funding for planned parenthood, so there are differences between governor romney and george bush, but theyre not on economic policy. In some ways, hes gone to a more extreme place when it comes to social policy. And i think thats a mistake. Thats not how were going to move our economy forward. Ms. Crowley i want to move you both along to the next question, because its in the same wheelhouse, so you will be able to respond. But the president does get this question. I want to call on michael jones. Mr. President , i voted for you in 2008. What have you done or accomplished to earn my vote in 2012 . Im not that optimistic as i was in 2012. Most things i need for everyday living are very expensive. Pres. Obama well, weve gone through a tough four years. Theres no doubt about it. But four years ago, i told the American People and i told you i would cut taxes for middle class families. And i did. I told you id cut taxes for Small Businesses, and i have. I said that id end the war in iraq, and i did. I said wed refocus attention on those who actually attacked us on 9 11, and we have gone after al qaedas leadership like never before and Osama Bin Laden is dead. I said that we would put in Place Health Care reform to make sure that Insurance Companies cant jerk you around and if you dont have Health Insurance, that youd have a chance to get affordable insurance, and i have. I committed that i would rein in the excesses of wall street, and we passed the toughest wall street reforms since the 1930s. Weve created five million jobs, and gone from 800 jobs a month being lost, and we are making progress. We saved an Auto Industry that was on the brink of collapse. Now, does that mean youre not struggling . Absolutely not. A lot of us are. And thats why the plan that ive put forward for manufacturing and education, and reducing our deficit in a sensible way, using the savings from ending wars, to rebuild america and putting people back to work. Making sure that we are controlling our own energy, but not only the energy of today, but also the energy of the future. All of those things will make a difference, so the point is the commitments ive made, ive kept. And those that i havent been able to keep, its not for lack of trying and were going to get it done in a second term. But, you should Pay Attention to this campaign, because governor romney has made some commitments as well. And i suspect hell keep those too. You know when members of the Republican Congress say, were going to sign a no tax pledge, so that we dont ask a dime for millionaires and billionaires to reduce our deficit so we can still invest in education, and helping kids go to college. He said, me too. When they said, were going to cut planned parenthood funding. He said, me too. When he said, were going to repeal obamacare. First thing im going to do, despite the fact that its the same Health Care Plan that he passed in massachusetts and is working well. He said, me too. That is not the kind of leadership that you need, but you should expect that those are promises hes going to keep. [crosstalk] ms. Crowley mr. President , let me let [crosstalk] pres. Obama the choice in this election is going to be whose promises are going to be more likely to help you in your life . Make sure your kids can go to college. Make sure that you are getting a good paying job, making sure that medicare and Social Security ms. Crowley mr. President. Thank you. Governor . Mr. Romney i think you know better. I think you know that these last four years havent been so good as the president just described and that you dont feel like your confident that the next four years are going to be much better either. I can tell you that if you were to elect president obama, you know what youre going to get. Youre going to get a repeat of the last four years. We just cant afford four more years like the last four years. He said that by now wed have unemployment at 5. 4 . The difference between where it is and 5. 4 is 9 million americans without work. I wasnt the one that said 5. 4 . This was the president s plan. Didnt get there. He said he would have by now put forward a plan to reform medicare and Social Security, because he pointed out theyre on the road to bankruptcy. He would reform them. Hed get that done. He hasnt even made a proposal on either one. He said in his first year hed put out an immigration plan that would deal with our immigration challenges. Didnt even file it. This is a president who has not been able to do what he said hed do. He said that hed cut in half the deficit. He hasnt done that either. In fact, he doubled it. He said that by now middleincome families would have a reduction in their Health Insurance premiums by 2,500 a year. Its gone up by 2,500 a year. And if obamacare is passed, or implemented its already been passed if its implemented fully, itll be another 2,500 on top. The middle class is getting crushed under the policies of a president who has not understood what it takes to get the economy working again. He keeps saying, look, ive created 5 million jobs. Thats after losing 5 million jobs. The entire record is such that the unemployment has not been reduced in this country. The unemployment, the number of people who are still looking for work, is still 23 million americans. There are more people in poverty, one out of six people in poverty. How about food stamps . When he took office, 32 Million People were on food stamps. Today, 47 Million People are on food stamps. How about the growth of the economy . Its growing more slowly this year than last year, and more slowly last year than the year before. The president wants to do well. I understand. But the policies hes put in place from obamacare to doddfrank to his tax policies to his regulatory policies, these policies combined have not let this economy take off and grow like it could have. You might say, well, you got an example of one that worked better . Yeah, in the reagan recession where unemployment hit 10. 