World

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Obama, Romney trade digs at gala

Playful jabs at charity dinner

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 10/19/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Charles Dharapak / The Associated Press Republican candidate Mitt Romney and U.S. President Barack Obama greet each other at the gala Thursday night at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. (CP)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney poked fun at themselves and each other for a charitable cause Thursday night, two days after attacking each other in their second debate.

Thursday's pause for jokes in the tight race for the Nov. 6 election took place at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York to benefit needy children.

The two candidates are running neck and neck in the polls and Obama is hoping his strong debate performance Tuesday will help him regain the momentum he lost following his poor showing in the first debate two weeks earlier. The lighthearted evening was sandwiched between that debate and the final debate Monday night in south Florida.

Romney, who spoke before Obama and appeared at ease on stage, playfully jabbed at the president, saying both candidates have crucial people on whom they rely. As Romney put it, "I have my beautiful wife, Ann; he's got Bill Clinton."

"I learned there are worse things that can happen to you on your anniversary than forgetting to buy a gift," Obama joked, referring to his poor debate performance the first time around.

The dinner was overseen by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has clashed with the Obama administration over contraception provisions in the country's new health-care law. Dolan has said he received "stacks of mail" protesting the invitation to Obama, but Dolan has sought to avoid playing political favourites. He delivered benedictions at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions this year.

The dinner was Romney's only public event Thursday. But his wife told ABC her husband's political career will end if he doesn't win this election.

Obama on Thursday campaigned in New Hampshire, one of a handful of closely fought "battleground" states in the election, before warming up for his dinner speech with an appearance on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

Since the presidency is not decided by a nationwide popular vote but in state-by-state contests, states such as New Hampshire that do not reliably vote Republican or Democratic are overwhelmingly important in a tight race such as this one.

The two candidates have turned their attention to undecided female voters.

Romney's campaign aired a television commercial that seemed designed to soften his opposition to abortion while urging women to keep economic issues topmost in their minds when they vote.

Obama's campaign responded with an ad featuring video of Romney in an earlier debate against fellow Republicans saying he would "be delighted" to sign a bill banning all abortions as president.

Obama also picked up the endorsement of rock star Bruce Springsteen, who backed him in 2008 as well.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 19, 2012 A17

Factual inaccuracy? Something missing? Help improve our journalism.

Know about news? Share your story suggestions, photos and video.

Spelling error? Punctuation problem? Send us an email if you’ve found a typo.

More World

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.