3 October 2012
Last updated at 21:56 GMT
Mr Romney has long criticised the president for his economic record, but is likely to face questions over his own tax plans and healthcare policy.
Mr Obama has opened up a narrow lead in the race over the past month.
He leads Mr Romney in national polls and in many recent polls conducted in the swing states that will decide the election.
The latest national survey, released on Tuesday by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, shows Mr Obama leading, but by just 49% to 46%.
Mr Romney has struggled in the polls since a secretly filmed recording emerged of him telling a private fundraising event that the 47% of Americans who did not pay income tax viewed themselves as "victims" and were dependent on government help.
Practice makes perfect? Wednesday's debate at the University of Denver will be the first time voters across the US have had the chance to see Mr Obama and Mr Romney on stage together.
Both campaigns have been playing down their man's prospects in the run-up to the debate, with Mr Obama praising his opponent's debating skills and Mr Romney's running mate Paul Ryan insisting that one debate alone will not change the campaign.
Nevertheless, both candidates' messages are well-honed, and their sharp words for each other are familiar to millions of swing-state voters who have faced an onslaught of mostly negative TV advertisements in recent months.
"They've both been coached so much, they have so many points they have to make, so many points they have to avoid."
Mr Giuliani said Mr Romney would need to convince voters the president did not deserve a "second chance".
"More people would agree with what Mitt Romney wants to do with our economy over the next four years than Barack Obama, and that's what he needs to get across - that he's the guy who can grow the economy."
Running mate jibes Mr Romney's campaign message is that Mr Obama's stewardship of the US economy has been a dismal failure. He points to an enduringly high unemployment rate (currently 8.1%) and poor job growth, and says his experience in business will turn the US economy around.
But critics say neither man has fully fleshed out his economic policies, and doubts remains about how either Republican or Democrat will tackle the $15tn (£9.3tn) US deficit.
With the principals waiting in the wings, Tuesday saw vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan take centre stage.
Mr Biden stole the headlines, telling a campaign rally in North Carolina that the US middle class had been "buried" for four years. The remark was seized on gleefully by the Romney campaign.
"Of course the middle class has been buried," Mr Ryan said in Iowa later on. "They're being buried by the Obama administration's economic failures."
US rivals ready for vital debate
US President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney get ready for the first of three crucial presidential debates.
Whoever wins the election will have to deal with the so-called "fiscal cliff" looming at the start of 2013
US
President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney are
making final preparations for the first of three crucial presidential
debates.
With just 34 days to go until election day, Wednesday's Denver debate will focus on domestic policy issues.Mr Romney has long criticised the president for his economic record, but is likely to face questions over his own tax plans and healthcare policy.
Mr Obama has opened up a narrow lead in the race over the past month.
He leads Mr Romney in national polls and in many recent polls conducted in the swing states that will decide the election.
The latest national survey, released on Tuesday by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, shows Mr Obama leading, but by just 49% to 46%.
Mr Romney has struggled in the polls since a secretly filmed recording emerged of him telling a private fundraising event that the 47% of Americans who did not pay income tax viewed themselves as "victims" and were dependent on government help.
Practice makes perfect? Wednesday's debate at the University of Denver will be the first time voters across the US have had the chance to see Mr Obama and Mr Romney on stage together.
Continue reading the main story
The rules
- Starts 21:00 EST (02:00 BST) on Wednesday 3 October in Denver, Colorado; lasts 90 minutes
- Focused on domestic policy
- Moderator is Jim Lehrer of PBS NewsHour (above)
- Six 15-minute sections on economy, healthcare, role of government and governing
- Each section begins with question from moderator, candidates have two minutes to respond. The remaining time is given over to discussion.
A large national audience is
expected for this first debate: the opening head-to-head of the 2008
election attracted more than 50m TV viewers across the US.
The candidates' body language will be heavily scrutinised, as
will their tone of voice and how they handle themselves under pressure.
Media pundits and campaign spin doctors will attempt to seize on any
gaffe or mis-statement in an effort to claim victory.Both campaigns have been playing down their man's prospects in the run-up to the debate, with Mr Obama praising his opponent's debating skills and Mr Romney's running mate Paul Ryan insisting that one debate alone will not change the campaign.
Nevertheless, both candidates' messages are well-honed, and their sharp words for each other are familiar to millions of swing-state voters who have faced an onslaught of mostly negative TV advertisements in recent months.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
What matters most is not the closely drawn intellectual argument about rival policy platforms, but the body language and the pithy one-liner that sums up an opponent's faults”
At the debate site, former
Republican presidential hopeful and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said
both Mr Obama and Mr Romney would be nervous ahead of their encounter.
"Don't expect that either one can show their real personality in the first debate," he told the BBC. "They've both been coached so much, they have so many points they have to make, so many points they have to avoid."
Mr Giuliani said Mr Romney would need to convince voters the president did not deserve a "second chance".
"More people would agree with what Mitt Romney wants to do with our economy over the next four years than Barack Obama, and that's what he needs to get across - that he's the guy who can grow the economy."
Running mate jibes Mr Romney's campaign message is that Mr Obama's stewardship of the US economy has been a dismal failure. He points to an enduringly high unemployment rate (currently 8.1%) and poor job growth, and says his experience in business will turn the US economy around.
Continue reading the main story
Presidential debates 2012
- 3 Oct Denver, Colorado. Domestic policy. Moderated by Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- 11 Oct Danville, Kentucky. Vice-presidential debate. Moderated by Martha Raddatz (ABC)
- 16 Oct Hempstead, New York. Town-hall style foreign policy debate. Moderator: Candy Crowley (CNN)
- 22 Oct Boca Raton, Florida. Moderator: Bob Schieffer (CBS)
Mr Obama, by contrast, says his
opponent offers little except a rehashing of the "failed" Republican
policies that caused the economic crash of 2008.
The president proposes tax rises for the wealthiest Americans
to help reduce the federal budget deficit, and says his opponent's
plans would hurt the middle class.But critics say neither man has fully fleshed out his economic policies, and doubts remains about how either Republican or Democrat will tackle the $15tn (£9.3tn) US deficit.
With the principals waiting in the wings, Tuesday saw vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan take centre stage.
Mr Biden stole the headlines, telling a campaign rally in North Carolina that the US middle class had been "buried" for four years. The remark was seized on gleefully by the Romney campaign.
"Of course the middle class has been buried," Mr Ryan said in Iowa later on. "They're being buried by the Obama administration's economic failures."
How they match up |
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|---|---|---|
| The rivals | Strengths | Weaknesses |
Assessment by Alan Schroeder, author of Presidential DebatesCOPIADO : www.bbc.co.uk | ||
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