USA/FILE: On the eve of the first presidential debate, all eyes are on Denver, Colorado where Republican Mitt Romney hopes to regain ground lost in recent days to Democrat Barack Obama

Record ID: 347745

  • Title: USA/FILE: On the eve of the first presidential debate, all eyes are on Denver, Colorado where Republican Mitt Romney hopes to regain ground lost in recent days to Democrat Barack Obama
  • Date: 3rd October 2012
  • Summary: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 1, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CATO INSTITUTE SENIOR FELLOW MICHAEL TANNER SAYING: "The public wants to see if Mitt Romney is an acceptable alternative. They sort of know the president. He's the devil they know. Mitt Romney is the devil they don't and they haven't made up their mind about him, one way or the other right no
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2012 13:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAWBNDYXBC3PQOF6Z4GP1BDC8I
  • Story Text: On the eve of the first presidential debate, all eyes are on Denver, Colorado where Republican Mitt Romney hopes to regain ground lost in recent days to Democrat Barack Obama. The 90-minute showdown will be the first of three televised Obama vs Romney encounters in October that will set the tone for the final month of the presidential campaign.
    At a campaign event in the city Monday night (October 1) Romney said he looked forward to having a "conversation" with the American people during the upcoming month of debates.
    "These debates are an opportunity for each of us to describe the pathway forward for America that we would choose. And the American people are going to have to make their choices about what type of America they want," Romney said.
    Obama attempted a more personal approach, calling up volunteers and thanking them for their support at a campaign office in Henderson, Nevada.
    At a campaign stop in Las Vegas on Sunday (September 30), he sought to downplay expectations from the debate with the president describing his debating skills as "just OK."
    "I know folks in the media are speculating already on who is going to have the best zingers. I don't about that. You know, the who is going to put the most points on the board. No, no, Governor Romney, he is a good debater. I am just OK. But, what I am most concerned about, is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country growing and restore security for hard working Americans."
    With less than six weeks to go until the election and trailing in the polls, Romney is under pressure to deliver a performance that shifts the momentum in his direction.
    Analysts said he would need to articulate a sharper vision for the nation and avoid looking like he is merely trying to score debate points at every turn.
    "So far, Mitt Romney has talked a lot in vague generalities and his numbers aren't' always going to add up and I think the president is going to push him a little bit on - get beyond the soundbites, give me some specifics on this and that's going to be a little tough for Romney," said Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute think tank.
    Romney will also have to try hard to shake off his image as as an out-of-touch rich guy whose campaign is still trying to recover from a leaked video where the former private equity executive described nearly half of Americans as dependent upon government subsidies.
    The debates could be Romney's last chance to reclaim momentum from Obama. According to a new Quinnipac University poll, voters believe that Obama will win the upcoming debates by a margin of 54% to 28%. Obama also leads Romney by 4 points among likely voters, largely due to a bump from female voters.
    Tanner says Romney could turn voters around if they see him as a viable alternative to Obama.
    "They sort of know the president. He's the devil they know. Mitt Romney is the devil they don't and they haven't made up their mind about him, one way or the other right now. What they've seen is a lot of negative ads. Their attitude is, generally, he's not very likeable. They generally have a negative impression of him. If he can change that, if he can be someone they can see as president, they are much more likely to go and vote for him," Tanner said.
    Onthe streets of Washington, many voters taking a lunchbreak from nearby offices said they wanted the candidates to give clear answers about how they would tackle the big issues.
    "I've already made up my mind on which way I am going to vote but what I want to see is a good substantive conversation about our country's future, on economic policy, more than just rhetoric, I'm looking for actual plans, I want to know what the candidates are going to do, when they are going to do it and why they are going to do it," said Sheila Smith.
    "I'd like to hear each candidate's plan to limit the costs of healthcare because I think that's the biggest driver of the debt and the deficit," said David Levitt.
    "There's too much dancing going around in the political world and we need to know the exact plan of how each candidate will improve the economy and strengthen our country in to the future," said Charles Miller.
    Past debates have shown that body language and appearance of the candidates can have a bigger impact than their words.
    In 1960, a younger, handsome John F. Kennedy won the image battle against a haggard, perspiring Richard Nixon in the first-ever televised debate.
    In a 1992 debate, President George H.W. Bush, looked at his watch , a move that many interpreted as impatient and aloof.
    Both candidate hope to avoid a major verbal flub, as when U.S. President Gerald Ford firmly told Jimmy Carter that there was no domination of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union.
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