8 , between that period the end of that recession and the equivalent of time to today, Ronald Reagans recovery created twice as many jobs as this president s recovery. Five million jobs doesnt even keep up with our population growth. And the only reason the Unemployment Rate seems a little lower today is because of all the people that have dropped out of the workforce. The president has tried, but his policies havent worked. Hes great as a as a as a speaker and describing his plans and his vision. Thats wonderful, except we have a record to look at. E need. Median income is down 4,300 a family and 23 million americans out of work. Thats what this election is about. Its about who can get the middle class in this country a bright and prosperous future and assure our kids the kind of hope and optimism they deserve. Ms. Crowley governor, i want to move you along. Dont dont go away, and well have plenty of time to respond. We are quite aware of the clock for both of you. But i want to bring in a different subject here. Mr. President , ill be right back with you. Lorraine osorio has a question for you about a topic we have not pres. Obama this is for governor romney . Ms. Crowley its for governor romney, and well be right with you, mr. President. Thanks. Mr. Romney is it loraina . Question lorraine. Mr. Romney lorraine . Question yes, lorraine. Mr. Romney lorraine. Question how you doing . Mr. Romney good, thanks. Question mr. Romney, what do you plan on doing with immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as productive members of society . Mr. Romney thank you. Lorraine . Did i get that right . Good. Thank you for your question. And let me step back and tell you what i would like to do with our immigration policy broadly and include an answer to your question. But first of all, this is a nation of immigrants. We welcome people coming to this country as immigrants. My dad was born in mexico of american parents. Anns dad was born in wales and is a firstgeneration american. We welcome legal immigrants into this country. I want our legal system to work better. I want it to be streamlined. I want it to be clearer. I dont think you have to shouldnt have to hire a lawyer to figure out how to get into this country legally. I also think that we should give visas to people green cards, rather, to people who graduate with skills that we need. People around the world with accredited degrees in science and math get a green card stapled to their diploma, come to the u. S. Of a. We should make sure our legal system works. Number two, were going to have to stop ilLegal Immigration. There are 4 Million People who are waiting in line to get here legally. Those whove come here illegally take their place. So i will not grant amnesty to those who have come here illegally. What i will do is ill put in place an employment verification system and make sure that employers that hire people who have come here illegally are sanctioned for doing so. I wont put in place magnets for people coming here illegally. So for instance, i would not give drivers licenses to those that have come here illegally as the president would. The kids of those that came here illegally, those kids, i think, should have a pathway to become a permanent resident of the United States and military service, for instance, is one way they would have that kind of pathway to become a permanent resident. Now when the president ran for office, he said that hed put in place, in his first year, a piece of legislation hed file a bill in his first year that would reform our our immigration system, protect Legal Immigration, stop ilLegal Immigration. He didnt do it. He had a democrat house, a democrat senate, super majority in both houses. Why did he fail to even promote legislation that would have provided an answer for those that want to come legally and for those that are here illegally today . Whats a question i think the the president will have a chance to answer right now. Pres. Obama good, i look forward to it. Was lorranna lorraine we are a nation of immigrants. Were just a few miles away from ellis island. We all understand what this country has become because talent from all around the world wants to come here. People are willing to take risks. People who want to build on their dreams and make sure their kids have an even bigger dreams than they have. But were also a nation of laws. So what ive said is we need to fix a broken immigration system and ive done everything that i can on my own and sought cooperation from congress to make sure that we fix the system. The first thing we did was to streamline the Legal Immigration system, to reduce the backlog, make it easier, simpler and cheaper for people who are waiting in line, obeying the law to make sure that they can come here and contribute to our country and thats good for our economic growth. Theyll start new businesses. Theyll make things happen to create jobs here in the United States. Number two, we do have to deal with our border so we put more Border Patrol on the any time in history and the flow of undocumented works across the border is actually lower than its been in 40 years. What ive also said is if were going to go after folks who are here illegally, we should do it smartly and go after folks who are criminals, gang bangers, people who are hurting the community, not after students, not after folks who are here just because theyre trying to figure out how to feed their families. And thats what weve done. And what ive also said is for young people who come here, brought here often times by their parents. Had gone to school here, pledged allegiance to the flag. Think of this as their country. Understand themselves as americans in every way except having papers. And we should make sure that we give them a pathway to citizenship. And thats what ive done administratively. Now, governor romney just said, he wants to help those young people too, but during the republican primary, he said, i will veto the dream act, that would allow these young people to have access. His main strategy during the republican primary was to say, were going to encourage self deportation. Making life so miserable on folks that theyll