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| With Debates Over, Candidates Race to Clinch Vital States | With Debates Over, Candidates Race to Clinch Vital States |
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| DAYTON, Ohio — President Obama started making his closing argument for a second term on Tuesday, beginning a furious two-week effort to beat back a late surge by Mitt Romney and hang on to battleground states where voters are already casting ballots in large numbers. | DAYTON, Ohio — President Obama started making his closing argument for a second term on Tuesday, beginning a furious two-week effort to beat back a late surge by Mitt Romney and hang on to battleground states where voters are already casting ballots in large numbers. |
| At the beginning of what the campaign described as a round-the-clock blitz, and on the day after his final debate, Mr. Obama tried to address what polling has shown is a consistent question among voters: What kind of agenda does he have for a second term? He released a 20-page booklet encapsulating previously announced policies and contrasting his positions to those of Mr. Romney. | At the beginning of what the campaign described as a round-the-clock blitz, and on the day after his final debate, Mr. Obama tried to address what polling has shown is a consistent question among voters: What kind of agenda does he have for a second term? He released a 20-page booklet encapsulating previously announced policies and contrasting his positions to those of Mr. Romney. |
| The document contains no new proposals, and was derided by a spokesman for Mr. Romney as a “glossy panic button.” But along with a new television advertisement that began running in nine battleground states, the president’s aides predicted it would help counter the Romney assault plan for the next two weeks that aims to convince voters that Mr. Obama has no plans to fix the ailing economy. | The document contains no new proposals, and was derided by a spokesman for Mr. Romney as a “glossy panic button.” But along with a new television advertisement that began running in nine battleground states, the president’s aides predicted it would help counter the Romney assault plan for the next two weeks that aims to convince voters that Mr. Obama has no plans to fix the ailing economy. |
| Mr. Romney and his campaign spent Tuesday pounding away at points Mr. Romney made during the debate on Monday night, including accusing the president of apologizing for the United States and cutting military spending excessively. Mr. Romney flew from Florida to Nevada, where he mocked Mr. Obama’s attacks on him as desperate moves by a losing candidate. | Mr. Romney and his campaign spent Tuesday pounding away at points Mr. Romney made during the debate on Monday night, including accusing the president of apologizing for the United States and cutting military spending excessively. Mr. Romney flew from Florida to Nevada, where he mocked Mr. Obama’s attacks on him as desperate moves by a losing candidate. |
| “You know, the truth is that attacks on me are not an agenda,” Mr. Romney said to a crowd of about 6,000 people in Henderson, Nev. “His is a status quo candidacy. His is a message of going forward with the same policies of the last four years, and that’s why his campaign is slipping, and that’s why ours is gaining so much steam.” | “You know, the truth is that attacks on me are not an agenda,” Mr. Romney said to a crowd of about 6,000 people in Henderson, Nev. “His is a status quo candidacy. His is a message of going forward with the same policies of the last four years, and that’s why his campaign is slipping, and that’s why ours is gaining so much steam.” |
| In the president’s minute-long ad, and in appearances at the start of a frenetic week, Mr. Obama stepped up his effort to convince the nation that he had brought it back from the brink of economic collapse and that Mr. Romney would embrace the policies that caused the problems. Looking directly into the camera, the president asks voters to “read my plan, compare it to Governor Romney’s and decide which is better for you.” | In the president’s minute-long ad, and in appearances at the start of a frenetic week, Mr. Obama stepped up his effort to convince the nation that he had brought it back from the brink of economic collapse and that Mr. Romney would embrace the policies that caused the problems. Looking directly into the camera, the president asks voters to “read my plan, compare it to Governor Romney’s and decide which is better for you.” |
| But even as he sought to strike a positive note at the start of a three-day swing that is taking him through Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Nevada, Florida and Virginia, Mr. Obama also enthusiastically stepped up his attacks. The Republican candidate, the president said at a rally in Florida, wants to “turn back the clock 50 years for immigrants and gays and women” and is pursuing a foreign policy that is “all over the map.” | But even as he sought to strike a positive note at the start of a three-day swing that is taking him through Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Nevada, Florida and Virginia, Mr. Obama also enthusiastically stepped up his attacks. The Republican candidate, the president said at a rally in Florida, wants to “turn back the clock 50 years for immigrants and gays and women” and is pursuing a foreign policy that is “all over the map.” |
| Appearing later with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at a raucous rally before 9,500 people in Dayton, the president went into a spirited assault, using his new favorite attack word — “Romnesia” — to highlight his rival’s position on the auto bailout, which the White House says was vital to saving jobs in Ohio and throughout the Midwest. | Appearing later with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at a raucous rally before 9,500 people in Dayton, the president went into a spirited assault, using his new favorite attack word — “Romnesia” — to highlight his rival’s position on the auto bailout, which the White House says was vital to saving jobs in Ohio and throughout the Midwest. |
| “Last night, Governor Romney looked me right in the eye, tried to pretend he never said, ‘Let Detroit go bankrupt,’ ” Mr. Obama said, one of many instances all day when he suggested Mr. Romney was not being honest about his positions as he seeks to appeal to a general-election audience after a Republican primary campaign in which he emphasized conservative stances. | “Last night, Governor Romney looked me right in the eye, tried to pretend he never said, ‘Let Detroit go bankrupt,’ ” Mr. Obama said, one of many instances all day when he suggested Mr. Romney was not being honest about his positions as he seeks to appeal to a general-election audience after a Republican primary campaign in which he emphasized conservative stances. |
| With polls suggesting that Mr. Romney has seized momentum, Mr. Obama’s top strategists described twin approaches: to make final appeals to independents, moderates, women and minorities as they offer lacerating assessments of Mr. Romney’s qualifications and credibility. | With polls suggesting that Mr. Romney has seized momentum, Mr. Obama’s top strategists described twin approaches: to make final appeals to independents, moderates, women and minorities as they offer lacerating assessments of Mr. Romney’s qualifications and credibility. |
