How do the candidates view America's role in the world?

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Cause that's a perfect Segway and to our next segment and that he has.

What is America's role in the world and that is the question.

What do each of you see is our role in the world and I believe governor Romney it's your turn to -- Well I I absolutely believe that America -- us a responsibility.

And the privilege.

Of helping defend freedom and promote the principles that that make the world more peaceful.

And those principles include human rights human dignity free enterprise.

Freedom of expression.

Elections because when there are elections people tenable for peace they don't vote for war so we want it to promote those principles around the world.

We recognize that there are places of conflict in the world.

We want to -- those conflicts to the extent humanly possible but in order to be able to fulfill our rule the world America must be strong.

America must lead.

And for that to happen we have to strengthen our economy here at home you can't have 23 million people struggling to get a job.

If you can't have an economy that over the last three years keeps slowing down its growth rate you can't have kids coming out of college.

Half -- can't find a job today or a job that's commensurate with their college degree we have to get our economy going and our military.

We've got to strengthen our military long term we don't know what the world it's gonna throw at us down the road.

-- we make decisions today in the military that there will confront challenges we can imagine in the 2000 debates.

There was no mention of terrorism -- And a year later 9/11 happened so we have to make decisions based upon uncertainty.

And that means strong military -- will not -- military budget.

We have to also stand by our allies I think the tension that it existed between Israel and the United States was very unfortunate.

I think also that pulling our missile defense a program out of Poland and the way we did was also unfortunate terms of it if you will disrupting that that the relationship in some ways that existed between us and then of course with regards to standing for principles when.

When the students took to the streets in Tehran and the people there protest the green revolution occurred.

For the president to be silent I thought was an enormous mistake we have to stand for our principles.

Stand for our allies stand for strong military and stand for stronger economy just.

Perhaps America remains the one indispensable nation.

And the world needs a strong America and it -- forward now than when I came and office.

Because we -- the -- Iraq we were able to refocus our attention.

On not only the terrorist threat but also beginning a transition process in Afghanistan.

It also allowed us to refocus.

On alliances relationships that have been neglected.

For a -- eight.

And governor Romney are licenses have never been strong.

In Asia.

In Europe.

In Africa.

With -- Israel where we have unprecedented military.

An intelligence cooperation including dealing with the Iranian threat.

But what we also have -- been able to do is position ourselves so we can start rebuilding America.

And that's what my plan -- Making sure that we're bringing manufacturing back to work shores so that were creating jobs here as we've done when the auto industry.

Not rewarding companies that are shipping jobs overseas making sure that we've got the best education system in the world.

Including retraining our workers for the jobs of tomorrow.

Doing everything we -- to control our own energy we've cut our oil imports to lowest level in two decades.

Because we've developed oil and natural gas but we'll set.

To develop clean energy.

Technologies.

That will allow us to cut our exports in half by 20/20.

That's the kind of leadership that we need to show.

And we've got to make sure that we reduce our deficit unfortunately governor Romney's plan doesn't do it.

We've got to do in a responsible way by cutting -- spending we don't need but also.

Asking the wealthiest pay a little bit more that way we can invest in the research and technology if it's always kept us at the cutting edge.

Now that the governor Romney has taken a different approach throughout this campaign.

They'll both at home and abroad he has proposed.

Law and reckless policies.

He's praised George Bush is a good economic stored -- Dick Cheney as somebody who's.

Shows great wisdom and judgment and taking us back to those kinds of strategies that got us into this -- are not the way that we are gonna maintain leadership and 20% for.

Governor Romney wrong and reckless policy.

Expect I've got a policy for the future.

And agenda for the future and when it comes to our economy here at home I know what it takes to create twelve million new jobs and rising take on today.

And what we've seen over the last four years -- something out of wanna see over the next four years that the president said by now we'd be at five point 4% unemployment.

We're nine million jobs short of that.

I would get America working again and see rising take home pay again -- -- with five simple steps.

Number one we are gonna have North American energy independence.

Way to do it by taking full advantage of oil coal gas nuclear and a -- -- number two.

We're gonna increase our trade trade goes about 12% for your doubles about every every five or -- or so years wouldn't do better than that particularly in Latin America.

The opportunities for us in Latin America we had just not taken advantage of -- that -- Latin America's economy is almost as big as the economy of China.

We're all focused on China Latin America's a huge opportunity for us time zone language opportunities number three.

