[h=3]By PETER NICHOLAS[/h]President Barack Obama quickly returned to the campaign trail Thursday as his campaign sought to regain its footing following a Wednesday night debate that left many Democrats unnerved by what they described as the president's listless performance.
Getty ImagesObama speaks during a campaign rally Thursday in Denver.
"There is enormous frustration among Democrats who wanted to see a much more aggressive approach" by the president, Robert Zimmerman, an Obama fundraiser, said in an interview.
Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Thursday made a pitch to donors, and a surprise morning visit to Colorado's Conservative Political Action Conference where he received an enthusiastic reception after spending much of the debate appealing to the center and casting himself as a champion of the middle class. Mr. Romney, appearing with four of his five sons, said the debate presented voters with two different visions for the country.
"I saw the president's vision as trickle-down government and I don't think that's what America believes in," Mr. Romney said. "I see instead a prosperity that comes through freedom. We have two very different courses for America —trickle-down government or prosperity through freedom. And trickle-down government that the president proposes is one where he will raise taxes on small business which will kill jobs. I instead want to keep taxes down on small business so we can create jobs."
At the same time, Obama campaign officials sought to defuse criticism that the president passed up chances to attack Mr. Romney over his personal finances, his tenure at the private-equity firm Bain Capital, and his secretly recorded remarks at a fundraiser saying that 47% of Americans depend on government and see themselves as "victims."
"What the president hoped to avoid was a situation where you had two politicians standing there insulting each other," Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod told reporters in a conference call.
ReutersRomney takes the stage with his sons to address a Colorado Conservative Political Action Committee meeting in Denver on Thursday.
Mr. Obama appeared at a morning-after rally in Denver and sought to blunt any momentum Mr. Romney might carry from the debate. He mocked Mr. Romney, saying the man he debated Wednesday night was "a very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney."
He went on to suggest that Mr. Romney had misrepresented his views on a host of issues.
"The man on stage last night—he does not want to be held accountable for the real Mitt Romney's decisions and what he's been saying for the last year," Mr. Obama told the outdoor crowd of about 12,300 people on an unseasonably cold morning. "He knows full well we don't want what he's been selling for the last year."
Later, he mocked Mr. Romney's promise to kill federal funding for public broadcasting.
"Thank goodness someone is finally getting tough on Big Bird," he said. "We didn't know that Big Bird was driving the federal deficit."
For his part, Mr. Romney went to a a breakfast fundraiser in Denver on Thursday where he sought to capitalize on his debate showing, hitting up donors and re-energizing his fundraising base. His campaign also hosted a series of conference calls, including some with donors. In the calls they promised an impressive September fundraising figure, which hasn't yet been released.
The campaign cast a wide net to sustain the enthusiasm coming off the debate, hosting calls with campaign surrogates and supporters as well as Washington political strategists. Later in the day, Mr. Romney is to appear at a rally in the battleground state of Virginia with country-music star Trace Adkins. The campaign is expecting an audience of roughly 10,000.
The debate, seen by millions of people, was a tonic to Republicans who had been worried about a wave of polls showing Mr. Romney losing ground in crucial swing states.
Ed Gillespie, a Romney campaign adviser, said in a TV interview Thursday that the debate had touched off "a dynamic shift in the campaign."
"And I know there's a lot of talk about the style, and Gov. Romney was clearly very much in command of the facts last night and had solutions," Mr. Gillespie said.
Though he is an accomplished orator who relishes set speeches, Mr. Obama's performances in political debates have been uneven. He doesn't give the impression he enjoys debating. Earlier this week, the president complained that debate preparation was "a drag."
During one debate in the 2008 Democratic primary fight, Mr. Obama described opponent Hillary Clinton as "likeable enough"—a comment seen as condescending.
[h=3]Top Debate Moments[/h]Grade the candidates on their performance at the 2012 presidential debates.
[h=3]Analysis[/h]Read Journal reporters' line-by-line analysis of the debate.
Robert Reich, who served in Bill Clinton's administration, said of Mr. Obama: "He's simply not a good debater."
The president is "too cerebral and ponderous and has difficulty coming up with the right words," Mr. Reich continued. "Too many 'Ums' and 'Ahs.' And on top of that, he hasn't had any practice for four years."
Obama campaign aides on Thursday acknowledged the lackluster showing of their candidate, saying debates aren't his strong suit. They said they would make some strategic adjustments in advance of the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 16.
They also plan to get more aggressive in drawing a contrast between Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney's policy proposals and to take advantage of opportunities to in the future.
"We will make adjustments. I don't see us adding huge amounts of additional prep time," Mr. Axelrod said. "I think there are some strategic judgments that have to be made and we'll make them."
