Senior Romney campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom downplayed expectations for Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) upcoming debate, saying that the "pressure" would be on his opponent, Vice President Biden.
"The pressure is on Joe Biden to live up to his reputation this week as a policy expert and as a skilled debater, but I expect he'll do just fine," said Fehrnstrom on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports," building up President Obama's running mate. "This will be his eighteenth either presidential or vice presidential debate. He's had a lot of practice at it. It will be Paul Ryan's first."
Fehrnstrom went on to say that regardless of experience, Ryan has the "facts and the issues" on his side for the debate.
"With the Obama-Biden team you'll get another four years like the last four years. With the Romney-Ryan team you'll get a real recovery with more jobs for everyone," he added.
The lone vice presidential debate takes place Thursday, Oct. 11 in Danville, Ky.
Fehrnstrom said Obama had done "poorly" during the first presidential debate against Romney because he didn't "have the facts or the issues on his side."
"It wasn't just a bad debate night, it's been a bad four years for President Obama," he said.
Obama's debate performance, which was viewed as lackluster even by many supporters, appears to have also hurt him in the polls.
Post-debate surveys show Romney taking the lead, with a Pew Research poll released Monday showing the Republican nominee leading Obama 49 percent to 45 percent among likely voters. A Gallup poll released Tuesday showed Romney with a 2-point advantage over the president.
Fehrnstrom also criticized the Obama campaign for seizing on Romney's comments about Sesame Street character Big Bird during the debate.
"We have some big problems, 23 million Americans struggling for work, $16 trillion debt, emerging dangers in North Africa and the Middle East ... and the president's message of the day, what he wants the American people to focus on, is Big Bird?" said Fehrnstrom. "Look, Big Bird is going to be just fine. Gov. Romney is more concerned about the jobs for the American people."
The Obama campaign released a television ad Tuesday featuring Big Bird and attacking the GOP hopeful's calls for cutting federal funds for public broadcasting.
“I like PBS. I love Big Bird. Actually, I like you, too,” Romney said during Wednesday's debate to moderator Jim Lehrer, the host of PBS's "NewsHour." “But I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for."
Sesame Street has since called on Obama's campaign to take down the attack ad, a request the president's reelection team has said it will review.
