President Obama tried to dampen expectations for his Wednesday debate performance before a campaign crowd in Las Vegas last night, heading into a couple solid days of debate prep before heading to the University of Denver event.
“I’m looking forward to it. I know folks in the media are speculating already on who’s going to have the best zingers,” Obama said, referencing the weekend back-and-forth about who will and won’t be using “zingers” in the debate.
“You are!” shouted an audience member.
“I don’t know about that,” Obama responded. “Who’s going to put the most points on the board.”
“You are!” the crowd shouted.
“No, no, Governor Romney, he’s a good debater. I’m just OK,” the president said. “But what I’m most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country growing and restore security for hardworking Americans. That’s what people are going to be listening for.”
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is playing Mitt Romney in Obama’s debate prep. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is playing Obama in Romney’s debate prep, which the senator also did for his colleague John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008.
“We also saw in reports that Mitt Romney and his team have been working on zingers and special lines for months. That’s not what the president’s focus is on. So if you’re expecting that, that’s probably not what he’s going to deliver on,” campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member