Romney closes in on Obama in new polls

[shawn703]

Source: CBS News

(CBS News) With the general election now officially under way, two new surveys show Republican Mitt Romney has closed in on President Obama, setting up a fierce fight for the White House.

In a Gallup/ USA Today poll of 12 swing states, Mr. Obama edges out Romney 47 percent to 45 percent -- that's within the poll's four-point margin of error and closer than Gallup's last swing state poll from March, when Mr. Obama held a nine-point lead.

On the critical issue of the economy, Romney has the advantage: In a direct comparison, 47 percent said Romney would do a better job managing the economy, while 44 percent said Mr. Obama would. As many as 60 percent said Romney would do a good job or very good job as president handling the economy over the next four years, while 52 percent said the same about Mr. Obama.

When it comes to who is more likeable, Mr. Obama beats Romney by a solid 27 points. USA Today points out that the candidate viewed as more likeable has won every presidential election since 1980. By a margin of 10 points, voters say Mr. Obama is more likely to care about the needs of people like themselves.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57428926-503544/romney-closes-in-on-obama-in-new-polls/

[liberal N proud]

1. I find it utterly amazing how this happens every election cycle

The republicans have put of a 2X4 as their candidate and the polls have miraculously tightened.


And the people buy the bullshit as truth and fact.

[shawn703]

2. I also wonder

On what 60% of the people polled base their opinion that Romney would do a good or very good job of handling the economy. Were they asleep during the Bush administration and what that did to the economy?

[cstanleytech]

34. Bush dropped the ball but so did others.

The main cause being imo the politicians slowly defanging and then finally doing away with the Glass-Steagall act.

[Crow73]

10. well

It isn't like we are dealing with people that are super bright.
It took a whole year for them to find out that Teabaggers were teabagging them.

[PSPS]

22. "a fierce fight for the White House" created out of whole cloth

The MSM has literally billions at stake in ad revenue, so they will have their "fierce fight for the White House," dag nammit, even if they have to make it up! They've got to get people to tune in to watch/hear their ads.

[former9thward]

31. Are you saying the Obama campaign is making up numbers?

You are aware, aren't you, that the campaigns do their own polling. They are the ones who run the ads -- not the MSM. If they didn't think it was going to be close why would they pay to run ads? They don't run ads in states they know they will win or lose. Only in the close states.

[bemildred]

33. "If they didn't think it was going to be close why would they pay to run ads?"

Winning Congress too comes immediately to mind.

[former9thward]

40. Two different committees, two different ads.

The Obama campaign does not run ads for congresspeople and the Democratic congressional committee does not run ads for Obama.

[bemildred]

41. So what? Turnout for Obama is still likely turnout for Democrats.

And that alone is plenty of reason for Obama to spend money anywhere it might help. You do know he has plenty of money, and doesn't really need to worry about getting himself elected all that much?

[former9thward]

45. No I don't know those things because I live in the real world.

As do Obama's campaign officials and Obama himself. Money will only be spent by the national campaign in about 15 states. Those are the states that swing depending on the election. The race is extremely tight in those states whether you wish to believe it or not.

[bemildred]

47. The President is the leader of the national party.

Electing Democrats is his job, and electing a Democratic majority in Congress is necesssary to his legislative agenda. He will do everything he can to elect Democrats, and THAT is reality.

[The Magistrate]

48. I See You Have Found One Of Our Resident 'Hard-Boiled' Types, Mr. Mildred

Fella makes me look like an optimist....

[bemildred]

49. Desperate times Sir, desperate times.

Damn lucky last time, we were.

[former9thward]

53. I have been through enough elections not to throw myself in with the politically naive.

[The Magistrate]

54. That, Sir, Would Be In This 'Real World' Of Yours?

"Wouldn't it be nice if Heaven was like the Eleventh Ward, and you had to know who was who to receive your just reward?"

[former9thward]

55. At least they never lost an election in the Eleventh Ward.

[The Magistrate]

58. Or In My Old ward, Sir....

Used to live just down the block from Ald. Bauler's fabled premises....

[bemildred]

57. Yup, no fooling you, I'm sure.

[solarman350]

3. The ONLY Poll That Matters is the One on Election Day

and if that one is willfully not kept "honest," we deserve the President we get.

[Autumn]

4. Bullshit

No way in hell.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

5. x 2

[Ter]

26. Obama is ahead by 2 points

I could see the election go that way, to people I talk to in person, it seems like a mixed bunch.

[mac56]

6. I'm suspicious of Gallup. But all that aside -

the media have decreed that this is to be a horse race. Whether it actually is or not, it will be made out to be one.

[cindyperry2010]

7. Electoral college delegate count is all that matters

realclearpolitics.com

[SomeGuyInEagan]

30. + a bajillion.

Nationwide polls are nice, but it is all about 270.

[cindyperry2010]

39. real clear politics currently has him at 253

and huffingtonpost.com has him already having won at 283

[Iliyah]

8. Of course

the corporate media want it close and its not - LOL

Pres O wins by a landside. I'm so tired of all these lies, kinda reminds me of the Nazis.

[coalition_unwilling]

42. Hell, Obama has a decent shot in Arizona and Texas, FFS. I'm looking at a

landslide for Obama of 1964 proportions. Romney is such a scuzzbucket, once the American people tune in, they will flock mightily to Obama.

[edhopper]

9. Peoples

is idiots.

[JoePhilly]

11. "Mr. Obama"??? ... its "President Obama" !!!

[nxylas]

18. It was, in the first sentence

I believe "President x" for the first use and "Mr x" thereafter is the standard usage, as found in style guides etc. Obviously that would change to Mrs or Miss in the case of a female President.

[HERVEPA]

25. uh, more liekly Ms. :-)

[sarcasmo]

44. I caught that to Joe, makes me question this poll.

[JoePhilly]

12. They are collapsing all of the swing states to make it appear tighter.

Obama doesn't need to win many of the swing states, Romney needs to win just about all of them.

So Gallup collapses the numbers.

[intaglio]

13. Intrade still has the President at 59+%

and Willard at below 37% (and dropping)

I think the "mejah" is trying, desperately, to sell this as a real contest.

[hawaii73]

14. