6^th November 2012.  A new date to inscribe in the History of the United States of America. On this day more than 310 millions American citizens are asked to elect their 45^th President.

After the success of the meeting Metropolia offered us in September with two representatives of each candidate in this campaign, the University, in partnership with the US Embassy, invites each and every one of you to live in direct this historic moment. Only one day before the ballot both of the candidates are still neck and neck.

Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama will run for a second and final term during this election.

Barack Obama was elected President of the United States on November 4th, 2008, and sworn in on January 20th, 2009.

He went on to Harvard Law School, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Barack Obama was first elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, he reached across the aisle to pass the farthest-reaching lobbyist reform in a generation, lock up the world’s most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by tracking federal spending online.

As President, Barack Obama has dedicated himself to putting Americans back to work and restoring economic security to middle-class families. He’s been driven by the basic values that make our country great: America prospers when we’re all in it together, when hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded, and when everyone—from Main Street to Wall Street—does their fair share and plays by the same rules.

Amongst his accomplishment during those 4 years at the head of the country we can remember that he:

• Ended the war in Iraq, initiated a responsible drawdown of forces in Afghanistan, and ordered the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden.
• Signed into law landmark health insurance reform  that holds insurance companies accountable and improves the quality of health care for all Americans.

• Fought against Wall Street lobbyists to sign into law historic consumer protections and financial reforms that shield American families from unfair lending practices and worked to prevent future financial crises.

• Rescued the American auto industry, which saved millions of American jobs and helped General Motors and Chrysler become profitable again while repaying taxpayers.

• Helped women get the equal pay they deserve by signing into law the Lilly Ledbetter Act.

His opponent Mitt Romney from the Republican Party will try to access the White House for the first time.

After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1971, he earned dual degrees from Harvard Law and Harvard Business School. After working as a business consultant for several years, Mitt founded the investment firm Bain Capital in 1984. Under his leadership, Bain Capital helped to launch or rebuild over one hundred companies, including household names such as Staples, Bright Horizons, and The Sports Authority.

Romney is not a career politician. He has spent most of his life in the private sector, giving him intimate knowledge of how economy works. But he has also been an outstanding public servant. In one chapter of his distinguished career, he reversed the decline of a state mired in recession. In another chapter, he salvaged the 2002 Winter Olympic Games from certain disaster.

He was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, facing a state legislature dominated by Democrats. He eliminated a $3 billion deficit without borrowing or raising taxes. By 2007, at the end of Mitt’s term, the state had accumulated a $2 billion rainy day fund in its coffers. This stringent fiscal discipline provided an essential backdrop for economic recovery. While Mitt was in office, the state unemployment rate fell from 5.6% to 4.7% and the Massachusetts economy added tens of thousands of new jobs.

Mitt’s impressive skills did not come out of nowhere. He began his career in business.

 

To find more information about both candidates and the U.S. election latest news we invite to consult the website http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/campaigns

Do you have your favorite? Come and share with other students, teachers, and special guest from the US Embassy this changing point moment.

Join us in B-lobby  at Myyrmäki Metropolia Campus – Leiritie 1  at 9pm for live election night coverage on a big screen, games, snacks, music etc.

You willl hear essentials of U.S. electoral system in a nutshell, hear comments from our lecturers, all this while the next president will be announced!

 By Chloé Scarpellini