Teachers, use the first 4:40 for a classroom activity.
This week, President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Governor Mitt Romney are sharpening their messages on jobs, taxes and foreign policy. While the President attends the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Governor Romney hit the battleground states hard, making campaign stops in Colorado and kicking off a bus tour in Ohio.
Obama is also releasing a new television advertisement in Ohio that will be there to greet the Governor when he arrives. The ad criticizes Romney for a statement he made at a private fundraising event earlier this year in which he dismissed supporters of President Obama as those who are dependent on the government.
But the Romney camp is also on the offensive, releasing a new ad that accuses Obama of being weak on trade against China.
Both candidates appeared on CBS' "60 Minutes", an hour-long news program, to make their case to the public. Romney faced tough questions on the specifics of his economic policy, while Obama was asked how he would pass his economic plan with such stiff Republican opposition in Congress.
These interviews offered a preview of the arguments each candidate will make when they meet in the first of three presidential debates, now just eight days away.
Quotes
"It's very much consistent with my experience as a governor, which is if you want to work together with people across the aisle, you lay out your principles and your policy. You work together with them, but you don't hand them a complete document and say, here, take this or leave it. Look, leadership is not a take-it-or-leave-it thing. We have seen too much of that in Washington," - Mitt Romney.
"You know, when I made a decision to save the auto industry, that saved a million jobs. One in eight jobs in Ohio is dependent on the auto industry. So, we have actually seen success," - President Barack Obama.
Warm Up Questions
1. Who is running for president this year? What do you know about candidates?
2. What is a "swing", or "battleground" state?
3. What are some of the swing states in this year's election?
4. Have you seen any political ads on television this year?
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think political ads are effective in the Presidential election? Why or why not?
2. What do you think are the most important issues this election? Have the candidates done a good job of addressing these issues? Why or why not?
3. Who do you expect will do better at the upcoming debates? Why?
Additional Resources
Presidential Election 2012: Who's Going to Win?
Understanding and Hosting a Post-Presidential Debate
