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AOL Covers The 2012 Town Hall Presidential Debate

First Posted: 10/17/12 01:02 AM ET Updated: 10/17/12 01:11 AM ET

It was a rematch for President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney as they met for the second presidential debate -- this time a town hall format -- on Tuesday night, and AOL had it covered on several fronts.

AOL LIVE STREAM
For the third time, AOL's 'Debate Center' live-streamed the debate, complete with a live blog that featured commentary from AOL editors, AP photos of the night, key moments from the candidates and Twitter observations from engaged debate viewers. You can watch the debate in its entirety and read through the live blog here.


HUFF POST LIVE
Our streaming news network ran wall-to-wall coverage and analysis before and after the debates.


DAILY FINANCE
On Daily Finance, pollster Frank Luntz and democratic strategist Chris Kofinis were back with exclusive analysis about the town hall format, one that's been tricky for candidates in the past. They pointed out the pitfalls Obama and Romney needed to avoid, like when President George H.W. Bush looked at his watch during the 1992 town hall with Bill Clinton.

During the debate, Daily Finance pulled clips of crucial moments and posted them online where they were used by AOL.com, such as:

When Romney promised a college student a job.

When President Obama slammed Mitt Romney's plan for gas prices, saying it could plunge the country back into a recession.

And when President Obama said he'd kept all of his 2008 campaign commitments, or has, at least, tried to.


HUFFINGTON POST
HuffPost Politics once again ran a live blog featuring real-time coverage alongside editor insights, fact-checks of the candidates' claims, and polls from around the Web.

HuffPost Media noted town hall moderator Candy Crowley sparring with Romney over answer time and live fact-checking him on a Libya question.

HuffPost Business took a closer look at Romney's hiring policy for women and fact-checked his claim about health insurance premiums and regulation under Obama, as well as Obama's jobs claim.


PATCH
In addition to asking its readers who won the second presidential debate of 2012, Patch scored interviews with former New York Governor George Pataki, former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and US Senator from South Carolina Jim DeMint who offered Mitt Romney some debate advice.


 
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12:19 PM on 10/17/2012
Why does no one mention the fact that the world is in recession, it is not just the U.S.A.? The unfunded War in Iraq and the prolonged War in Afghanistan along with the Bush tax cuts would have been enough of a hole to get out of, but the economic collapse happened after most of the "promises" that the candidate Obama made. Romney's promises and easy solutions are wishful thinking if not outright bluster.
11:27 AM on 10/17/2012
I didn't need a debate to tell me that Mitt Romney would be a disaster for this country. His war on women, the middle class, social security, medicare and tax breaks for the rich tell me that the last person we need in the White House is a republican, and in particular a republican like Mitt Romney.

God help us all (unless you're rich) if Mitt Romney gets elected.
12:08 PM on 10/17/2012
In case you didn't know.. Obama has been dipping into medicare for a while now.
11:18 AM on 10/17/2012
Mitt Romney, the spoiled rich kid, showed up last night and it was a display of absolute arrogance, and complete disrespect for the President of the United States.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
bilbetwade
10:47 AM on 10/17/2012
I'll be so thankful when the election is over and everyone can stop posting pre digested party spin on everything. Maybe then we'll wake up and think once in a while.
10:45 AM on 10/17/2012
Speaking to Mitt Romney, being born rich.

Did you see how Nerves Ann Romney is standing next to Middle-Class White Peoples?