leave. He called the arizona law a model for the nation. Part of the arizona law said that Law Enforcement officers could stop folks because they suspected maybe they looked like they might be undocumented workers and check their papers. You know what . If my daughter or yours looks to somebody like theyre not a citizen, i dont want i dont want to empower somebody like that. So, we can fix this system in a comprehensive way. And when governor romney says, the challenge is, well obama did not try. Thats not true. I have sat down with democrats and republicans at the beginning of my term. And i said, lets fix this system. Including senators previously who had supported it on the republican side. But its very hard for republicans in congress to support comprehensive Immigration Reform, if their standard bearer has said that, this is not something im interested in supporting. Ms. Crowley let me get the governor in here, mr. President. Let us speak to if you could, the idea of self deportation. Mr. Romney no, let let let me go back and speak to the points that the president made and and and lets get them correct. I did not say that the arizona law was a model for the nation in that aspect. I said that the everify portion of the arizona law, which is which is the portion of the law which says that employers could be able to determine whether someone is here illegally or not illegally, that that was a model for the nation. Thats number one. Number two, i asked the president a question i think hispanics and immigrants all over the nation have asked. He was asked this on univision the other day. Why, when you said youd filed legislation in your first year didnt you do it . And he didnt answer. He doesnt answer that question. He said the standard bearer wasnt for it. Im glad you thought i was a standard bearer four years ago, but i wasnt. Four years ago you said in your first year you would file legislation. In his first year, i was just getting licking my wounds from having been beaten by john mccain, all right. I was not the standard bearer. My view is that this president should have honored his promise to do as he said. Now, let me mention one other thing, and that is selfdeportation says let people make their own choice. What i was saying is, were not going to round up 12 Million People, undocumented illegals, and take them out of the nation. Instead let people make their own choice. And if they if they find that they cant get the benefits here that they want and they cant and they cant find the job they want, then theyll make a decision to go a place where where they have better opportunities. But im not in favor of rounding up people and and and taking them out of this country. I am in favor, as the president has said, and i agree with him, which is that if people have committed crimes we got to get them out of this country. Let me mention Something Else the president said. It was a moment ago and i didnt get a chance to, when he was describing chinese investments and so forth. Pres. Obama candy . Hold on a second. Mr. Romney mr. President , im still speaking. [crosstalk] ms. Crowley governor romney, you can make it short. See all these people . Theyve been waiting for you. Mr. Romney just going to make a point. Any investments i have over the last eight years have been managed by a blind trust. And i understand they do include investments outside the United States, including in in chinese companies. Mr. President , have you looked at your pension . Have you looked at your pension . President obama no i havent, i dont check it that often is not as big as yours. Mr. Romney well, let me give you some advice. Let me give you some advice. Look at your pension. You also have investments in chinese companies. You also have investments outside the United States. You also have investments through a caymans trust. Ms. Crowley were way off topic here, governor romney. Pres. Obama i thought we were talking about immigration. Ms. Crowley if i could have you sit down, governor romney. Thank you. Pres. Obama i do want to make sure that i do want to make sure that we just understand something. Governor romney says he wasnt referring to arizona as a model for the nation. His top adviser on immigration is the guy who designed the arizona law, the entirety of it; not everify, the whole thing. Thats his policy. And its a bad policy. And it wont help us grow. Look, when we think about immigration, we have to understand there are folks all around the world who still see america as the land of promise. And they provide us energy and they provide Us Innovation and they Start Companies like intel and google. And we want to encourage that. Now, weve got to make sure that we do it in a smart way and a comprehensive way, and we make the legal system better. But when we make this into a Divisive Political issue, and when we dont have bipartisan support i can deliver, governor, a whole bunch of democrats to get comprehensive Immigration Reform done, and we cant mr. Romney ill get it done. Ill get it done. Ms. Crowley mr. President , let me move you on here please. Pres. Obama this used to be a bipartisan issue. Ms. Crowley dont go away, though right. Dont go away because i i want you to talk to kerry ladka who wants to switch the topic for us. Pres. Obama ok. Question good evening, mr. President. Pres. Obama im sorry. Whats your name . Question its kerry, kerry ladka. Pres. Obama great to see you. Question this question actually comes from a brain trust of my friends at Global Telecom supply 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 . Pres. Obama well, let me first of all talk about our diplomats, because they serve all around the world and do an incredible job in a very dangerous situation. And these arent just representatives of the United States, they are my representatives. I send them there, oftentimes into harms way. I know these folks and i know their families. So nobody is more concerned about their safety and security than i am. So as soon as we found out that the benghazi consulate was being overrun, i was on the phone with my