We're gonna have -- at training programs that work for our workers.

And schools that finally put the parents and the teachers and the kids first in the teachers' unions and have to go behind.

And then we're gonna have to get to balanced budget.

We can't expect -- to open doors.

And businesses large and small to take their life savings are -- companies money and invest in America if they think we're headed to the road to Greece.

And that's we're going right now unless we finally get off the spending and borrowing binge and -- get us on track to a balanced budget.

And finally number five -- got to champion small business small businesses where some where jobs come from.

Two thirds of our jobs come from small businesses.

New business formation is down the lowest level in thirty years under this administration I want to bring him back and get back good jobs and rising take -- -- Let's talk about what we need to compete first of all governor -- it talks about small businesses but governor when you're.

In Massachusetts.

Small businesses.

Development -- about 48 I think out of fifty states in Massachusetts.

Because the policies that are promoting actually don't help small business and the way you define small businesses include.

Folks at the very top -- they include -- and make.

That's not the kind of small business promotion we need but but let's take an example but we know is gonna make a difference point for century and that's our education policy.

We'd have a lot of chance to talk about -- last debate.

-- under my leadership what we've done is reformed education working -- governors 46 states.

We've seen progress in games in schools that were having a terrible time -- -- -- has finally make progress.

And what I would not want to do -- to hire more teachers especially in math and science because we know that we fallen behind when it comes to math and science.

And those teachers can make a difference.

Now governor Romney when you were asked by teachers whether or not this would help the economy grow yourself this is gonna help the economy grow.

When you were asked about reduced class size as you said class sizes don't make a difference but I tell you if you talk to teachers.

They won't tell it does make a difference.

And if we've got math teachers who are able to provide the kind of support they need for our kids.

That's what's gonna determine whether or not the new businesses are created -- companies are gonna locate your depending on whether we've got the most highly skilled workforce.

And the kinds of budget proposals that you put forward what we don't ask.

-- hurt you or me to pay a dime more in terms of reducing the deficit but instead we slash support for education.

That's undermining our long term competitiveness that is not good for America's position in the world and the world notices.

Let me get back from farm policy well and I just put it back well what I did this being a moment of OK a -- about just about education to -- that I'm.

I'm so proud of the state that I had the chance to be governor.

We have at every two years tests that look at how well our kids are doing.

Fourth graders and eighth graders are tested and English and math while I was governor I was proud that our fourth graders came -- number one of all fifty states and English and then also math.

And -- eighth graders number one English and also a map.

First time once stated the number one in all four measures.

How do we do that.

Well Republicans and Democrats came together on a bipartisan basis to put in place education principles that focused and having great teachers.

In the classroom tenure at -- that was that was all that was what allowed us become the number one state in the nation but that was to have this out before you -- Roberts and we -- apps let -- your coverage if you're -- -- affairs office first and we kept our -- number one in the nation is still number one today -- and the principles -- put in place we also gave kids.

Not just a graduation exam.

That -- determine whether they were up to the skills needed to be to be able to compete but also if they graduated the top quarter of their class.

They got a four year tuition free ride at any Massachusetts public institution apartment -- got -- -- driven out of that was actually mine actually Mr.

President you've got to -- electronic.

I want to try to shifted from because we have heard some of this in the other debates governor you say you want a bigger military you want a bigger navy.

-- you don't want to cut defense spending.

What I wanna ask you we're talking about financial problems in this country where you've -- -- cut the -- Well let's let's come back and talk about the military but all the way all the way through first of all I'm going through from the very beginning we're gonna cut about 5%.

Of the a discretionary budget excluding military that's number one but all right -- and that's without.

Describing the -- the good news is out -- I'll be happy to have you take a look come on our website you'll look at how we get to a balanced budget.

Within eight to ten years we do it by getting by reducing spending and a whole series of programs by the way number one I get rid of is obamacare.

That there are a number of things that sound good but frankly just can't afford them.

And that one doesn't sound good and it's not affordable so I get rid of that -- from day one.

It to the extent humanly possible we get that we take program after program that we don't absolutely have to have and we can get rid of them number two we take some programs.

That we are gonna keep like Medicaid which is a program for the poor.

-- take that health care program for the poor and we give it to the states to run because states run these programs more efficiently.

As a governor I thought please give me this program can -- I did that I can run this fourth president and the federal government and states by the way.

Are proving it states like Arizona Rhode Island.

