Romney closing lead on foreign policy issues in polls
A new Pew poll suggests that Obama’s lead on foreign policy issues is shrinking.
President Obama's lead on foreign policy issues is shrinking, suggests a new Pew poll.
The poll, conducted just after the first debate, shows Obama leading by 47 percent to 43 percent on the question of who would make wiser foreign policy decisions.
Bloomberg reported that this compares with a 53 percent to a 38 percent in a poll early last month, with Obama well in the lead.
The poll, conducted between Oct. 4 and Oct. 7, has yet to account for any difference in public opinion Obama's more aggressive performance in the second presidential debate might have made.
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It is unclear what caused the shift, and whether the confidence in Romney's foreign policy chops is just a temporary bump — aided by his strong showing during the first debate — or represents a lasting trend.
The New York Times points out that Obama and Romney are in sharp contrast on the issue of a rising China — something pollsters have noticed is important to Americans.
A separate poll taken just before the second debate showed that Romney leads Obama 49 to 40 on dealing with Chinese trade policies, said Businessweek.
Romney vowed that he would label China a "currency manipulator," a move that economists have said would have no real impact.