Obama - Romney: the first decisive battle

What are US President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney preparing for the first of three deadly "verbal battles" in the last five weeks before the presidential election on November 6?

Mr. Obama is a talented orator - Photo: Reuters

According to the Washington Post, the first direct debate between Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney will take place in Denver (Colorado) on October 3. While campaigning in Las Vegas on October 1, Mr. Obama affirmed that the purpose of the debate is not to score points or cause surprises. "What I care most about is having a serious discussion about what needs to be done to move the country forward and ensure the safety of the American people," Mr. Obama emphasized.

Three days before the debate, Mr. Obama described his opponent Romney as “a talented orator,” and himself as “just okay.” Meanwhile, Mr. Romney’s “deputy,” Paul Ryan, the vice presidential candidate, assessed Mr. Obama as “a talented speaker” and “very experienced” because “he has been on the national stage for many years,” while this was Mr. Romney’s first time!

Mr. Romney: too much to do. Mr. Obama: too much to lose!

Obama currently leads Romney in all opinion polls, according to AFP. According to the latest Gallup poll, Obama leads Romney by 6% in most key states ahead of the November 6 election. A Washington Post poll also found that 52% of voters support Obama and only 41% support Romney. Ryan recently admitted that Romney made “some big mistakes” in the past month of campaigning.

One of those big mistakes was that Mr. Romney described Mr. Obama’s supporters as “47% who don’t pay taxes and only rely on the government.” The American media severely criticized Mr. Romney’s statement, and the Democratic Party and Mr. Obama’s campaign team took the opportunity to emphasize that Mr. Romney was just a rich guy, living “in the clouds,” not understanding the difficulties of ordinary people and only serving the interests of the rich!

In the Washington Post, political commentator EJ Dionne said that in the debate on October 3, "Mr. Romney has too much to do, and Mr. Obama has too much to lose." Therefore, the debate will be a life-or-death opportunity for Mr. Romney to reverse the situation.

“Mr. Romney is under more pressure. Mr. Obama will only have to avoid major mistakes. Because usually, candidates fail mainly because of their own mistakes, not because of the excellence of their opponents,” said John Sides, a political science professor at George Washington University.

However, commentator Dionne warned that Obama's advantage could also turn into a disadvantage for him. "Focusing too much on avoiding mistakes could lead to disastrous results," said expert Dionne. "A too cautious performance could give Romney the upper hand and put Obama in a passive position."

Mr. Romney has been "speaking out of turn" recently - Photo: Reuters

Body language!

Political commentator Andy Sullivan said there were several key factors that would determine the success or failure of the two candidates in this first “verbal battle”. The first was their body language, which could not escape the eyes of voters watching on television.

The history of televised candidate debates has shown that former US Vice President Al Gore, when debating with his opponent George Bush in 2000, was criticized by many voters for his gestures of contempt. During the 1992 war of words, Mr. Bush often looked at his watch and was judged by voters and the media as impatient.

Body language expert Janine Driver says that less obvious gestures can also be picked up by voters, such as a shrug of the shoulders indicating uncertainty, a curled lip indicating discomfort, and excessive blinking showing stress. These small details can have a big impact on a voter's decision to vote.

Observers predict the two candidates will attack each other's weakest points. Mr. Obama will focus on Mr. Romney's tax and budget plans. He will likely force his opponent to explain how he will reduce income taxes without increasing the budget deficit. Mr. Obama has repeatedly accused Mr. Romney of only wanting to cut taxes for the wealthy. In contrast, Mr. Romney will focus on the gloomy economic situation in the United States, especially the high unemployment rate.

Commentator Andy Sullivan said that Mr. Romney will have a hard time blaming Mr. Obama's policies for the current economic dismal state of the United States. Many American voters have not forgotten the bleak years under former President George Bush. Mr. Romney will also have to prove that his policies are different from Mr. Bush. But if he "throws Mr. Bush under the bus," Mr. Romney will anger many Republican voters.

According to Tuoi Tre - DT