Obama, Romney Clash Over Taxes in First Debate
By COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON And LAURA MECKLER
Wednesday's presidential debate will give President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney one of their last, best shots at winning over an ever-dwindling number of uncommitted voters. Colleen McCain Nelson and Neil King have details on The News Hub. Photo: AFP/GettyImages.
DENVER—Barack Obama and Mitt Romney clashed over taxes Wednesday night from the start of their first presidential debate, with each presenting his plan as the best way to revive growth and help the middle class.
Mr. Romney said he wanted to eliminate "deductions, credits and exemptions." He rejected charges that his tax plan would favor the wealthy, or make America's finances worse, saying, "I won't put in place a tax plan that adds to the deficit."
Mr. Obama said his opponent's plan would inevitably result in a higher budget deficit or large cuts to federal programs. "It's math, it's arithmetic," the president said, later adding, "That's not a recipe for job growth."
The presidential candidates met at the University of Denver for the first of three televised presidential debates. The candidates ranged widely over other domestic policies during the first hour of the debate, discussing energy, Medicare and the deficit among other issues.
The two candidates, who are running close to each other in public opinion surveys, exchanged sharp critiques of each other's policies but remained respectful. When Mr. Obama used some of his opening time to wish his wife, who was seated in the audience, a happy 20th-wedding anniversary, Mr. Romney responded with a joke: "Congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your anniversary. I'm sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine—here with me."
In some cases, the candidates mentioned areas of agreement. Both said they wanted to improve education in the U.S., boost energy production and keep Social Security mostly as it is.
Elsewhere, they clashed, often getting deep into policy details with a flurry of facts and figures. Mr. Obama called for more investment in new energy sources, naming wind, solar and biofuels.
Mr. Romney said, "I like coal" and told the president, "People in the coal industry feel like it's getting crushed by your policies."
On the deficit, Mr. Obama said he "worked with Democrats and Republicans to cut a trillion dollars out of our discretionary domestic budget." Mr. Romney replied, "You've been president four years. You said you'd cut the deficit in half. It's now four years later. We still have trillion-dollar deficits."
The campaigns came to the debate after intense preparations. The president started his day Wednesday in Nevada, where he had been in preparation mode at a sprawling resort for the last few days, working with a small contingent of advisers.
Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) stood in for the Republican nominee during practice rounds, which included a mock set built to replicate the one in Denver. Mr. Obama has joked that debate prep is a drag, but there is little doubt that the president and his team have taken this task seriously.
"This is my last campaign, so we want to leave it all on the table and work as hard as we can," Mr. Obama told a campaign volunteer during a break from debate sessions.
Before arriving in Denver, Mr. Romney did multiple run-throughs of mock debates with his sparring partner, Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio). During a full dress rehearsal Sunday at an event hall in Boston, they donned suits and stood behind lecterns that were positioned precisely as the stage was set up in Denver.
The two candidates arrived at the debate with somewhat different objectives. Both men aimed to connect with voters and make the case that their proposals will jump-start the economy, but Mr. Romney needs momentum, while the president needs to avoid mistakes. A new Wall Street Journal/ NBC News poll shows a close race, with Mr. Obama leading 49% to 46%. Mr. Romney is trailing in several key swing states, polls show, and he has struggled to make much of a dent in the president's modest but consistent lead.
Romney advisers have long pointed to the debates as pivotal moments that could help move undecided voters into their column, and the Republican nominee's preparations reflect the priority they have placed on these three face-to-face meetings.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani earlier Wednesday said voters still were getting to know Mr. Romney, but that the debate would provide the best opportunity yet for them to assess his candidacy.
"Until you get to the point where you have one of these debates, you don't really get the attention of the American people," he said. "Republicans know him really well. The rest of the country doesn't know him well. So, this is an important introduction."
While the Obama camp hopes to do no harm during the run-up to Nov. 6, campaign manager Jim Messina said they wouldn't hold anything back.
"Campaigns that try to sit on leads are campaigns that make mistakes, and we're not going to be that campaign," he said. "We're going to go after it every single day as hard as we can."
Obama advisers see the debate as less of a chance to score points and more as a fresh, high-profile opportunity to make the same points Mr. Obama has campaigned on all year, chiefly that he would protect the middle class.
Workers continued construction of the set where the first presidential debate will take place at the University of Denver on Wednesday.
After this first presidential debate, two more will follow—one a town-hall-style meeting that could touch on a wide range of issues and a final debate focused on foreign policy. Vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan also will debate once.
As Wednesday's debate approached, both campaigns worked to lower expectations. The candidates' wives, though, apparently didn't get that memo. In a campaign event Tuesday in Littleton, Colo., Ann Romney told supporters her husband succeeds at every task he tackles.
And while Obama aides have all but emphasized the president's shortcomings in an apparent effort to reduce expectations, Michelle Obama said she couldn't think of a single weakness when it comes to her husband's debating skills.
"He doesn't need much advice. He's been doing this for quite some time," the first lady told CNN. "He's a very good debater, so I do tell him to have fun and relax and just be himself because the truth is, if he's the Barack Obama the country has come to know and trust, he's going to do a great job."
In a separate interview with CNN, Mrs. Romney said she gives her husband much the same advice.
"He has to feel what he's gotta say, when he's gotta say it. He's gotta listen to his own instincts. And of course it's—he's gonna be getting a lot of advice. But he's gotta listen to his own instincts more than anyone else's and trust that."
With fewer than five weeks remaining until Election Day, both candidates will quickly return to the campaign trail after Wednesday's debate. The president will appear Thursday at events in Colorado and Wisconsin. Mr. Romney plans to campaign Thursday in Virginia.
—Carol E. Lee contributed to this article.