Both campaigns attempted to take advantage of inadvertent remarks and new revelations Tuesday. The Romney campaign said Vice President Joe Biden's remarks at a campaign rally in North Carolina that middle income Americans have been “buried” by the anemic U.S. economy over the last four years was an admission that the Obama administration's economic policies have failed. The Obama campaign called attention to a published report in The New York Times that suggested that Mr. Romney's overseas financial holdings have made him a profit and allowed him to reduce his income tax rate.
Wednesday's debate at the University of Denver also will be devoted to domestic issues such as health care.
The second and third debates are scheduled for October 16 and October 22.
Analysts say the debates could be Mr. Romney's best and last chance to revive his campaign and change the direction of the race.
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Peter Eyre, Commission on Presidential Debates:
“What we're doing now is, as you can see behind me, the stage is built, the set is ready and we'll use today to fine tune the lighting, the sound, check our back-up systems and make sure everything is ready for tomorrow night when Governor Romney and President Obama will meet on the stage behind me.”
6. (English) Peter Eyre, Commission on Presidential Debates:
“We've been using this set behind me since really 1988 and obviously we've been improving it, enhancing over the years. But the set is designed by the Commission and that's what we've been using. The campaigns and the candidates have really no input into how the set looks and feels, the formats, things like that. Those are decisions made by the Commission.”
8. Peter Eyre, Commission on Presidential Debates:
“So the Commission on Presidential Debates is a non-partisan, non-profit entity based in Washington DC. The primary mission of the Commission on Presidential Debates is to host and sponsor the general election debates between the leading candidates for the office of president and vice president. We also do work internationally with countries that are trying to get their debates off the ground. And those are really the two things that we focus on. We take our role very seriously and we're thrilled to be here at the University of Denver for the debate on Wednesday.”
10. Peter Eyre, Commission on Presidential Debates:
“So what's different about the format is that we are dividing the hour-and-a-half debate into six discussion segments. So there will be fewer questions but more extended discussion that dives into certain issues in detail. And we think that those extended discussion periods will help the viewers around the world really get a sense of the candidates views on the key issues of the day.” ))
