 Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, left, will debate Vice President Joe Biden in Danville, Kentucky, on Thursday, October 11.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign event in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Friday, October 5.  Romney supporters listen during Friday's campaign event in St. Petersburg.  President Barack Obama smiles as he speaks during a campaign rally in Fairfax, Virginia on Friday.  Romney addreses the crowd in Abingdon, Viriginia, on Friday.  Obama is assisted with putting on a raincoat onstage during a campaign rally at Cleveland State University on Friday.  Romney poses for a photo before boarding his campaign plane in Bristol, Tennessee, on Friday.  United States Secret Service agents guard vehicles in Romney's motorcade on Friday in Weyers Cave, Virginia.  Romney boards his campaign plane on Friday.  Romney speaks in Fishersville, Virginia, as Secret Service members keep guard on Thursday, October 4. A day after the first presidential debate in Denver, Romney headed to Virginia to continue campaigning.  Romney supporters bow their heads in prayer during Thursday's event at the Augusta Expoland in Fishersville, Viriginia.  Obama addresses the crowd at the University of Wisconsin in Madison on Thursday.  Romney greets police officers before boarding his campaign plane in Denver on Thursday.  Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Denver on Thursday. He accused his Republican challenger of dishonesty over tax policy and other issues brought up in Wednesday night's presidential debate.  Audience members cheer as Obama makes his way onto the stage at Sloan's Lake Park in Denver on Thursday.  Reporters watch the final minutes of the debate between Romney and Obama in Denver on Wednesday, October 3. The first of four debates for the 2012 election -- three presidential and one vice-presidential -- was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS.  A member of the U.S. Secret Service keeps watch from the top of a building as Obama takes part in a debate walk-through at the University of Denver on Wednesday.  A seat is assigned to first lady Michelle Obama prior to Wednesday's debate.  Obama stands at the podium as he speaks during the debate on Wednesday.  Michelle and Barack Obama, left, join Mitt Romney and his family at the conclusion of the first presidential debate.  University of Denver student Sam Garry sits at the moderator's desk before a presidential debate dress rehearsal at the University of Denver on Tuesday, October 2.  Volunteers sit in for on-air television reporters on Tuesday in preparation for the first presidential debate in the Ritchie Center at the University of Denver.  Romney greets a father and his daughter after having lunch Tuesday at a restaurant in Denver.  Obama stares at the Hoover Dam in Nevada during a visit Tuesday.  Romney boards his campaign plane in Bedford, Massachusetts, on Monday, October 1. The Republican candidate was heading to Denver for the first presidential debate on Wednesday.  Obama hugs Chasstiry Vazquez after she indroduced him at a campaign event at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas on Sunday, September 30.  Obama supporters cheer during Sunday's event in Las Vegas.  Romney leaves his campaign headquarters in Boston on Sunday.  A boy reaches out to shake hands with Obama on Sunday in Las Vegas. The president was in Nevada ahead of Wednesday's presidential debate in Denver.  Romney arrives at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belmont to attend Sunday services.  Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in the Oval Office on Friday, September 28.  Romney speaks during a rally at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Pennsylvania on Friday.  Romney talks to journalists aboard his campaign plane about his phone call with Netanyahu on Friday.  Cadets listen to Romney speak at a campaign rally Friday at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, Pennsylvania.  Romney addresses Friday's rally at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College.  Vice President Joe Biden hugs U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, as he arrives for a campaign event Friday in Boca Raton, Florida.  Romney speaks at a Veterans for Romney campaign event in Springfield, Virginia, on Thursday, September 27.  Obama supporters cheer at a campaign rally Thursday in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Veterans at the American Legion Post 176 pray before Romney speaks Thursday in Springfield.  People listen to Obama speak at the Farm Bureau Live arena in Virginia Beach on Thursday.  Obama delivers remarks Thursday in Virginia Beach.  Supporters cheer as Romney speaks at SeaGate Convention Centre in Toledo, Ohio, on Wednesday, September 26.  Romney speaks during a roundtable discussion on manufacturing at American Spring Wire in Bedford Heights, Ohio, on Wednesday.  Supporters wait to see Obama on Wednesday at Toledo Express Airport in Bowling Green, Ohio. Air For One aborted an initial landing attempt in Ohio due to weather conditions.  