October 2012 Current Events: U.S. News

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

World News | Business News | Disasters & Science News

Here are the key events in United States news for the month of October 2012.

  • First 2012 Presidential Debate Brings Boost for Romney (Oct. 3): President Obama and Mitt Romney square off in the first of three president debates. Held in Denver, Colorado, the focus of the first debate is domestic issues. Romney and Obama come out aggressive on issues such as the tax policy, budget deficit, and the role of government. Each candidate accuses the other of misleading voters and not providing specific answers. During the debate, Romney presents himself as the man with solutions to all of the problems Obama hasn't been able to resolve. Romney's energetic performance provides a much needed boost to his campaign.

  • Sandusky Receives Sentence in Sex Abuse Case (Oct. 9): Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State football coach, is sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for molesting young boys. The sentencing guarantees that Sandusky, 68, will die in prison. The ruling comes three and a half months after he was found guilty on 45 counts of sexually abusing boys.

  • The Gloves Come Off in Second 2012 Presidential Debate (Oct. 16): The second presidential debate is held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Both candidates are aggressive during the intense debate, often interrupting each other with accusations of lying. After a lifeless performance in the first debate, President Obama takes charge of the tone and terms of this debate with observations such as, "When he said behind closed doors that 47 percent of the country considers themselves victims who refuse personal responsibility — think about who he was talking about." For his part, Romney matches Obama's aggressive tone and even seems to enjoy the challenge.

  • Third and Final 2012 Presidential Debate Shifts from Foreign Policy to Domestic issues (Oct. 22): The third presidential debate is held in Boca Raton, Florida. The focus of the debate is supposed to be foreign policy, but both candidates steer their answers toward jobs and the economy. At one point, Bob Schieffer, the debate moderator, attempts to refocus the debate by saying, "Let me get back to foreign policy." Like the second debate, President Obama is aggressive. In response to Romney's comment about downsizing the U.S. military, Obama says, "You mentioned that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we're counting ships."

  • Giants Win Second World Series in Three Years (Oct. 28): The San Francisco Giants defeat the Detroit Tigers in a four game sweep to win their second World Series title in three years. In the fourth and final game of the series, the Giants beat the Tigers 4-3 in ten intense innings. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval is the series MVP. Sandoval hit a record-tying three home runs in game one.

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