National Security team and i gave them three instructions. Number one, beef up our security and procedures, not just in libya, but at every embassy and consulate in the region. Number two, investigate exactly what happened, regardless of where the facts lead us, to make sure folks are held accountable and it doesnt happen again. And number three, we are going to find out who did this and were going to hunt them down, because one of the things that ive said throughout my presidency is when folks mess with americans, we go after them. Now governor romney had a very different response. While we were still dealing with our diplomats being threatened, governor romney put out a press release, trying to make political points, and thats not how a commander in chief operates. You dont turn National Security into a political issue. Certainly not right when its happening. And people not everybody agrees with some of the decisions ive made. But when it comes to our National Security, i mean what i say. I said id end the war in libya in in iraq, and i did. I said that wed go after alqaeda and bin laden, we have. I said wed transition out of afghanistan, and start making sure that afghans are responsible for their own security, thats what im doing. And when it comes to this issue, when i say that we are going to find out exactly what happened, everybody will be held accountable. And i am ultimately responsible for whats taking place there because these are my folks, and im the one who has to greet those coffins when they come home. You know that i mean what i say. Ms. Crowley mr. President , im going to move us along. Governor . Mr. Romney thank you kerry for your question, its an important one. I think the president just said correctly that the buck does stop at his desk and and he takes responsibility for for that for the failure in providing those security resources, and and those terrible things may well happen from time to time. I feel very deeply sympathetic for the families of those who lost loved ones. And today theres a Memorial Service for one of those that was lost in this tragedy. We think of their families and care for them deeply. There were other issues associated with this with this tragedy. There were many days that passed before we knew whether this was a spontaneous demonstration, or actually whether it was a terrorist attack. And there was no demonstration involved. It was a terrorist attack and it took a long time for that to be told to the American People. Whether there was some misleading, or instead whether we just didnt know what happened, you have to ask yourself why didnt we know five days later when the ambassador to the United Nations went on tv to say that this was a demonstration, how could we have not known . But i find more troubling than this, that on the day following the assassination of the United States ambassador, the first time thats happened since 1979, when we have four americans killed there, when apparently we didnt know what happened, that the president , the day after that happened, flies to las vegas for a political fundraiser, then the next day to colorado for another event, other political event. I think these actions taken by a president and a leader have symbolic significance and perhaps even material significance in that youd hope that during that time we could call in the people who were actually eyewitnesses. Weve read their accounts now about what happened. It was very clear this was not a demonstration. This was an attack by terrorists. And this calls into question the president s whole policy in the middle east. Look whats happening in syria, in egypt, now in libya. Consider the distance between ourselves and israel, the president said that he was going to put daylight between us and israel. We have iran four years closer to a nuclear bomb. Syrias not just a tragedy of 30,000 civilians being killed by a military, but also a strategic strategically significant player for america. The president s policies throughout the middle east began with an apology tour and and and pursue a strategy of leading from behind, and this strategy is unraveling before our very eyes. Ms. Crowley because were were closing in, i want to still get a lot of people in. I want to ask you something, mr. President , and then have the governor just quickly. Your secretary of state, as im sure you know, has said that she takes full responsibility for the attack on the Diplomatic Mission in benghazi. Does the buck stop with your secretary of state as far as what went on here . Pres. Obama secretary clinton has done an extraordinary job. But she works for me. Im the president and im always responsible, and thats why nobodys more interested in finding out exactly what happened than i do. The day after the attack, governor, i stood in the rose garden and i told the American People in the world that we are going to find out exactly what happened. That this was an act of terror and i also said that were going to hunt down those who committed this crime. And then a few days later, i was there greeting the caskets coming into Andrews Air Force base and grieving with the families. And the suggestion that anybody in my team, whether the secretary of state, our u. N. Ambassador, anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when weve lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. Thats not what we do. Thats not what i do as president , thats not what i do as commander in chief. Ms. Crowley governor, if you want to mr. Romney i i think interesting the president just said something which which is that on the day after the attack he went into the rose garden and said that this was an act of terror. Pres. Obama thats what i said. Mr. Romney you said in the rose garden the day after the attack, it was an act of terror. It was not a spontaneous demonstration, is that what youre saying . Pres. Obama please proceed governor. Mr. Romney i want to make sure we get that for the record because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in benghazi an act of terror. Pres. Obama get the transcript. Ms. Crowley