Obama addresses supporters at Bowling Green State University on Wednesday.  Romney delivers remarks during a campaign rally Wednesday at Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio.  Former President Bill Clinton introduces Obama during the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Tuesday, September 25.  Supporters cheer during a Republican campaign rally Tuesday with Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, at Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio.  Ryan speaks Tuesday in Vandalia as Sen. Rand Paul, from left, Sen. Rob Portman and Romney listen.  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush hugs a waitress as they wait for Ryan's arrival during a campaign stop at a restaurant in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood on Saturday, September 22.  Supporters cheer as they listen to Romney speak during a Juntos Con Romney Rally at the Darwin Fuchs Pavilion on Wednesday, September 19, in Miami.  Romney shakes hands with supporters during the Juntos Con Romney Rally in Miami on Wednesday.  Obama and David Letterman speak during a break in the taping of the "Late Show with David Letterman" on Tuesday, September 18, at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.  A crew member opens the door to Air Force One after the jet arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Tuesday.  From left to right: Romney, his wife Ann, and son Tagg watch one of Tagg's sons play soccer in Belmont, Massachusetts, on Saturday, September 15.  Ryan arrives onstage to address the Family Research Council Action Values Voter Summit on Friday, September 14.  Supporters wait for Romney to speak at a campaign rally at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, on Friday, September 14.  Obama arrives at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Thursday, September 13. Obama returned to Washington after a two-day campaign trip with events in Nevada and Colorado.  Supporters cheer as Romney speaks at a campaign rally in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday.  An Obama supporter attends a rally in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 12. Obama focused on economic policies during his two days of campaigning in Nevada and Colorado.  Former President Bill Clinton speaks in support of Obama during a campaign stop in Miami on Tuesday, September 11.  Obama is lifted up by Scott Van Duzer, owner of Big Apple Pizza and Pasta Italian Restaurant, during a visit to the restaurant in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Sunday, September 9. Obama was on a two-day bus tour across the state.  President Obama greets supporters during a campaign stop at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.  Mitt Romney walks through the garage area during a rain delay before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 8, in Richmond, Virginia.  Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, waves to the crowd before speaking at a rally in Leesburg, Virginia, on Friday, September 7.  Supporters try to stay dry in between rain showers while waiting for President Obama to speak at the University of Iowa on Friday. It was Obama's first day of campaigning after accepting the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  A girl listens to President Obama speak at the University of Iowa on Friday.  Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, President Obama and Biden's wife, Jill, wave after Friday's campaign event at the University of Iowa.                                                                    
(CNN) -- A former senator vs. a congressman. A Catholic vs. a Catholic. A policy wonk vs. an experienced speaker. The elements are in place for an interesting debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan. And Sunday marked Round II of the expectations game, as campaign advisers and surrogates sought to set the stage for Thursday's showdown. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus argued that while Ryan is known as a "smart" guy and will do a "great job," the vice president is no stranger to the debate spotlight, given his 36 years as a senator and two presidential runs. "Joe Biden is a gifted orator. He is very good at rhetoric, and I think is he very relatable," Priebus said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "They are very two different people. And I think it's going to be a great night." The two opposing running mates face off for their first and only debate at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. With Mitt Romney widely recognized as the winner of last week's debate -- the first of three match-ups for the presidential candidates -- some speculated Sunday whether the pressure was on Biden to blunt Romney's momentum and steal the mantle for the Democratic ticket. "A lot of people will be tuning in to see how Vice President Biden tries to make up for the president's belly flop last week," CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin said on CNN's "State of the Union."   