Debate Is A "Must Win" For Romney

 “President Obama is a uniquely gifted speaker, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history. This will be the eighth one-on-one presidential debate of his political career. For Mitt Romney, it will be his first.” 

Those are the words of Willard Mitt Romney's senior advisor, Beth Myers. She is trying to lower expectations for Willard in Wednesday's upcoming debate, in the hope that he won't be hurt too bad if he doesn't do well in that debate. That's really kind of silly at this point. Since the national conventions, Willard's campaign has been heading downhill. He MUST win this first debate, just to stop the bleeding (his continuous dropping in the polls).

The president's advisors are also trying to lower expectations. But a win is not as critical for President Obama. If he just looks OK and the debate is considered a tie by most people, that would be nearly as good as a win for him. Willard's situation is different. More people view him unfavorably than favorably, and his gaffes in the last couple of weeks make it look like his campaign is floundering, and this is shown in recent polls (especially swing state polls). He needs to turn this around quickly, and a so-so performance or a tie will not do that.

There are going to be three debates, but people are already voting in several states and soon will be in many more. That makes this first debate critical, and it's more critical for Willard because he's trailing. He can't count on future debates. He needs to win now. But that's not going to be easy, since most people already expect him to lose. A recent CNN/ORC Poll shows that 59% think the president will win the debate, while only 34% think Willard will win.