it it it he did in fact, sir. Let me call it an act of terror. Pres. Obama can you say that a little louder, candy . Ms. Crowley he he did call it an act of terror. It did as well take it did as well take two weeks or so for the whole idea there being a riot out there about this tape to come out. You are correct about that. Mr. Romney this the administration the administration indicated this was a reaction to a video and was a spontaneous reaction. Ms. Crowley it did. Mr. Romney it took them a long time to say this was a terrorist act by a terrorist group. And to suggest am i incorrect in that regard, on sunday, the your secretary pres. Obama candy . Mr. Romney excuse me. The ambassador of the United Nations went on the sunday Television Shows and spoke about how pres. Obama candy, im mr. Romney this was a spontaneous ms. Crowley mr. President , let me pres. Obama im happy to have a longer conversation ms. Crowley i know you pres. Obama about foreign policy. Ms. Crowley absolutely. But i want to i want to move you on and also pres. Obama ok. Im happy to do that, too. Ms. Crowley the transcripts and pres. Obama i just want to make sure that ms. Crowley figure out what we nina has a question that is brought up a lot. Question president obama, during the Democratic National convention in 2008, you stated you wanted to keep ak47s out of the hands of criminals. What has your administration done or planned to do to limit the availability of assault weapons . Pres. Obama were a nation that believes in the second amendment, and i believe in the second amendment. Weve got a long tradition of hunting and sportsmen and people who want to make sure they can protect themselves. But there have been too many instances during the course of my presidency, where ive had to comfort families who have lost somebody. Most recently out in aurora. You know, just a couple of weeks ago, actually, probably about a month, i saw a mother, who i had met at the bedside of her son, who had been shot in that theater. And her son had been shot through the head. And we spent some time, and we said a prayer and, remarkably, about two months later, this young man and his mom showed up, and he looked unbelievable, good as new. But there were a lot of families who didnt have that good fortune and whose sons or daughters or husbands didnt survive. A, we havef is that, to enforce the laws weve already got, make sure that were keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill. Weve done a much better job in terms of background checks, but weve got more to do when it comes to enforcement. But i also share your belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters dont belong on our streets. And so what im trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced. But part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence. Because frankly, in my home town of chicago, theres an awful lot of violence and theyre not using ak47s. Theyre using cheap hand guns. And so what can we do to intervene, to make sure that young people have opportunity, that our schools are working, that if theres violence on the streets, that working with faith groups and Law Enforcement, we can catch it before it gets out of control. And so what i want is a is a comprehensive strategy. Part of it is seeing if we can get automatic weapons that kill folks in amazing numbers out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. But part of it is also going deeper and seeing if we can get into these communities and making sure we catch violent impulses before they occur. Ms. Crowley governor romney, the question is about assault weapons, ak47s. Mr. Romney yeah, im not in favor of new pieces of legislation on guns and taking guns away or making certain guns illegal. We, of course, dont want to have automatic weapons, and thats already illegal in this country to have automatic weapons. What i believe is we have to do, as the president mentioned towards the end of his remarks there, which is to make enormous efforts to enforce the gun laws that we have, and to change the culture of violence that we have. And u. S. And you ask how are we going to do that . And there are a number of things. He mentioned good schools. I totally agree. We were able to drive our schools to be number one in the nation in my state. And i believe if we do a better job in education, we will give people the hope and opportunity they deserve and perhaps less violence from that. But let me mention another thing. And that is parents. We need moms and dads, helping to raise kids. Wherever possible the the benefit of having two parents in the home, and thats not always possible. A lot of great single moms, single dads. But gosh to tell our kids that before they have babies, they ought to think about getting married to someone, thats a great idea. Because if theres a two parent family, the prospect of living in poverty goes down dramatically. The opportunities that the child will be able to achieve increase dramatically. So we can make changes in the way our culture works to help bring people away from violence and give them opportunity, and bring them in the american system. The greatest failure weve had with regards to gun violence in some respects is what is known as fast and furious. Which was a program under this administration, and how it worked exactly i think we dont know precisely, where thousands of automatic, and ak47 type weapons were given to people that ultimately gave them to to drug lords. They used those weapons against their own citizens and killed americans with them. And this was a program of the government. For what purpose it was put in place, i cant imagine. But its one of the great tragedies related to violence in our society which has occurred during this administration. Which i think the American People would like to understand fully, its been investigated to a degree, but the administration has carried out executive privilege to prevent all of the information from coming out. Id like to understand who it was that did this, what the idea was behind it, why it led to the