- Title: USA: Stakes high for Obama in the second presidential debate.
- Date: 15th October 2012
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CROWDS AT JOBS FAIR
- Embargoed: 30th October 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVADXYX8T0EPBPAPQXTB28UC1CAL
- Story Text: After Mitt Romney's strong performance in the first presidential debate and subsequent rise in the polls, the stakes are higher for President Obama in their next showdown, a "town hall" debate at New York's Hofstra University.
After losing ground to Republican Mitt Romney following a sluggish performance in the first presidential debate, U.S. President Barack Obama faces a serious challenge to put his re-election bid back on track when the two men face off on Tuesday (October 16) for round two.
Many Democrats were disappointed with Obama's cautious, lackluster demeanor in the long-awaited showdown in early October, while Romney's strong performance gained him new supporters and reinvigorated the Republican campaign.
Caroll Doherty, associate director of the Pew Research Center, called it a "substantial victory" for Romney, who showed a four point lead among likely voters in a poll conducted over four days after the debate.
"The polls reflect a substantial victory by any measure for Romney. He not only was widely seen as winning the debate by registered voters by a margin of 3 to 1 or more, more importantly, it helped him in the national race against Obama," said Doherty.
Romney, who appeared more assertive and focused, delivered a scathing critique of Obamas economic policies and said Obama had not done enough to lead the country out of the economic downturn.
At one point while Romney admonished Obama for the high rate of unemployment among Americans, citing "23 million people out of work," Obama seemed to just listen passively, and often looked down at his lectern.
"My priority is putting people back to work in America," said Romney. "They're suffering in this country."
"Going forward with the status quo is not going to cut it for the American people who are struggling today", he added.
Rather than mounting an aggressive counter attack against Romney's policies as expected, Obama missed several crucial opportunities to press him on significant issues such as his suggestion to let U.S. automakers go bankrupt, his proposal to let struggling homeowners lose their houses, and what was seen by many as a blatant dismissal of 47 percent of the public as unproductive parasites.
One potential talking point for Obama: a Labor Department jobs report showing the unemployment rate dropped by 0.3 percentage point in September to 7.8 percent - its lowest since January 2009.
Doherty said the job numbers would definitely help Obama in the next debate, but questioned whether the numbers are really "factored into voters decision or not."
"I think this late improvement and some public perceptions about jobs and the economy could benefit Obama," said Doherty.
Despite Romney's recent gain in the polls, some voters are still wondering about the details of Romney's policies, particularly his tax plan, according to Doherty.
"Although the poll we did after the debate was a very good one for Romney, voters still expressed reservations," said Doherty. "Voters still have some doubts about Romney's specifics, and so I think Obama will draw this issue out and I think Romney will be under some pressure to define a little better how he would pay for his 20 percent across the board tax cut."
On the campaign trail over the last week, Obama seemed confident and may have begun to provide a glimpse of his strategy for the next debate. Obama accused Romney of recanting on the tax plan he had been "pitching for more than a year" which included tax cuts for the rich.
"He stood up on the stage in one of his primary debates, proudly promised that his new tax cuts on top of the Bush tax cuts would include the 1 percent," said Obama, at a campaign event in Florida. "Now you wouldn't know this from listening to the new latest version of Mitt Romney. He's trying to go through an extreme makeover."
Obama also accused Romney of pandering to middle class voters by recasting his views on programs like Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, widely referred to as "Obamacare."
"These days Mitt Romney's for whatever you're for. Suddenly he loves the middle class. Can't stop talking enough about them. He loves Medicare, loves teachers. He even loves the most important parts of Obamacare. What happened?," said Obama.
Campaign advisers to Obama promised on Sunday (October 14) that he would be more aggressive and energetic in his second debate against the Republican challenger.
Indeed, the next debate, a "town hall" at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, may play more to Obama's strengths on the campaign trail, where he seems to connect well with supporters.
But the setting of the next debate might also be a wild card for the two rivals, according to Caroll Doherty.
"The town-hall format is very wide open," said Doherty. "You can get anything from the jobs and the economy to more particular issues that may be off the public's radar."
Although the debate will be moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley, both candidates will have to be ready for questions by undecided voters on a variety of topics.
Heading into the debate, a Reuters/Ipsos daily online tracking poll on Sunday (October 14) showed Obama leading Romney by 1 percentage point, 46 to 45, down from a 3-point Romney lead last Thursday - a possible sign that the Republican's surge after the first debate could be running out of steam.
But underlying trends in Reuters/Ipsos data are also worrying for Obama. They show voters are evaluating Romney more favorably on key issues that could influence how they vote, such as which candidate has the better plan to close the federal deficit and to move the economy forward.
The debate on Tuesday will be followed in less than a week by the final debate on foreign policy on October 22, giving the candidates one last chance to shift momentum in the election. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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