The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Romney takes fight to Obama in first debate
- Argentina's coast guard, military police in wage protest
- Romney goes after Obama in fight about U.S. economy at debate
| Romney takes fight to Obama in first debate Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:55 PM PDT DENVER (Reuters) - An aggressive Mitt Romney took the fight to President Barack Obama on Wednesday and the Republican candidate appeared to breathe new life into his struggling campaign with a solid performance at their first debate.
As polls showed Obama with a slight edge among voters, Romney was on the offensive throughout the 90-minute encounter between the two rivals at the University of Denver. The two men, standing side-by-side for the first time after months of brutal campaign attacks hurled at each other, clashed over taxes, healthcare and the role of government, reflecting the deep ideological divide in Washington. Appearing poised and well-prepared, Romney zeroed in on weak economic growth and 8.1 percent unemployment that has left Obama vulnerable in his effort to win a second four-year term. "Now, I'm concerned that we're on the path that's just been unsuccessful. The president has a view very similar to the one he had when he ran for office four years go, that spending more, taxing more, regulating more, if you will, trickle-down government would work. That's not the right answer for America," Romney said. The debate saw no haymaker punches thrown and not much in the way of one-line zingers. Instead, it was a war of attrition as each man used facts and figures to make his points and stress the differences between them. Romney, however, may have done himself some favours with crisper answers than Obama, who sounded professorial and a bit long-winded despite his staff's best efforts to get him to give snappier comments. The incumbent Democrat did put Romney on the defensive about his proposals for overhauling the U.S. tax system. Obama said Romney was promoting the same kind of tax cut proposals that former President George W. Bush pushed through Congress in 2001 and 2003. "We ended up moving from surpluses to deficits and it all culminated with the worst recession since the Great Depression," said Obama. In the face of attacks from Romney that the Obama healthcare overhaul of 2010 will hurt small-business hiring, Obama basically said his healthcare plan was modelled after the program Romney put in place as governor of Massachusetts, and it "hasn't destroyed jobs" there. ROMNEY NEEDED VICTORY MORE Romney was in need of a victory at the debate to help him put his campaign back on a positive footing after a rocky few weeks. He was damaged by a hidden-camera videotape in which he said 47 percent of voters were dependent on government and unlikely to support him. Obama, holding a slight edge in national polls and leading Romney in some swing states where the election will be decided, was looking in the debate to do avoid harming his position as the apparent front-runner. The debate moderated by PBS anchor Jim Lehrer was the best opportunity to date to reach large numbers of voters in an unfiltered way, with an estimated television audience of 60 million possible. Both men have been under pressure to provide more specific details on how to get America's economy surging again after a prolonged recovery from recession. Obama charged that Romney's plan to reduce income taxes by 20 percent across the board and eliminate some tax deductions would leave middle-class Americans paying more taxes, an allegation that Romney vociferously denied. "The fact is that if you are lowering the rates the way you described, Governor, then it is not possible to come up with enough deductions and loopholes that only affect high-income individuals to avoid either raising the deficit or burdening the middle class. It's - it's math. It's arithmetic," Obama said. Replied Romney, "Virtually everything he said about my tax plan is inaccurate." The debate was the first of three such face-offs scheduled in the next four weeks. Biden and Romney's running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, will debate once, on October 11. (Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
Copyright © 2012 Reuters | ||
| Argentina's coast guard, military police in wage protest Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:53 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's coast guard and military police held unprecedented wage protests on Wednesday, prompting the government to fire the heads of both services while Congress called for an orderly resolution of the dispute.