Ann looks as if she is afraid, someone going to steal a purse or something…

She just looks out of her comfort zone…
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mspattollie
Gulf Coast
10:07 AM on 10/17/2012
I didn't hear Romney truly address the college student's question at all! Nor did he in all honesty address much of anything else with much of an answer!
10:27 AM on 10/17/2012
Somethings wrong with your TV.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mspattollie
Gulf Coast
11:56 AM on 11/04/2012
NOPE!
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glers
ambidextrous winger
10:31 AM on 10/17/2012
I agree, he certainly did not clarify what he intends to cut to pay for his tax cuts to the rich! I fear he will eliminate mortgage interest write offs, child deductions and college deductions
09:47 AM on 10/17/2012
Obama gets a 100% of the vote of blacks, homosexuals, tree huggers, potheads, moochers, anti-Christians and celebrities. Romney will get non black Christians, business owners, rednecks, and all other white people not included in Obama's group. Not sure why black Christians vote liberal but that is another issue. It comes down to voter turnout of the various groups. These debates change little.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
bilbetwade
10:32 AM on 10/17/2012
Maybe they care more about people than millionaires and their (boo hoo) having to pay any taxes. Maybe Christinaity is more than which party you vote for. (Hard to imagine that) Maybe it has something to do with a man who talked much more about caring for the poor and helpless than being a voting block for some money hungry politicians who talk one way and walk another.
09:38 AM on 10/17/2012
Candy Crawdad Crawley wrongly aided and abetted Obama and pulled him out of the fire and did not make never him answer the questions. He never addressed the question.
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glers
ambidextrous winger
10:09 AM on 10/17/2012
Romney never answered if woman deserve equal pay and what he would do about the issue
10:58 AM on 10/17/2012
Then you weren't listening. He answered the questions directly and with specifics. Mr. Romney didn't....he likes to paint pretty pictures of end results with no specifics on how he would get there.
09:31 AM on 10/17/2012
There is by the proof of Mr. Obama and Mitt Romney's truer Dialogue as for a summarization of their mottos in LIFE and leadership; As for Mr Obama; "The Wicked are rewarded and the Good are Punished" and as for Mr. Mitt Romney; "The rest will all DIE and we will LIVE FOREVER..." tell me where the middle road is in any of these current running presidential candidates???; They still, if you compare them to the word of God are just that: Either the LEFT or the RIGHT; Goats or the Rams, The wicked or the Righteous; and this is exactly why our Nation is DIVIDED. It is too bad that all the supposedly RIGHTEOUS sect, if truly more and thoroughly investigated compared to their expected morals, behaviors, attitudes, etc they would be discovered just as WICKED as those who are purposely and incorrectly Labeled as EVIL doers...to also(by the righteous perceptions) SEPARATED FROM GOD.
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bilbetwade
10:37 AM on 10/17/2012
So the idea that Romney is a member of a CULT (Mormonism) has been changed, not it's OK, because he's a republican? Gee, there's something in the Bible about a man who changes his position like a reed blowing in the wind. But no matter, Christianity is only a label these days, it doesn't mean you actually have to FOLLOW the on it's named after. You know, helping the poor and helpless, giving to others, being your brother's keeper. Those ideas are so first century, and not for today's christian.
10:47 AM on 10/17/2012
Quit hassling God all the time. I bet people like you wear him out.
09:23 AM on 10/17/2012
Romney is smart, listens very well, is very successful not only in business, but in his family life..which shows he is a very happy man. We need someone smart, joyful and successful to help us. And I believe Romney will definitely help our country grow jobs. Obama mentioning that when he came to be president he was burdened with Bush leaving him to have to deal with 800,000 jobs being lost per month? Ok Obama fans...He said it as clear as day, Then Why in the world would we want Obama to be president again for the next 4 years...if he didnt know how to get us out of this mess then and had four years to turn it around? Vote Mitt Romney!
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glers
ambidextrous winger
10:10 AM on 10/17/2012
Successful? he was born rich!
08:19 PM on 10/17/2012
You can give a million dollars to any person and that person could choose to blow it all on partying or choosing to make it grow to become more. Don't hate on the rich either, because a lot of them have worked hard for it. I have met a couple people who were rich and then living in homeless shelters, as I would serve them a meal and hear about their life and how they got there. I would rather have a man who knows how to make more money and the will to not let it fail, then someone who would have no idea on how to do this by himself. If you sat Obama and Romney in a room who do you think would write a successful business plan and make it happen?
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gjorgejimenez
10:11 AM on 10/17/2012
