it's still not enough to quiet even republican critics. >> their core problem was carefulness, inability to focus on their own essential meaning. >> i think he's a nonideological person running an extremely ideological age, and he's faking it. >> reporter: comments like those prompted this from ann romney just a few days ago. >> stop it. this is hard. you want to try it? get in the ring. >> reporter: and that provided parody fodder for "saturday night live." >> that's why running a republican campaign is so hard. if you're a democrat, you get to eat with cool people like george clooney. if you're a republican, you get to shake jon voight's cold lizard hand. >> reporter: along with that new battleground state strategy, the romney campaign is banking on the next big event, the debates. and on sunday morning in los angeles, the candidate had what are called private meetings. that is often code for debate preparation. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> hmm. it's interesting that he will be