| Still, Mr. Obama’s schedule and the tenor of his campaign appearances made clear that his primary mission now was to energize his own supporters and get them to vote, preferably right away. In Florida, where he appeared in the morning, and later in Ohio, the constant refrain at his rallies was “Vote! Vote! Vote!” Early voting begins in Florida on Saturday and is already under way in Ohio.The terrain that Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney are covering this week illustrates a battleground within a battleground. The campaigns are advertising in nine states — stretching from North Carolina to Nevada — but are spending most of their most crucial resource — their time — in the Midwest. | Still, Mr. Obama’s schedule and the tenor of his campaign appearances made clear that his primary mission now was to energize his own supporters and get them to vote, preferably right away. In Florida, where he appeared in the morning, and later in Ohio, the constant refrain at his rallies was “Vote! Vote! Vote!” Early voting begins in Florida on Saturday and is already under way in Ohio.The terrain that Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney are covering this week illustrates a battleground within a battleground. The campaigns are advertising in nine states — stretching from North Carolina to Nevada — but are spending most of their most crucial resource — their time — in the Midwest. |
| Mr. Romney is scheduled to zip back and forth on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between Ohio and Iowa. Winning those states is the most efficient way for him to block Mr. Obama from returning to the White House or for Mr. Obama to lock down a path to 270 electoral votes. | Mr. Romney is scheduled to zip back and forth on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between Ohio and Iowa. Winning those states is the most efficient way for him to block Mr. Obama from returning to the White House or for Mr. Obama to lock down a path to 270 electoral votes. |
| In a sign of the closeness of the race, a “super PAC” supporting Mr. Romney, Restore Our Future, reserved television time in Maine, traditionally a Democratic state. Maine allocates its electoral votes by Congressional district, and Mr. Romney’s supporters hope they may be able to pick off the single electoral vote available from the state’s more conservative Second District. | In a sign of the closeness of the race, a “super PAC” supporting Mr. Romney, Restore Our Future, reserved television time in Maine, traditionally a Democratic state. Maine allocates its electoral votes by Congressional district, and Mr. Romney’s supporters hope they may be able to pick off the single electoral vote available from the state’s more conservative Second District. |
| In the final two weeks Mr. Romney has the challenge of maintaining a strategy of presenting himself as more reasonable and pragmatic than the image the White House built of him over the summer: that of an out-of-touch, job-killing plutocrat. But to the degree that strategy involves emphasizing more moderate positions than he stressed during the Republican primary campaign, it creates the potential for him to face renewed questions among conservatives on his ideological commitment. | In the final two weeks Mr. Romney has the challenge of maintaining a strategy of presenting himself as more reasonable and pragmatic than the image the White House built of him over the summer: that of an out-of-touch, job-killing plutocrat. But to the degree that strategy involves emphasizing more moderate positions than he stressed during the Republican primary campaign, it creates the potential for him to face renewed questions among conservatives on his ideological commitment. |
| Conversations with a half-dozen conservative activists on Tuesday suggested that many were cutting Mr. Romney some slack. “There’s a caricature of Romney that the Obama campaign has put out, and when he doesn’t fit the caricature he is accused of changing his view,” said Gary L. Bauer, president of the Christian advocacy group American Values. | Conversations with a half-dozen conservative activists on Tuesday suggested that many were cutting Mr. Romney some slack. “There’s a caricature of Romney that the Obama campaign has put out, and when he doesn’t fit the caricature he is accused of changing his view,” said Gary L. Bauer, president of the Christian advocacy group American Values. |
| In the final weeks, Mr. Romney’s campaign has been discussing ways to build on gains that have shown him closing Mr. Obama’s lead in polls in states like Ohio. Mr. Romney plans to deliver what the campaign describes as a major jobs and debt speech on Thursday in Cincinnati, the third in a series of policy addresses laying out how he would govern. | In the final weeks, Mr. Romney’s campaign has been discussing ways to build on gains that have shown him closing Mr. Obama’s lead in polls in states like Ohio. Mr. Romney plans to deliver what the campaign describes as a major jobs and debt speech on Thursday in Cincinnati, the third in a series of policy addresses laying out how he would govern. |
| A new ad released Tuesday night shows Mr. Romney’s closing statement from the last debate, arguing that voters have a choice between “two very different paths” for the country. “The president’s path means 20 million people out of work, struggling for a good job,” he says. “I’ll get people back to work with 12 million new jobs.” | A new ad released Tuesday night shows Mr. Romney’s closing statement from the last debate, arguing that voters have a choice between “two very different paths” for the country. “The president’s path means 20 million people out of work, struggling for a good job,” he says. “I’ll get people back to work with 12 million new jobs.” |
| The campaign is also mulling whether to expand distribution of the 10-minute biographical video it first showed to rave reviews at the Republican National Convention, or to buy time for a similar biographical commercial in swing states, said two senior strategists, who had participated in those internal deliberations. | The campaign is also mulling whether to expand distribution of the 10-minute biographical video it first showed to rave reviews at the Republican National Convention, or to buy time for a similar biographical commercial in swing states, said two senior strategists, who had participated in those internal deliberations. |
| Democrats monitoring Republican ad spending said the Romney campaign had begun asking individual television stations about the possibility of buying time for a long commercial. | Democrats monitoring Republican ad spending said the Romney campaign had begun asking individual television stations about the possibility of buying time for a long commercial. |
Ashley Parker contributed reporting from Henderson, | Ashley Parker contributed reporting from Henderson, Nev., Jeff Zeleny from Columbus, Ohio, and Jim Rutenberg and Erik Eckholm from New York. |