Jennifer Bruhn | Lindenlink contributor 

The first presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney took place on Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the University of Denver.

Both candidates expressed their plans for America´s future, which caused different opinions about the candidates and their performances nationally and internationally.                                                                                                                             The media influences the audience by calling Romney the “winner” of the debate. However, some Democrats do not see the portrayed loss of Obama as a setback.

“I don´t like the way he handled the debate, but he will do better,” Anthony Darryl-Jones, sophomore and a strong Obama supporter, said.

Obama was criticized that he was too nice about his statements. Katharina Kiefert, a Democratic international student from Germany at Columbia College in Chicago, said, “Romney seemed rude.”

Bill Messmer, Representative of the Alt – Democratic State Committee in Lincoln County, Mo., answered by email, “I was a bit surprised at the feelings of various media commentators and news people that strongly faulted him for also not attacking Mitt Romney more often.”

Another drawback, according to public opinion, was a lack of passion in Obama´s speech. Messmer displayed his opinion that, “Obama did a fine job at expressing his ideas and views on the role of government and his policy preferences.”  Jones added that, “Romney is passionate about the wrong things,” and that, “he shouldn´t overtalk and should be polite.”

Kilian Miller, a student at the University of Heidelberg (Germany), said, “I thought it was a little mono-causal to portray Obama as the loser just because he tended to answer more defensive and less populist.”

The politicians´ statements were checked after the debate regarding to truthfulness.

Kiefert said, “If the candidates only reveal half of the truth, you don’t know where they stand in the end.”

“The media did a bad job. If they say Romney won, they have to make sure the facts are right,” Jones commented.

In relation to truthfulness, Messmer said by email that, “It would have been a pretty lazy, or unaware, or just plain stupid voter not to have heard about Romney’s “47%.” People have to research before they have a strong opinion. Romney wants to cut taxes for the rich. He says that he wants to cut taxes for the middle class, but that´s not possible for his plan.”

Some people think Romney wants to fulfill everybody´s wishes, but are skeptical if there is a possibility to accomplish this. Kiefert said, “He doesn´t say no to anything. He is multiple choices Romney. Whatever you need, you´ll get it. . .”

Romney mentioned during the debate that he does not want to have government- controlled insurance coverage, which might cause some people not to be insured.

Jones said,”. . .What you might not get is insurance. Christians help each other. Everybody should have insurance.”