The second debate between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney became heated at moments and that is good because people need to see that what Obama has done in the last four years isn’t working and what Romney can do differently, Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, told Newsmax TV.
“It's good that it got heated,” she said. “People need to see that there's a difference in the two people that are running for office. President Obama himself has said that this election will be an election that determines the future of America and there are two different futures, two different visions for the future at stake. And we need to see what those two visions are.”
Watch the exclusive interview here.
Martin continued, “We know what Obama will do because we've already seen that for the last four years. It hasn't been working. The economy hasn't improved, it got worse. And, if anything right now, it's stagnant from where it was four years ago. We need to know what Romney can do differently. So I'm glad that he was out there fighting for his ideas and his values.”
Romney, she said, has “done a good job laying out what he plans to do with his five-point plan and it's important that the undecided voters, those who still haven't made their mind, that they're satisfied with it. And I hope that after tonight's debate and the one from two weeks ago that they feel like they've got the answer they need for the domestic policy.”
“One thing that I do appreciate about Gov. Romney is that he's giving specifics,” she said. “It's not just slogans like 'hope and change' or 'forward.' He's laying out more specifics for what he'd like to see happen.”
Martin said both candidates had control over their messages and didn’t think either scored a clear victory.
“Obama clearly did better than he did the last time, but then he did so poorly the last time he didn't have anywhere to go but up,” she noted. “Overall, to me, it seemed that they were pretty even. I was watching the debate on one of the networks that was showing the undecided voters and what they thought as the answers were coming in, and, for the most part, it seemed like there wasn't anyone who just clearly went off the charts the entire time like two weeks ago.”
Obama’s aggressiveness during the debate didn’t bother Martin. What really matters is if undecided voters were bothered by it, she said.
“I expected him to be that way. For me, what really matters over the next several weeks is how will it affect undecided voters? Did it appeal to them? Did it not appeal to them? I know what his policies are. I've watched him for the last four years. But listening to him tonight, you'd think he's for tax cuts, for less regulation, for oil, for coal and so the things that he was saying tonight don't jibe with the policies he's actually implemented over the last four years,” Martin said.
As for Romney, when he is elected, the Tea Party will continue to watch closely.
“We appreciate what he's saying but with all politicians, Romney included, President Obama, all of them, we aren't going to take what they say for granted and if Romney's elected, we're going to make sure that we watch what he does and hold his feet to the fire and hold him accountable,” she said.
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