—Sara Murray, Laura Meckler, Carol E. Lee, Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this article.Write to Peter Nicholas at [email protected]
Getty ImagesObama speaks during a campaign rally Thursday in Denver.
"There is enormous frustration among Democrats who wanted to see a much more aggressive approach" by the president, Robert Zimmerman, an Obama fundraiser, said in an interview.
Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Thursday made a pitch to donors, and a surprise morning visit to Colorado's Conservative Political Action Conference where he received an enthusiastic reception after spending much of the debate appealing to the center and casting himself as a champion of the middle class. Mr. Romney, appearing with four of his five sons, said the debate presented voters with two different visions for the country.
"I saw the president's vision as trickle-down government and I don't think that's what America believes in," Mr. Romney said. "I see instead a prosperity that comes through freedom. We have two very different courses for America —trickle-down government or prosperity through freedom. And trickle-down government that the president proposes is one where he will raise taxes on small business which will kill jobs. I instead want to keep taxes down on small business so we can create jobs."
At the same time, Obama campaign officials sought to defuse criticism that the president passed up chances to attack Mr. Romney over his personal finances, his tenure at the private-equity firm Bain Capital, and his secretly recorded remarks at a fundraiser saying that 47% of Americans depend on government and see themselves as "victims."
"What the president hoped to avoid was a situation where you had two politicians standing there insulting each other," Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod told reporters in a conference call.
ReutersRomney takes the stage with his sons to address a Colorado Conservative Political Action Committee meeting in Denver on Thursday.
Mr. Obama appeared at a morning-after rally in Denver and sought to blunt any momentum Mr. Romney might carry from the debate. He mocked Mr. Romney, saying the man he debated Wednesday night was "a very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney."
He went on to suggest that Mr. Romney had misrepresented his views on a host of issues.
"The man on stage last night—he does not want to be held accountable for the real Mitt Romney's decisions and what he's been saying for the last year," Mr. Obama told the outdoor crowd of about 12,300 people on an unseasonably cold morning. "He knows full well we don't want what he's been selling for the last year."
Later, he mocked Mr. Romney's promise to kill federal funding for public broadcasting.
"Thank goodness someone is finally getting tough on Big Bird," he said. "We didn't know that Big Bird was driving the federal deficit."
For his part, Mr. Romney went to a a breakfast fundraiser in Denver on Thursday where he sought to capitalize on his debate showing, hitting up donors and re-energizing his fundraising base. His campaign also hosted a series of conference calls, including some with donors. In the calls they promised an impressive September fundraising figure, which hasn't yet been released.
The campaign cast a wide net to sustain the enthusiasm coming off the debate, hosting calls with campaign surrogates and supporters as well as Washington political strategists. Later in the day, Mr. Romney is to appear at a rally in the battleground state of Virginia with country-music star Trace Adkins. The campaign is expecting an audience of roughly 10,000.
The debate, seen by millions of people, was a tonic to Republicans who had been worried about a wave of polls showing Mr. Romney losing ground in crucial swing states.
Ed Gillespie, a Romney campaign adviser, said in a TV interview Thursday that the debate had touched off "a dynamic shift in the campaign."
"And I know there's a lot of talk about the style, and Gov. Romney was clearly very much in command of the facts last night and had solutions," Mr. Gillespie said.
Though he is an accomplished orator who relishes set speeches, Mr. Obama's performances in political debates have been uneven. He doesn't give the impression he enjoys debating. Earlier this week, the president complained that debate preparation was "a drag."
During one debate in the 2008 Democratic primary fight, Mr. Obama described opponent Hillary Clinton as "likeable enough"—a comment seen as condescending.
[h=3]Top Debate Moments[/h]Grade the candidates on their performance at the 2012 presidential debates.
[h=3]Analysis[/h]Read Journal reporters' line-by-line analysis of the debate.
Robert Reich, who served in Bill Clinton's administration, said of Mr. Obama: "He's simply not a good debater."
The president is "too cerebral and ponderous and has difficulty coming up with the right words," Mr. Reich continued. "Too many 'Ums' and 'Ahs.' And on top of that, he hasn't had any practice for four years."
Obama campaign aides on Thursday acknowledged the lackluster showing of their candidate, saying debates aren't his strong suit. They said they would make some strategic adjustments in advance of the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 16.
They also plan to get more aggressive in drawing a contrast between Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney's policy proposals and to take advantage of opportunities to in the future.
"We will make adjustments. I don't see us adding huge amounts of additional prep time," Mr. Axelrod said. "I think there are some strategic judgments that have to be made and we'll make them."
—Sara Murray, Laura Meckler, Carol E. Lee, Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this article.Write to Peter Nicholas at [email protected]