Quotes from second US presidential debate

US President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney met on Tuesday at New York's Hofstra University for the second of three presidential debates ahead of the November 6 election.

Below are some highlights of what the two candidates said.

ON JOBS AND UNEMPLOYMENT

Former Massachusetts governor Romney:

I want to make small businesses grow and thrive. I know how to make that happen. I spent my life in the private sector. I know why jobs come and why they go. And they're going now because of the policies of this administration.

The president has tried, but his policies haven't worked. He's great as a speaker and at describing his plans and his vision. That's wonderful, except we have a record to look at and that record shows that he just hasn't been able to cut the deficit, to put in place reforms for Medicare and Social Security to preserve them, to get us the rising incomes we need.

I care about 100 percent of the American people and I want 100 percent of the American people to have a bright prosperous future.

We don't have to settle for gasoline at $4, we don't have to settle for unemployment at a chronically high level, we don't have to settle for 47 million people on food stamps.

We have fewer people working today than we had when the president took office... We have not made the progress we need to make to put people back to work.

President Obama:

I believe that the free enterprise system is the greatest engine of prosperity that the world's ever known, I believe in self-reliance... But I also believe that everybody should have a fair shot.

I believe Governor Romney is a good man, loves his family, cares about his faith. But I also believe that what he said behind closed doors, that 47 percent of the country considered themselves victims, who refuse personal responsibility? ... I want to fight for them.

... contd.

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