By JOSH LEDERMAN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Mitt
Romney's running mate shot down the need for a breakthrough in the first
presidential debate Wednesday, trying to allay Republican concerns that
the race is slipping away with five weeks to go and momentum on
President Barack Obama's side.
Vice presidential nominee
Paul Ryan, working to keep debate expectations for Romney in check,
praised Obama's debating skills and called the Democratic incumbent "a
very gifted speaker" with years of experience on the national stage. He
played down signs that Obama is gaining distance in the most competitive
states. Polls are tight, Ryan said, and will stay that way until the
election Nov. 6.
"We're running against an
incumbent president with incredible resources," Ryan said. "More
importantly, I don't think one event is going to make or break this
campaign."
Yet at the same time, a
prominent Romney supporter said he expected Romney's performance in
Denver on Wednesday night would shake up the campaign after a "tough
couple of weeks." Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., predicted Romney would do
"extraordinarily well" in the debate, and that come Thursday morning,
"this whole race is going to be turned upside down."
Romney is trying to rebound
from a difficult September, and the three October debates offer a
chance to help show that the race is winnable. Christie, who passed on a
2012 run for the White House but is a possible contender in 2016,
called the domestic policy and economic debate in Denver "the restart of
this campaign."
That confidence from a
high-profile backer comes even as Americans are growing more optimistic
about the economy and Obama's leadership, creating a significant
obstacle for Romney.
Polls show Obama with a
steady lead in many of the nine states where the candidates are
competing most fiercely. If the election were held today, an Associated
Press analysis shows Obama would win at least 271 electoral votes,
enough for re-election. The analysis is intended to provide a snapshot
of a race that until recently has been stubbornly close in the small
number of the most contested states.
Obama headed to Las Vegas
for an evening rally and planned to stay in Nevada as he prepared for
the debate. Accompanying him was a cadre of advisers assisting with
debate prep, including chief of staff Jack Lew, top economic adviser
Gene Sperling, pollster Joel Benenson and speechwriter Jon Favreau. Sen.
John Kerry, D-Mass., who is playing Romney in debate prep, was
traveling to Nevada separately.
Romney remained in Boston on Sunday, going through preparations of his own for Wednesday's event.
Ryan, a Wisconsin
congressman, said on "Fox News Sunday" that the debate would mark
Romney's debut "on this kind of stage." Romney participated in more than
two dozen multicandidate debates during White House runs in 2008 and
2012, and went one-on-one against Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., during a
losing 1994 Senate bid.
"They expect to come out of
this with the race fundamentally changed. Now, what does that mean?"
asked David Plouffe, a senior White House adviser. "If it's going to
fundamentally change, that means in seven or 10 days from now you'll see
states like Ohio tied, the state of Iowa tied because that's what
really matters here. So they have set the bar quite high."
Christie said Romney needs
to "tell the truth about what's going on" in the country while laying
out "a positive and hopeful vision for the future."
"I think he can do both. Listen, Mitt Romney can walk and chew gum at the same time. I'm not worried," Christie said.
Ryan acknowledged errors by
the campaign but urged Republicans who are publicly carping to join him
on the trail to witness the forceful case they're making.
"We've had some missteps,
but at the end of the day, the choice is really clear," Ryan said,
adding that up until now, he and Romney "have not been able to frame
that choice as clearly."
The campaign has suffered
from the release of a hidden-camera video of Romney calling 47 percent
of Americans victims who depend on government help. Almost two weeks
after the video's release, the matter continues to dog Romney, featuring
prominently in Obama's campaign ads.
Republicans, meanwhile,
continued challenging Obama's foreign policy, saying his approach had
contributed to unrest across the Middle East. Ryan cited Syria, Iran,
Russia and Israel as countries where the "ugly fruits" of Obama's
policies are unraveling.
Romney, speaking to voters
in a podcast released Saturday, faulted Obama for presiding over a
decline in the nation's moral standing and a retreat of American
leadership. "President Obama's foreign policy is one of passivity and
denial," Romney said. "And that places America and our friends and
allies at the mercy of events and those who mean to do us harm."
Ryan, looking ahead to his
lone debate on Oct. 11, said he expected Vice President Joe Biden would
be highly disciplined despite a reputation for verbal slip-ups,
"He's fast on the cuff.
He's a witty guy. He knows who he is and he's been doing this for 40
years," said Ryan. "You're not going to rattle Joe Biden."
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