On the Trail: Romney's Caught Up and Obama Carries On

A look at what happened on the trail in the last week.

America Is Not Impressed - Days before President Obama and Mitt Romney face off in the first presidential debate on Oct. 3, the candidates may want to focus on winning over a lukewarm public. In a Pew poll published Sept. 24, 54 percent of people said they are either "very" or "fairly satisfied" with the presidential choices this year, compared to 40 percent who disapproved altogether. (Photos from left: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images, David Calvert/Getty Images)

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The Latest News and Quotes From the Campaign Trail - Things have not gotten easier for Mitt Romney. He stumbled badly on the campaign trail last week when his remarks about the Libyan embassy attacks made more news than the tragic event. And this week pundits are buzzing about a secretly recorded video of the Republican making unflattering remarks about the 47 percent of American voters who support President Obama. Meanwhile, President Obama, who has a slight lead in the polls, is not taking his edge for granted and continues to highlight the differences between his plan for the nation and Romney's. – Joyce Jones (Photos from left: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images, David Calvert/Getty Images)

Romney Reboot - Following a scathing report in Politico that paints a picture of a campaign desperately in need of the services of a Bain & Co. management consultant, Republican Mitt Romney has pledged to focus more on specific policy proposals.   (Photo: AP Photo/David McNew)

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Romney Reboot - Following a scathing report in Politico that paints a picture of a campaign desperately in need of the services of a Bain & Co. management consultant, Republican Mitt Romney has pledged to focus more on specific policy proposals.  (Photo: AP Photo/David McNew)

Sarah Palin - Romney “needs to be severely aggressive,” said 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor.  (Photo: Courtesy of FOX News)

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Sarah Palin - Romney “needs to be severely aggressive,” said 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor. (Photo: Courtesy of FOX News)

Romney Disparages 47 Percent of Americans - In the final leg of the presidential campaign, a video was released of Romney at a May 2012 fundraising dinner condemning 47 percent of the American population as overly dependent on government services.   (Photo: Courtesy of Mother Jones)

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Romney vs. the 47 Percent - Mother Jones magazine published a secretly taped video of Romney speaking at a private fundraiser in May during which he dismissed 47 percent of the American public as freeloaders who have a “victim” mentality, who feel entitled to be cared for by the government, who don’t pay taxes and who will support Obama “no matter what.” (Photo: Courtesy of Mother Jones)

Romney, Not So Much  - Mitt Romney has been under fire from pundits on both the left and the right — and Americans agree. In a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, 61 percent of respondents said they disapprove of how he's handling his campaign and 54 percent said they disapproved of his remarks about people who allegedly don't pay income taxes. (Photo: Charles Dharapak/AP Photo)

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No Apologies - “It’s not elegantly stated, let me put it that way," Romney said at a last-minute press conference to discuss his controversial recorded comments. "I was speaking off the cuff … But it’s a message which I’m going to carry and going to continue to carry, which is, look, the president's approach is attractive to people who are not paying taxes because, frankly, my discussion about lowering taxes isn’t attractive to them and therefore I’m not likely to draw them into my campaign as effectively as those in the middle." (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Jim Messina - “It's shocking that a candidate for president of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take ‘personal responsibility’ for their lives,” said Obama campaign manager Jim Messina. “It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.”  (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Jim Messina - “It's shocking that a candidate for president of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take ‘personal responsibility’ for their lives,” said Obama campaign manager Jim Messina. “It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.” (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Nancy Pelosi - "Oh, Mitt Romney is not going to be president of the United States. I think everybody knows that," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on CNN's State of the Union.   (Photo: Courtesy of CNN)

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Nancy Pelosi - "Oh, Mitt Romney is not going to be president of the United States. I think everybody knows that," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on CNN's State of the Union. (Photo: Courtesy of CNN)

Are You Better Off? - After touting "30 months of private sector job growth” and 4.6 million new jobs, the narrator in a new Obama campaign ad admits the nation still has a distance to go to achieve full economic recovery. "But the real question is: Whose plan is better for you?”  (Photo: Courtesy of BarackObama.com)

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Are You Better Off? - After touting "30 months of private sector job growth” and 4.6 million new jobs, the narrator in a new Obama campaign ad admits the nation still has a distance to go to achieve full economic recovery. "But the real question is: Whose plan is better for you?” (Photo: Courtesy of BarackObama.com)

Courting Latinos - Hoping to chip away at Obama’s wide lead among Latino voters, Romney, in an address to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 17, promised to implement immigration reform if elected.    (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Courting Latinos - Hoping to chip away at Obama’s wide lead among Latino voters, Romney, in an address to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 17, promised to implement immigration reform if elected.  (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

He's a Believer - The Obama campaign has launched a “People of Faith for Obama” initiative with a video in which he pledges to protect religious freedom and discusses how his own faith helps him make important decisions.    (Photo: Courtesy of BarackObama.com)

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He's a Believer - The Obama campaign has launched a “People of Faith for Obama” initiative with a video in which he pledges to protect religious freedom and discusses how his own faith helps him make important decisions.  (Photo: Courtesy of BarackObama.com)

Bill Maher - "How come the debt problem wasn't a problem before Obama?" satirist Bill Maher asked on his HBO program Real Time. “Isn't it also true that when Bush was president he didn't pay for anything and that was OK because he was white? He had good credit. Suddenly when President Blackenstein gets in office, he has no credit at all. He's got to pay everything with cash.”   (Photo: Courtesy of HBO)

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Bill Maher - "How come the debt problem wasn't a problem before Obama?" satirist Bill Maher asked on his HBO program Real Time. “Isn't it also true that when Bush was president he didn't pay for anything and that was OK because he was white? He had good credit. Suddenly when President Blackenstein gets in office, he has no credit at all. He's got to pay everything with cash.” (Photo: Courtesy of HBO)