Rummy will only make the economy worse. The job situation in Massachusetts is horrible and Rummy only shifted the tax burden on the middle/working class in the form of fees for government services. Due to Rummy's policies unemployment in Massachusetts increased and the cost of living sky rocked. What makes you think Rummy is going to help the American people? Rummy is only about helping the rich get richer and Obama and Biden have clearly laid that out. Meanwhile, Obama has improved the economy and as soon as he wins this election he's going to help us even more.
10:34 AM on 10/17/2012
Wrong spelling dude of "Romney"... Do all of us a big favor. Keep your opinion to
yourself until you can spell. Thank you. And your facts are way too wrong.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Rocketmanonline
09:23 AM on 10/17/2012
I am voting for Candy because she already thinks she is the President a bag of chips and all that and more !
09:16 AM on 10/17/2012
This debate was awesome! Obama constantly likes to repeat himself and certainly does not know how to listen very well. He continues to repeat "We" (In terms of "We" must do something about everything going on in this country together. News Flash!!!! We are not president of this country, he is. This is his job to help us, so we can carry on and continue to work and be able to afford things in this life to help one another grow) We the people of America, most of us work very hard and need a leader who truly loves us and wants to help us grow, so not only can we each prosper as individuals but also as a country. If we cannot afford food, gas, to buy anything other than just pay bills, then we cannot help anyone "WE" cannot be possible. Obama has not shown this to be important. Obama has no truth in his words. Obama had 4 years to prove himself. I am voting Mitt Romney!
11:21 AM on 10/17/2012
We the people of the United States, In order to form a more perfect UNION, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the commom defence, promote the general Welfare, and to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselfs and our Posperity, due ordain and estiblish this Constitution for the United States of America.
09:04 AM on 10/17/2012
Spin is all the democrats have left. Even Candy Crawdad crawley is even walking back her support.
08:44 AM on 10/17/2012
All you right wingers. Kick Rocks! Romney was destroyed in the debate last night. Republicans create a mess and complain its not being cleaned up fast enough. LOL. Romney will never be President of these United States. LOL
09:05 AM on 10/17/2012
How can Obama lose on all points of debate and still win? Keep dreaming the spin has your head dizzy.
09:07 AM on 10/17/2012
Hope you like your wake-up call on Nov. 7th. Barry's going back to Chicago.
09:36 AM on 10/17/2012
I agree. Thought Romney won, was just wonder how he would win on all points but mainstream still has Obama leading. Obama has already lost this election. I think Candy Crawdad Crawley wrongly aided and abetted Obama last night.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Batjak
Seeking Truth,Justice and the American Way
06:54 AM on 10/17/2012
If you love your children and grandchildren, I dont think you can vote for Obama and give them years of debt to pay off. Like Romney said, the truth is ,one trillion dollars a year in debt for every year Obama has been in office, spent billions on a failed stimulus, mostly to contributors who filed bankruptcy ,but not before filling their pockets. shall i go on?
07:38 AM on 10/17/2012
Agree
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
joemensa3
07:45 AM on 10/17/2012
agreed
08:43 AM on 10/17/2012
I kind of agree, but let's be fair everything you stated was caused by the Bush administration. They started the massive debt, they started the huge bail outs. Will Romney do a better job reversing this trend that Bush started? Maybe. But if I hear him reference that pathetic "5 Point Plan" one more time, I'm going to puke. Having said all the above, I'm leaning towards voting for Romney.
10:04 AM on 10/17/2012
Most of the state and local governments balanced their bloated budgets with tax and fee increases on the general public. Public sector pay, benefits and pensions are making retirees rich in this economy, with pensions for some from their 50s till death (with survivor ship rights) paying out in retirement annual amounts for some 30 Plus years that exceed what most Americans ever made in the best year of their working lives.

For all practical purposes this counteracts all efforts at the Federal level to spur economic growth with tax breaks for the middle class.

We need public sector pension reform in this country at all levels of government, but with the state and local governments being independent of the Federal government, public sector union sympathizers make this very difficult.
10:13 AM on 10/17/2012
Sorry, you obviously have heard the lib talking points, but they are wrong. The whole financial crisis began with the Mortgage/Bank Crisis - this is a fact. What caused this you ask? Yes, Bush was in the whitehouse, but the fact that mortgage companies and banks were MANDATED to give loans to applicants they KNEW were unqualified was solely responsible for the collapse. The Dodd-Frank legislation that mandated these loans were rammed through by Democratic legislators, not Republicans or Independents. That is where the blame lies. I am so sick of all those that comment on these boards without half an idea of the facts.