J Town 10/16, with News You Might Have Missed

Depending on the final studio configuration, 80 to 84 voters will join the town-hall format presidential debate, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Long Island. The Commission on Presidential Debates is once again using Dr. Frank Newport and the Gallup Organization to pick the audience: All will be uncommitted, registered voters from Nassau County who say that they plan to vote, and that there is a chance they could vote for either candidate. The sample, reached using both landlines and cellphones, will include a variety of incomes, races and political persuasions.

WASHINGTON Oct 15 —Saying he was excited to “finally get out there” and defend his policies in front of the entire nation, President Barack Obama told reporters he was energized and eager to participate in his first debate of the 2012 election cycle Tuesday night.

“Everyone—myself, my opponent, pundits, the media—we all recognize how crucial the first debate is, and that’s why I can’t wait to knock it out of the park,” Obama said Monday during a break from his near constant debate training sessions, which he described as essential for making a strong first impression on viewers. [...]

Admitting a subpar performance on his part could give Romney a significant bump in the polls and critically shift the electoral landscape just weeks before Election Day, Obama vowed to approach the first debate very seriously. The president said he and his team had devised rebuttals to every possible Romney answer and were working on ways he could stay bold, aggressive, and on-message throughout the evening, adding that he did not want to take any chances in the first debate and be forced to rely on a rebound in the next two.