Obama vs Romney: Obama Crams for Debates
Obama vs Romney
Obama vs Romney - President Obama Crams for Debates on long flights to win states in the West even when his children have gone to bed.
NG News
President Barack Obama is cramming like a student for a test that could determine his political future. The subject? His opponent, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The test? His face-off with the former Massachusetts governor at their first one-on-one debate next month.
Image from USA Today
With the race still tight despite Obama’s slight lead in the polls, the stakes are high for both men to perform well at the three debates this fall and gain momentum toward sealing the November 6 election, reports Reuters.
Obama is forced to juggle his governing and campaigning responsibilities while squeezing in debate prep when he can.
“We don’t have the same luxury that Romney does in terms of time,” Obama’s chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod said. This simply means that President Obama uses flights to Nevada, Colorado and other election swing states on Air Force One so as to read up on Romney’s positions, or studies in the evenings at the White House when he’s in town.
“He’s spent a lot of time reading material and most of it is familiarizing himself with what Governor Romney said in this campaign,” Axelrod said. “I mean, he’s pretty conversant with his own record but he wasn’t very conversant with Romney’s.”
Obama will sharpen his debating skills against Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, who will play Romney in mock sessions.
Aides want him to work on being brief – a departure from his tendency to be long-winded, which can turn off TV viewers and make him look aloof.
“He’s got to speak shorter, that’s all,” Axelrod said. “He just hasn’t had to do that for the last four years so that’s a part of the discipline of preparing for these debates.”
Romney’s sparring partner is Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who has played the president in several mock debates in recent weeks. Portman told reporters on Friday that Romney was “doing great.”
Now that the two parties’ conventions are over, the debates are the last high-profile, set-piece events left to shape the race for the White House.
The first encounter at the University of Denver in Colorado on October 3 will be base on domestic policy while the second, at Hofstra University in New York State on October 16, will allow audience members to ask questions. Vice President Joe Biden and Representative Paul Ryan face off in Danville, Kentucky, on October 11 in the only vice presidential debate.
The final match between Obama and Romney, in Boca Raton, Florida, on October 22, will focus on foreign policy, a strong point for Obama.
If polls stay the same until the debates begin, Romney will need to strike a rhetorical blow strong enough to reverse Obama’s momentum. He gained some experience in doing that while knocking out a series of Republican opponents in a series of debates held during his party’s primary elections.
“Romney is at a considerable advantage going into the debate because of the sheer amount of GOP debates he successfully navigated only months ago,” said Republican strategist, Ron Bonjean. “Although Obama is an incredible speaker, he doesn’t often hold news conferences or allow himself to be challenged.”
A one-on-one debate with the president naturally elevates the challenger, and historical precedence shows the incumbent often loses the first debate.
But Romney has disadvantages.
Voters view him as less likeable than Obama, a quality that could be magnified on the debate stage, and the wealthy former private equity executive is more prone to gaffes than his Democratic opponent. Romney challenged Texas Governor Rick Perry to a $10,000 bet during one of the primary debates, reinforcing an image of being out of touch with average Americans.
The first debate, on domestic policy, is scheduled for Oct. 3 at the University of Denver. The two candidates will then take questions from the audience on Oct. 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. and debate foreign policy on Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.
Vice-President Joe Biden and Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), hold their only debate on Oct. 1 in Kentucky – The Hills
Biden has tapped Ryan’s House Budget committee colleague Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ryan has enlisted former solicitor general and famed legal scholar Ted Olson to aid in their debate preparations.
Obama vs Romney Who will Win ?
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