Obama debate camp is near vacant houses in Nevada

President Obama's debate camp is at a nice desert resort, but the area surrounding it is somewhat less than tony.

Vacant houses, closed golf courses and shuttered storefronts dot the landscape in and around Henderson, Nev., a Las Vegas suburb that symbolizes the struggling economy that is dogging Obama's re-election bid.

Nevada's unemployment rate: 12%, highest in the nation.

As Kathleen Hennessey of The Los Angeles Times put it, "the Obama campaign has set up its 'debate camp' in something of a metaphor for the nation's economic woes -- and the president's challenges."

Republican challenger Mitt Romney is sure to cite these and other depressing economic statistics when he debates Obama on Wednesday night in Denver.

Obama aides said the economy is not where it should be, but is recovering.

As for Nevada, they said the state reflects a prime factor behind the economic meltdown that Obama inherited in 2009: The housing crisis.

Obama has proposed a housing program, including a provision to help struggling homeowners refinance, but congressional Republicans have blocked it.

"Every time he (Obama) comes to a place like Nevada, and he speaks with the people in this state, he's very cognizant of the challenges they're going through," said campaign spokesperson Jen Psaki. "It's one of the reasons why he's proposed to expand his housing policy."