violence, thousands of guns going to mexican drug lords. Pres. Obama candy . Ms. Crowley governor, governor, if i could, the question was about these assault weapons that once were banned and are no longer banned. I know that you signed an assault weapons ban when you were in massachusetts, obviously, with this question, you no longer do support that. Why is that, given the kind of violence that we see sometimes with these mass killings . Why is it that you have changed your mind . Mr. Romney well, candy, actually, in my state, the progun folks and the antigun folks came together and put together a piece of legislation. And its referred to as an assault weapon ban, but it had, at the signing of the bill, both the progun and the antigun people came together, because it provided opportunities for both that both wanted. There were hunting opportunities, for instance, that havent previously been available and so forth, so it was a mutually agreedupon piece of legislation. Thats what we need more of, candy. What we have right now in washington is a place thats gridlocked. Ms. Crowley so i could if you could get people to agree to it, you would be for it . Mr. Romney we have pres. Obama candy . Mr. Romney we havent had the leadership in washington to work on a bipartisan basis. I was able to do that in my state and bring these two together. Ms. Crowley quickly, mr. President. Pres. Obama the first of all, i think governor romney was for an assault weapons ban before he was against it. And he said that the reason he changed his mind was, in part, because he was seeking the endorsement of the National Rifle association. So thats on the record. But i think that one area we agree on is the important of parents and the importance of schools, because i do believe that if our young people have opportunity, then they are less likely to engage in these kinds of violent acts. Were not going to eliminate everybody who is mentally disturbed and we have got to make sure they dont get weapons. But we can make a difference in terms of ensuring that every young person in america, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, have a chance to succeed. And, candy, we havent had a chance to talk about education much, but i think it is very important to understand that the reforms weve put in place, working with 46 governors around the country, are seeing schools that are some of the ones that are the toughest for kids starting to succeed. Were starting to see gains in math and science. When it comes to Community Colleges, we are setting up programs, including with Nassau Community college, to retrain workers, including young people who may have dropped out of school but now are getting another chance, training them for the jobs that exist right now. And in fact, employers are looking for skilled workers. And so were matching them up. Giving them access to Higher Education. As i said, we have made sure that millions of young people are able to get an education that they werent able to get before. Ms. Crowley mr. President , i have to i have to move you along here. We need to do it here. President obama just one second because this is important. This is part of the choice in this election. When governor romney was asked whether teachers, hiring more teachers was important to growing our economy, governor romney said that doesnt grow our economy. When he was asked would class size ms. Crowley the question, mr. President , was guns here, so i need to move us along. Pres. Obama i understand. Ms. Crowley you know, the question was guns. Pres. Obama but this will make a difference in terms of whether or not we can move this economy forward for these young people. Ms. Crowley i understand. Thank you so much. I want to ask Carol Goldberg to stand up, because she gets to a question that both these men have been passionate about. Its for governor romney. Question 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 . Mr. Romney boy, great question and important question, because youre absolutely right. The place where weve seen manufacturing go has been china. China is now the largest manufacturer in the world. It used to be the United States of america. A lot of good people have lost jobs. A half a Million Manufacturing jobs have been lost in the last four years. Thats total over the last four years. One of the reasons for that is that people think its more attractive in some cases to go offshore than to stay here. We have made it less attractive for enterprises to stay here than to go offshore from time to time. What i will do as president is make sure its more attractive to come to america again. This is the way were going to create jobs in this country. Its not by trickledown government, saying were going to take more money from people and hire more government workers, raise more taxes, put in place more regulations. Trickledown government has never worked here, has never worked anywhere. I want to make america the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs, for Small Business, for big business, to invest and grow in america. Now, were going to have to make sure that as we trade with other nations that they play by the rules. And china hasnt. One of the reasons or one of the ways they dont play by the rules is artificially holding down the value of their currency. Because if they put their currency down low, that means their prices on their goods are low. And that makes them advantageous in the marketplace. We lose sales. And manufacturers here in the u. S. Making the same products cant compete. China has been a currency manipulator for years and years and years. And the president has a regular opportunity to label them as a currency manipulator, but refuses to do so. On day one, i will label china a currency manipulator, which will allow me as president to be able to put in place, if necessary, tariffs where i believe that they are taking unfair advantage of our manufacturers. So were going to make sure that people we trade with around the world play by the rules. But let me let me not just stop there. Dont forget, whats key