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| US election: Obama and Romney ready for Denver debate | US election: Obama and Romney ready for Denver debate |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| By Adam Blenford BBC News, Denver | By Adam Blenford BBC News, Denver |
| US President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are preparing to take the stage in the first of three presidential debates. | |
| The debate, on domestic policy and the economy, gets under way at 19:00 local time (01:00 GMT) in Denver, Colorado. | |
| 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 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. | Mr Obama has opened up a narrow lead in the race over the past month. |
| He is ahead of 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. | 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. |
| Virtual strangers | |
| 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. | 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. |
| Despite the long presidential campaign, the pair are virtual strangers and have met just three or four times in the past. | |
| They take the stage in Denver for a 90-minute face-off divided into six 15-minute segments. Moderator Jim Lehrer of US public broadcaster PBS has said the economy will dominate the night, with the role of government and the prospect of governing also up for discussion. | |
| Republicans in Denver suggested Mr Romney might attempt to turn the discussion to foreign affairs, amid continuing anger over a deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. | |
| A large national audience is expected for this first debate: the opening head-to-head of the 2008 election attracted more than 50 million television 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 seize on any gaffe or mis-statement in an effort to claim victory. | |
| 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. | "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." | "They've both been coached so much, they have so many points they have to make, so many points they have to avoid." |
| 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. | |
| Running mate jibes | 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. | 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. |
| Mr Obama, by contrast, says his opponent offers little except a rehashing of the "failed" Republican policies that caused the economic crash of 2008. | 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. | 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. | 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. |