I think the consensus outside of the U.S. is that Obama is the better of the two. Here in Canada polling has shown something like 80% versus 8%, and he greatly identifies with the politics you'd see (i.e., progressive and socially-oriented).

Most of what he has done so far seems to have been done with caution. It always seems like the next election is looming above the president's head, and therefore any moves he makes reflects that. But now that he's going for a second term, I'm personally hoping that he's going to drop the hardline attitude he has adopted recently and start working on the things he actually says he wants to get done.

Romney is a joke. Had he been the same guy from when he was a Massachusetts governor, I'd have a nicer opinion of him, but now he seems to flip-flop to whatever position or stance that would make him electable in the eyes of the public. That makes him a very shady character -- and a dangerous one, at that.

And I thought that the American public had learned from the Bush era. Guess they have a pretty short attention span if Romney's polling just a percentage point off of Obama.

Looking at the numbers from swing state polling, it's pretty clear that Obama should win handily on election night, but that doesn't really mean anything if the House doesn't go blue again by 2014. American politics are becoming increasingly partisan and therefore Obama will have a rough time trying to get anything through it.

And because a lot of foreign affairs unwillingly depend on their politics, we have reason to worry over the outcome of this.

Hi, i'm french from Paris so don't be mad at me if i do, somtetimes, some error language.

Here in France, most of the public knows that Romney isn't the good one america needs. Obama tried to create in USA a wealthcare system but since the congress was against him (not sure wich part of the parliament Democrats don't rules) he couldn't have achieved what he wanted to. In France our system is way more protectiver than in USA, and the population thinks it's better like that.

Romney wants to follow bush's steps in the war against terrorism, but the problem is that Bush failed. Romney would lead an agressive politic against Iran and Syria and every country that would stand up against USA supremacy. Whereas Obama is more pacific (even if USA are still making war and killing everywhere on the damn earth)

Personally i think that the world, the rest of the world could suffer of romney's election and especially Middle east countries. An intervention in Iran would create a huuge war against Israel and around, and so the world would burn again.

(Please tell me where i make faults if you're an english dude :) )

@Reza - It would only work if the independents voted neither Rupublican nor Democratic for several election. (Good luck with that) The other chance is if the electoral college does not decide a winner. (Possible, but very unlikely to be one of the major parties)

@ericleb010 - In America you side with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, are independent, or vote other. So, most of the votes are already decided just by party lines. (Yes, people have already decided which side to vote for in 2016)

@Gold Digger - Parliament might not be the most correct word, but it should be close enough. The Democratic Party holds the majority in the Senate, but the Republican party holds the majority in the House of Representatives. (It should be noted that the "wealthcare system," as you called it, has been enacted for the most part by the US Supreme Court in a divided decision. (I think it did pass Congress if I remember correctly, but several states sued which caused it to be sent to the Supreme Court.)

@Lolowut and ChrisCMU - I have a feeling that any reply to either of you would cause my computer to spontaneous combust into flames and smoke so I will not reply because I like my computer too much. :)

Ron Paul > Mitt Romney, but oh well... I did not expect anything different...
About the consensus in the rest of the world that Obama is better... From the rest of the world point of view, definitely, a few more years of similar policies by USA and it'll be literally owned by the rest of the world. From an economical point of view Romney>Obama, but I actually did not follow much more than that (potential Iran war, moving back troops from Iraq etc.) so I don't have a clear view on both candidates.

I agree Paul is better than Romney also.

it is simple i'm only 13 and i understand this much
Cons
_____________
Obama=hasn't fallowed through
Biden=doesn't do anything
Romney=changes ideas every day
Paul Ryan=Lair


Pros
___________
Obama=has dealt well with what he started with(cause of Bush)
Biden=doesn't mess anything up(cause he does nothin)
Romney=might change his idea's to something good
Paul Ryan= no hope


I would take Obama Administration over the Romney Paul because they worked well with what they had, they aren't lairs and don't suffer from Romnesia
Overall
_____________

Obama_yes
Romney_no

I'd like to see a detailed plan to balance the budget from either Obama or Romney; I feel like this issue hasn't gotten the attention it deserves.