Have taken these these Medicaid dollars have shown they can run these programs more cost effectively Bob and I -- to do those two things that gets us.

It gets us to a balanced budget with eight -- Eight to ten years.

Spot at the military but doesn't -- let's just about the military though -- like what what I'm trying to put a satellite but -- -- -- -- -- -- -- answered the first question.

Governor Romney's called for five trillion dollars of tax cuts that he says he's gonna pay for.

Buy it closing deductions -- the math doesn't work but he continues to claim that he's gonna do it -- wants to spend another two trillion dollars.

On military spending that our military is not asking for.

Now keep in mind that -- our military spending has gone up every single year that I've been in office.

We spend more military than the next ten countries combined China Russia.

France the united United Kingdom unit next to.

And what I did was work we have our Joint Chiefs of Staff.

To think about what are we gonna -- in the future to make sure that we are safe.

And that's the budget that we put forward.

But what you can't do is spend two trillion dollars in additional military spending to the military is not asking for.

Five trillion dollars on tax cuts.

You say that you're gonna pay for by closing loopholes and deductions without naming what those loopholes and deductions are.

And then somehow you're also cannot deal with the deficit that we -- got the math simply doesn't work.

But when it comes to our military what we have to think about is not.

-- just budgets we've got to think about capabilities.

We need to be thinking about cyber security we needed to be thinking about space that's exactly what our budget does but it's driven by strategy.

It's not driven by politics.

It's not driven by members of congress and what they would like to see.

It's driven by what are we gonna need to keep the American people say that's exactly what our budget does.

And it also -- allows us to reduce our deficit which is.

A significant.

National security concern because we've got to make sure that our economy is strong at home so that we can project military power.

Overseas.

Bob but I'm pleased that I've balanced budgets.

I was in the world of business for 25 years -- -- balance your budget you out of business -- went to the Olympics was out of balance and we got about balance and made a success there.

I had the chance to be governor state.

Four years in a row Democrats and Republicans came together to balance the budget would cut taxes nineteen times well balanced our budget.

The president hasn't balanced a budget yet.

I'd expect to have the opportunity to do so myself or I'm gonna be able to balance the budget let's talk about military spending.

And that's this are -- really suck up our navy is older actually make our navy is smaller now than anytime since 1970.

The navy said they needed 313 ships to carry out their mission went out of the 285.

We're headed down to the the low two hundreds if we go -- a sequestration.

That's unacceptable to me.

I want to make sure that we have the ships that are required by our navy our air force is older and smaller -- any time since it was founded in 1947.

We've changed for the first time since FDR we ought since FDR we had the we've always had the strategists and we could -- into conflicts of ones now we're change and a one conflict.

Look that that that this in my view is the highest responsibility of the president of the United States.

Which is to maintain the safety of the American people and I will not cut our military budget.

By a trillion dollars.

Which is a combination of the budget cuts the president asked as well as -- sequestration cuts that in my view is -- is just making our future less certain and less secure.

-- -- to comment on this first of all this question is not something that I proposed something the congress has proposed it will not have the budget that we're talking about is not.

Reducing our military spending it's maintaining it.

But it.

I think governor Romney maybe hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works you you mentioned the may -- for example and we have fewer ships -- we did in 1960.

Well governor we also have fewer horses and bay events.

Because the nature of our military's change we have these things called aircraft carriers -- planes land on the where.

These chips that go underwater nuclear submarines.

And so the question is not.

A game of battleship -- -- -- it's it's what our capabilities and so what I sit down with the secretary of the navy.

And the Joint Chiefs of Staff we determine how are we gonna be best able to meet all of our defense needs.

In a way that also keeps faith with our troops but also make sure that our veterans have the kind of support that they need when they come home and that is not reflected in the kind of budget -- your putting forward because it just doesn't work.

-- and they'll we visited the website quite a bit.

And it's still -- work a lot to cover I'd like.

I'd like to -- to -- next.

Watch Live

How do the candidates view America's role in the world?

Details

Clips

Third Presidential Debate: Lynn University

Candidates debate US policy in the Middle East

How do the candidates view America's role in the world?

Candidates debate addressing Iran nuclear threat

What will the candidates do to secure Afghanistan, Pakistan?

How will the candidates manage the US-China relationship?

Obama: We've made real progress over the last four years

Romney: I know what it takes to get this country back

Transcript

Recommended