to bringing back jobs here is not just finding someone else to punish, and im going to be strict with people who we trade with to make sure they they follow the law and play by the rules, but its also to make america the most attractive place in the world for businesses of all kinds. Thats why i want to down the tax rates on small employers, big employers, so they want to be here. Canadas tax rate on companies is now 15 percent. Ours is 35 percent. So if youre starting a business, where would you rather start it . We have to be competitive if were going to create more jobs here. Regulations have quadrupled. The rate of regulations quadrupled under this president. I talk to Small Businesses across the country. They say, we feel like were under attack from our own government. I want to make sure that regulators see their job as encouraging Small Business, not crushing it. And theres no question but that obamacare has been an extraordinary deterrent to enterprises of all kinds hiring people. My priority is making sure that we get more people hired. If we have more people hired, if we get back manufacturing jobs, if we get back all kinds of jobs into this country, then youre going to see rising incomes again. The reason incomes are down is because unemployment is so high. I know what it takes to get this to happen, and my plan will do that, and one part of it is to make sure that we keep china playing by the rules. Ms. Crowley mr. President , two minutes here, because we are then going to go to our last question. Pres. Obama ok. We need to create jobs here. And both governor romney and i agree actually that we should lower our Corporate Tax rate. Its too high. But theres a difference in terms of how we would do it. I want to close loopholes that allow companies to deduct expenses when they move to china, that allow them to profit offshore and not have to get taxed, so they have Tax Advantages offshore. All those changes in our tax code would make a difference. Now, governor romney actually wants to expand those tax breaks. One of his big ideas when it comes to Corporate Tax reform would be to say, if you invest overseas, you make profits overseas, you dont have to pay u. S. Taxes. But, of course, if youre a Small Business or a momandpop business or a big business starting up here, youve got to pay even the reduced rate that governor romneys talking about. And its estimated that that will create 800,000 new jobs. The problem is theyll be in china. Or india. Or germany. Thats not the way were going to create jobs here. The way were going to create jobs here is not just to change our tax code, but also to double our exports. And we are on pace to double our exports, one of the commitments i made when i was president. Thats creating tens of thousands of jobs all across the country. Thats why weve kept on pushing trade deals, but trade deals that make sure that American Workers and american businesses are getting a good deal. Now, governor romney talked about china, as i already indicated. In the private sector, governor romneys Company Invested in what were called pioneers of outsourcing. Thats not my phrase. Thats what reporters called it. And as far as currency manipulation, the currency has actually gone up 11 since ive been president because we have pushed them hard. And weve put unprecedented trade pressure on china. Thats why exports have significantly increased under my presidency. Thats going to help to create jobs here. Ms. Crowley mr. President , we have a really short time for a quick discussion here. Ipad, the macs, the iphones, they are all manufactured in china. One of the major reasons is labor is so much cheaper here. How do you convince a Great American company to bring that manufacturing back here . Mr. Romney the answer is very straightforward. We can compete with anyone in the world as long as the Playing Field is level. Chinas been cheating over the years. One by holding down the value of their currency. Number two, by stealing our intellectual property, our designs, our patents, our technology. Theres even an apple store in china thats a counterfeit apple store, selling counterfeit goods. They hack into our computers. We will have to have people play on a fair basis, thats number one. Number two, we have to make america the most attractive place for entrepreneurs, for people who want to expand their business. Thats what brings jobs in. The president s characterization of my tax plan is completely [crosstalk] ms. Crowley let me to go the president here because we really are running out of time. And the question is can we ever get we cant get wages like that. It cant be sustained. Pres. Obama candy, there are some jobs that are not going to come back. Because they are low wage, low skill jobs. I want high wage, high skill jobs. Thats why we have to emphasize manufacturing. Thats why we have to invest in advanced manufacturing. Thats why weve got to make sure that weve got the best science and research in the world. And when we talk about deficits, if were adding to our deficit for tax cuts for folks who dont need them, and were cutting investments in research and science that will create the next apple, create the next new innovation that will sell products around the world, we will lose that race. If were not training engineers to make sure that they are equipped here in this country, then Companies Wont come here. Those investments are whats going to help to make sure that we continue to lead this world economy, not just next year, but 10 years from now, 50 years from now, 100 years from now. Ms. Crowley thanks mr. President. [crosstalk] ms. Crowley governor romney . Mr. Romney government does not create jobs. Government does not create jobs. Ms. Crowley governor romney, i want to introduce you to barry green, because hes going to have the last question to you first . Mr. Romney barry . Where is barry . Question 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 . Mr. Romney thank you, and thats an opportunity for me, and i appreciate it. In the nature of a campaign, it seems that some campaigns are