Candidates to spend the weekend in final debate prep

Both candidates will be spending this weekend hunkered down for some last-minute cram sessions in preparations for Wednesday’s first Presidential Debate.

President Obama will spend the weekend in Nevada, according to the LA Times:

President Obama has blocked out three days to prepare for the October debates, but with the constant pressures that come with one of the world’s most important jobs, aides worry he may not get enough practice at the podium.

The debate retreat, scheduled to start Sunday in Henderson, Nev., a suburb that sprawls away from Las Vegas, includes time for the daily battery of presidential meetings, leaving room for three afternoon debate sessions — if no crises flare up. Obama has already canceled some debate preparation because of events in the Middle East, said Jen Psaki, his campaign press secretary.

“He has had to balance the management of world events, governing, time out campaigning,” she said. “He’ll have less time than we anticipated to sharpen and cut down his tendency to give long, substantive answers.”

Governor Romney, who has spent several days over the past couple months prepping already, will continue with final pre-debate preparations this weekend also:

Romney has worked on his strategy for weeks, prepping at his home in New Hampshire and at his Boston headquarters, but also squeezing in time as he travels. On Sunday, at a hotel in Los Angeles, he huddled with confidant Beth Myers and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who takes the role of Obama in Romney’s mock debates.

The stakes are high for the GOP nominee in the first debate on Oct. 3 in Denver, which is seen as one of his best chances to reignite his campaign after a string of unfavorable headlines about internal squabbles and controversial remarks. Presidential debates will also be held on Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., and Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla.

The clock is ticking and the stakes couldn’t be higher for both campaigns. Romney essentially has to stand on stage next to the President and convince voters that he is prepared to take the reins and lead the country. The President, on the other hand, must not make any serious gaffes and simply has to convince voters that Romney offers nothing better and the best course is to stay with his current policies.