Obama plan is to increase taxes on rich to Clinton rates. They were at %39.6 on the wealthy under him and Bush lowered them to %35, but many only pay in the teens like Romney because their income is from capital gains. It worked under Clinton...conditions have changed, so who knows?

I have no idea what Romney plan is. He wants to increase defense spending and give tax cuts. Getting rid of PBS and closing a few loopholes is all he'll admit to. That won't scratch the surface. I highly doubt he would bother to balance it (Reagan and Bush oversaw the two largest increases in history).

america hasnt changed for the better in a long time i think voting for either is the equivalent of treason

i agree with everyone who said Ron paul was way better thatn Mitt Romney. You should know that Ron Paul has supported Gary Johnson, becuase they have moslty similar ideas.

HMS IS ONLY 13. THAT MEANS HE JOINED WL WHEN HE WAS 12. THATS AGAINST THE RULES!!! *gasp*

Romney cookie cutter politico from Leave It in the Beaver years. Today we see Arturo Miller's new Death of Salesman. Repubecans all be sad for tragic fall of common billionaire. Obama too casual. Some of Democrats early legislation get tied down by inability to override filibuster in Senate (60 votes needed). Then Repubecans get majority in house and block more. For example: job recovery act not passed. It almost as bad as Spain. In Spain country fall apart. Parties attack each other and country flushed down shitter. In US Repos uncooperative as means to reposses Whitey's House. Almost worked. If Repos field candidate of 21st century and not cookie cut of 1950s who does polls to rewrite policy script, Repos could've won. Weakened pres beat weak "I wanna-be my daddy and be losing pres candidate multiple times" guy.

Vóta le haghaidh maith. Vóta do dhuine a d'fhéadfadh a bheith táirgiúil. Ní fear saibhir a dhéanamh fir saibhir níos saibhre. Táimid ag vótáil do Johnson. Guigh amárach ní dhéanaimid múscail i ifreann Poblachtach.

i think that i am not going to get invilved in politics in a game because politics can ruin friendships and i am all your friends so i will not argue politics

Bender you make Lion want disembowel you. You come to warlight but no war only light! You purr like pussy no roar like Lion. Rooooooooaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr!

This is how I see it:

USA: Obama 49%, Romney 49%
Rest of the world: Obama 75%, Romney 15%, and 10% doesn`t know whats going on.

I would vote for Obama if i lived in the USA. I think he made some mistakes in these last years, but a lot less mistakes than in the years before him. He did quite some good things though wich I can`t really say from Bush. I`m not following this though so I don`t really know what there plans are, but what I`ve seen from Romney isn`t good enough to beat Obama in my opinion.

min i dont know where you live but im gonna take a wild guess and say its a socuialist country america isnt we didnt want socalized medicine but obama and his liberal congress put it through any way which is why two years ago they were voted out for s=doing this now the american people have a choice to make are the a democracy of a socialist nation

@lion stop speaking in third person you sound stupid

Thats a stupid analogy and not true. It is the Democrats who want a bit more gov control over people, and its the republicans who want no control over the people. Doesnt make the Democrats socialist.

the governmen od there for laws not to make peoples desicions for them

Boston wanted Obamacare. Boston's region of the US wanted Obamacare. Wonders where Bender comes from.... There were many other reasons Congress turned red than obamacare, and thinks/hopes that tomorrow Congress will be blue.

Every other developed country has a socialized health care system. It would decrease the cost of overall medical care by something like a fourth to a third and private insurance would still exist.

To compare Obama's democracy to socialism is pure nonsense.

Boston thinks that Hell Bender doesn't understand what he's talking about and hopes lion eats hell bender.