focused on attacking a person rather than prescribing their own future and the things theyd like to do. In the course of that, i think the president s campaign has tried to characterize me as as someone whos very different than who i am. I care about 100 of the American People. I want 100 of the American People to have a bright and prosperous future. I care about our kids. I understand what it takes to make a bright and prosperous future for america again. I spent my life in the private sector, not in government. Im a guy who wants to help with the experience i have, the American People. My passion probably flows from the fact that i believe in god. And i believe were all children of the same god. I believe we have a responsibility to care for one another. I served as a missionary for my church. I served as a pastor in my congregation for about 10 years. Ive sat across the table from people who were out of work and worked with them to try and find new work or to help them through tough times. I went to the olympics when they were in trouble to try and get them on track. And as governor of my state, i was able to get 100 of my people insured, all my kids, about 98 of the adults. I was able also to get our schools ranked number one in the nation, so 100 of our kids would have a bright opportunity for a future. I understand that i can get this country on track again. We dont have to settle for what were going through. We dont have to settle for gasoline at four bucks. We dont have to settle for unemployment at a chronically high level. We dont have to settle for 47 Million People on food stamps. We dont have to settle for . 50 50 of kids coming out of college not able to get work. We dont have to settle for 23 Million People struggling to find a good job. If i become president , ill get america working again. I will get us on track to a balanced budget. The president hasnt. I will. Ill make sure we can reform medicare and Social Security to preserve them for coming coming generations. The president said he would. He didnt. Ill get our incomes up. And by the way, ive done these things. I served as governor and showed i could get them done. Ms. Crowley mr. President , last two minutes belong to you. Pres. Obama barry, i think a lot of this campaign, maybe over the last four years, has been devoted to this notion that i think government creates jobs, that that somehow is the answer. Thats not what i believe. I believe that the Free Enterprise system is the greatest engine of prosperity the worlds ever known. I believe in selfreliance and individual initiative and risk takers being rewarded. But i also believe that everybody should have a fair shot and everybody should do their fair share and everybody should play by the same rules, because thats how our economys grown. Thats how we built the worlds greatest middle class. And that is part of whats at stake in this election. Theres a fundamentally different vision about how we move our country forward. I believe governor romney is a good man. Loves his family, cares about his faith. But i also believe that when he said behind closed doors that 47 percent of the country considered themselves victims who refuse personal responsibility, think about who he was talking about. Folks on Social Security whove worked all their lives. Veterans whove sacrificed for this country. Students who are out there trying to hopefully advance their own dreams, but also this countrys dreams. Soldiers who are overseas fighting for us right now. People who are working hard every day, paying payroll tax, gas taxes, but dont make enough income. And i want to fight for them. Thats what ive been doing for the last four years. Because if they succeed, i believe the country succeeds. When my grandfather fought in world war ii and he came back and he got a g. I. Bill and that allowed him to go to college, that wasnt a handout. That was something that advanced the entire country. And i want to make sure that the next generation has those same opportunities. Thats why im asking for your vote and thats why im asking for another four years. Ms. Crowley president obama, governor romney, thank you for being here tonight. On that note we have come to an end of this town hall debate. Our thanks to the participants for their time and to the people of Hofstra University for their hospitality. The next and final debate takes place monday night at Lynn University in boca raton, florida. Dont forget to watch. Election day is three weeks from today. Dont forget to vote. Good night. [applause] [indistinct conversation] [indistinct conversation] [indistinct conversation] [indistinct conversation] [indistinct conversation] [indistinct conversation] next, live, your calls and comments on washington journal and then newsmakers with rob angstrom. After that, some of the speakers said yesterdays republican some of the speakers at yesterdays republican fall event. The second president ial debate is tonight in st. Louis, missouri. Watch our live coverage for a preview and then at 8 30 p. M. A preview for the audience. At 9 00, live coverage of the debate. The second president ial debate, watch live on cspan. Watch live or ondemand using phone or desktop, tablet. This morning, ginger gibson previews the second president ial debate, the town hall in st. Louis. And a roundtable discussion on the president ial race with charlie cook, editor and publisher of the cook a report and stuart rothenberg, Founding Member of the political report. Washington journal is next. Host good morning. Its sunday, october 9. With just 30 days to go before election day, and just hours before the second president ial debate between Hillary Clinton and donald trump tonight at Washington University in st. Louis, we are seeing live coverage from the site of tonights debate. Right now, the days leading up to tonights debate have been tumultuous for the republican nominee after the release of a video showing mr. Trump making lewd, sexual remarks. Yesterday, more than a dozen republican lawmakers, including arizona senator john mccain, withdrew their support