Priebus lowers VP debate expectations  VP debate likely to be heated  Mayor Nutter on the upcoming VP debate Others argued Biden could be facing orders from within his own team to unleash his inner attack dog, a role Biden knows all too well from the campaign trail. "I am sure that Vice President Biden got a phone call from the White House, and said, you know, 'Look, we didn't go after Governor Romney as much and so you have to turn up the heat,'" Brett O'Donnell, a former debate coach for Mitt Romney, said on Fox News. Democrats disappointed with President Barack Obama's performance last week roundly criticized him for playing defense rather than offense. In the following days, Obama's campaign argued Romney was dishonest on stage and pledged that the president would be ready to pounce during the next debate on October 16. "I think he was a little taken aback at the brazenness with which Gov. Romney walked away from so many of the positions on which he's run, walked away from his record," Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod said on CBS' "Face the Nation." An up-and-down week for the president He said the positions Romney took during Wednesdays debate were "uprooted" from the Republican candidate's previous positions. "That's something we're going to have to make an adjustment for in these subsequent debates," Axelrod added. Until then, however, its up to Biden to gain control of the debate reins, another Obama adviser said. "Vice President Biden is used to this. He's been in public life a long time and he's used to debates. Look, I think he just has to go out there and prosecute the same case the president was prosecuting," Obama campaign senior adviser Robert Gibbs told CNN. While the vice president is known for making gaffes, Republicans -- trying to set the bar high -- say Biden will likely be more focused on the debate stage. The then-senator was widely applauded for his debate performances during the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. "He's a very disciplined person when he speaks in these kinds of situations. He doesn't produce gaffes in these moments," Ryan told Fox News last week, adding that he's not "counting on" Biden's making a mistake. As for Ryan, political observers note the House Budget Committee chairman will likely be targeted for his controversial budget plan, which among other things calls for major changes to Medicare. Latinos race against registration deadline Gibbs, in fact, said the vice president and president plan to be "vigorous" in their attack on the Romney-Ryan plan in the coming weeks, a plan Gibbs said consists of "the very same economic ideas that got us into this mess four years ago." Analysts argue Ryan, a statistics junkie, will likely be well prepared on the policy side. When it comes to style, however, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a former presidential candidate known for his debate skills, told CNN that the Wisconsin congressman should play up his roots as a way to relate to the audience watching the debate on TV. "I think he has to be more Wisconsin than wonk, he can be both," Gingrich told CNN on Sunday, adding that Ryan comes across as "somebody who really understands the Midwest." Another dynamic to watch for Thursday could be the two candidates' shared religious values. For the first time in U.S. history, both tickets include a Catholic. While both Ryan and Biden proudly talk about their background on the campaign trail, observers note that the nearly 30-year age gap between the two will perhaps be a more visible element on the stage Thursday. Earlier on NBC's "Meet the Press," Gingrich said he anticipates Ryan to acknowledge the "generational difference" with his opponent. "I suspect he is going to be respectful of Biden," the former speaker said. "There is a generational difference here that I think will lead Ryan to not give an inch, but to not be very hostile." Millennial voters try to sort out their issues A recent CNN/ORC International poll found that 55% of likely voters thought Ryan will fare better in the debate, while 39% said Biden will win. The two have stepped up their attacks against each other on the campaign trail in recent weeks. Biden has taken aim at Ryan's budget plan, saying it could hit seniors with more taxes to their Social Security benefits. In Ohio last week, Ryan hit back, saying Obama and Biden were the real threats to health and retirement programs "In fact, Joe Biden himself voted to raise taxes on Social Security benefits, and as a senator, President Obama voted to keep those tax increases in place three times," Ryan said at a campaign event, defending his plan that would offer a subsidized version of Social Security. Obama-Romney debate didn't help undecideds much Can Obama recover from tepid debate performance? Romney's middle-of-the-road makeover CNNs Dan Merica, Dana Davidsen and Shawna Shepherd contributed to this report.   |
10/07/2012
Biden under pressure to make up for Obama's 'belly flop'
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