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What must Romney accomplish at first debate?

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    Campaign adviser John Sununu lays out goals

  • Duration 5:37
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So President Obama now calling debate preparations a bit of -- drag and adding that his campaign team is making him quote do his homework.

Making them stay inside.

To work on the big debate for tomorrow night.

Downplaying the expectations of course -- -- -- from both sides ahead of the big first presidential debate tomorrow night.

Joined now by former New Hampshire that's.

Advisor to Mitt Romney's campaign and he served as White House chief of staff.

Under president George H.

W.

Bush governor good morning good to have you with us today.

It's nice to be with you you know I also read a quote from Jen -- who is a White House spokesperson.

And she said you know that he hasn't really had time the president because of the demands of the office.

To work to watch on debate preparation.

What are your -- on that.

Spend spend spend eleven starts spinning why his three years three and a half years -- been a failure you know.

This this is an important event that debates important the two candidates will stand side by side.

And the voters are gonna get a chance to evaluate and and it as I can't believe how hard the White House is working to spin that the president A is not very good and be.

That he has had no chance to prepare that's called.

Buying to at least two insurance policies in case he screws up -- at the debate the -- screwed up as president.

As is its Hansack who works for the campaign after the White House but -- -- -- -- your candidate when you look at the battleground polls has been dragging particularly in places like Ohio.

And Michigan.

He's behind in Florida where he was once ahead what's your will be your advice what would you tell Mitt Romney to do tomorrow night.

But.

I think.

The governor knows that what he has to do is make sure people feel that he has the capacity.

To fill the job but more importantly.

-- he's got to communicate what all of us who know him well understand is really there and that's how much he cares about the people of this country in the country itself.

This is a guy who.

You know serve a number of years of his life as a missionary and and as a pastor out there and his faith -- and worked with people lot of one on one basis family and with families and I think he's got to convey that feeling.

He he ought to convey that feeling as part of what he puts out there he'll be factually precise I help.

And presidential in demeanor he'll have a -- that is both firm but not -- disrespectful and and that's all part of what you do in a debate.

You know govern in looking at the trajectory.

-- this race is seems to me that one of the most significant moments in the Democratic Convention.

Was when Bill Clinton said look.

Let me tell you something no president could have fixed this economic situation.

In one term.

And I think he gave a lot of people who are on the fence out there -- that they felt you know what I can I can support President Obama because Bill Clinton tells me.

That it's okay to do that and I wonder in some ways if if Mitt -- doesn't needed to go after Bill Clinton tonight.

Tomorrow night rather in some way as well.

Now I think he's got explain why we have the mess that we have looked the president has been doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same results.

-- you -- that's not a very Smart thing to do trying the same thing over and over again with the same bad results.

We have eight point.

One of eight point 2% unemployment we have 23 million Americans out of work or underemployed.

That -- Mitt Romney asked to explain to people that that's.

Not an accident if there was something bad -- I make it you know and there's a good piece by jumping arts on this this morning in the near post it appears that people are used to those numbers and that they're not blaming anybody they're not blaming President Obama for those numbers according to these polls.

Well you tell that to the to the young people that don't have jobs -- that of the 23 million that are underemployed or unemployed they feel -- they know it.

-- we may be lucky some of us may be lucky and have retained our jobs.

And those things may just be statistics.

But that's what Mitt Romney has to do he's got to explain to people that behind those statistics are real people in real pain.

But -- you know one of the things that that perhaps has not been achieved by the -- campaign.

It is the feeling that he can he can actually change things and that he believes that you don't have to settle for where we are.

That you don't have to get used to this so called new -- -- That they can do better I mean it seems to me that's part of his argument but -- -- -- -- -- -- -- You're exactly right and that's part of what he has to put forward to tomorrow night and I I suspect that that's part of what he intends to put forward but you're right on target -- we've heard.

-- busy earners that there are you know sort of one liners that have been worked on to to a certain extent.

I don't know what -- I think about that.

I'm not a great believer in zinger is unless they are fact based.

I think I think the key to a debate.

Is to be precise in what you say and precise in your responses.

Maintain a -- that the public thinks is not demeaning to the office.

And -- and if you get it in there on a fact based -- -- I think you played a clip earlier.

Where governor Romney pointed out to Newt Gingrich.

That Newt Gingrich had some investments that was a fact based zinger pat and I think that's that's the kind -- work what do you think of Chris Christie's statement yesterday that when you wake up on Thursday morning we're going to be in -- -- situation that's race.

I think you're gonna have five weeks look it's.

Every day you wake up things will be a little bit different so we'll see what happens got to thank you always get out fast we'll see him very much but.

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