Strikes over wages are common in Argentina, where inflation is running at more than 20 percent annually, according to private economists. But this was the first time in memory that uniformed Argentine military forces have taken to the streets over wages. Talks aimed at ending the dispute reached late into the night. "We support democracy. This is not a political uprising. It's nothing strange," military police officer Fernando Parodi shouted into a bullhorn at a rally in front of military police headquarters in Buenos Aires, where hundreds of olive green-clad officers chanted slogans in solidarity. "We are workers, like any others, who need to support our families," Parodi said. The top leaders of Argentina's military police and coast guard were replaced by the government earlier in the day. The protests started on Tuesday when officers demonstrated against an administrative measure that cut some of their pay checks by up to 70 percent. The strike soon morphed into a demand for higher wages generally. The government promised to revise the measure that sparked the protest. Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina said violence would not be tolerated and Congress issued a statement calling on the striking officers to conduct the protests "within the confines of democracy." The officers assured the country that basic coast guard and military police duties, particularly at border crossings, continued to be carried out despite the protests. INFLATION UP, POPULARITY DOWN Buenos Aires provincial Governor Daniel Scioli issued a statement calling for calm. "It's time to reflect, go back to work and to the sensitive responsibilities that have been entrusted to you as members of our security forces," it said. President Christina Fernandez's popularity sank to 24.3 percent in September from 30 percent in August. A year ago, just before winning her second term, she had 64.1 percent popularity while campaigning on a promise to expand on the policy model of her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, who increased the government's role in the economy. After winning re-election in October, Fernandez imposed new currency controls to stem capital flight and the investment climate also took a hit when her government seized a majority stake in the country's No. 1 energy company YPF. With the economy of the grains-exporting country hampered by fallout from Europe's debt crisis, slow demand from key trade partner Brazil and low soy output caused by a December-January drought, Argentines are increasingly worried about inflation. So disputes over wages are likely to continue. Tens of thousands from all walks of life rallied in major cities last month to protest policies such as the de facto ban on buying foreign currency and a possible bid to overhaul the constitution so Fernandez can run for a third term. (Editing by Stacey Joyce, Todd Eastham and Lisa Shumaker) Copyright © 2012 Reuters | ||
| Romney goes after Obama in fight about U.S. economy at debate Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:44 PM PDT DENVER (Reuters) - Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama on Wednesday of promoting "trickle-down government" policies that are burdening the U.S. economy, as the Republican candidate sought to use a high-stakes debate to right his struggling campaign before the November 6 presidential election.
As polls showed Obama with a slight edge among voters, Romney was the aggressor throughout the 90-minute encounter between the two rivals at the University of Denver. The two men, standing side-by-side for the first time after months of brutal campaign attacks hurled at each other, clashed over taxes, healthcare and the role of government, reflecting the deep ideological divide in Washington. Appearing poised and well-prepared, Romney zeroed in on weak economic growth and 8.1 percent unemployment that has left Obama vulnerable in his effort to win a second four-year term. "Now, I'm concerned that we're on the path that's just been unsuccessful. The president has a view very similar to the one he had when he ran for office four years go, that spending more, taxing more, regulating more, if you will, trickle-down government would work. That's not the right answer for America," Romney said. The debate saw no haymaker punches thrown and not much in the way of one-line zingers. Instead, it was a war of attrition as each man used facts and figures to make his points and stress the differences between them. Romney, however, may have done himself some favours with crisper answers than Obama, who sounded professorial and a bit long-winded despite his staff's best efforts to get him to give snappier comments. The incumbent Democrat did put Romney on the defensive about his proposals for overhauling the U.S. tax system. Obama said Romney was promoting the same kind of tax cut proposals that former President George W. Bush pushed through Congress in 2001 and 2003. "We ended up moving from surpluses to deficits and it all culminated with the worst recession since the Great Depression," said Obama. In the face of attacks from Romney that the Obama healthcare overhaul of 2010 will hurt small-business hiring, Obama basically said his healthcare plan was modelled after the program Romney put in place as governor of Massachusetts, and it "hasn't destroyed jobs" there. ROMNEY NEEDED VICTORY MORE Romney was in need of a victory at the debate to help him put his campaign back on a positive footing after a rocky few weeks. He was damaged by a hidden-camera videotape in which he said 47 percent of voters were dependent on government and unlikely to support him. Obama, holding a slight edge in national polls and leading Romney in some swing states where the election will be decided, was looking in the debate to do avoid harming his position as the apparent front-runner. The debate moderated by PBS anchor Jim Lehrer was the best opportunity to date to reach large numbers of voters in an unfiltered way, with an estimated television audience of 60 million possible. Both men have been under pressure to provide more specific details on how to get America's economy surging again after a prolonged recovery from recession. Obama charged that Romney's plan to reduce income taxes by 20 percent across the board and eliminate some tax deductions would leave middle-class Americans paying more taxes, an allegation that Romney vociferously denied. "The fact is that if you are lowering the rates the way you described, Governor, then it is not possible to come up with enough deductions and loopholes that only affect high-income individuals to avoid either raising the deficit or burdening the middle class. It's - it's math. It's arithmetic," Obama said. Replied Romney, "Virtually everything he said about my tax plan is inaccurate." The debate was the first of three such face-offs scheduled in the next four weeks. Biden and Romney's running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, will also debate once, on October 11. (Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
Copyright © 2012 Reuters |
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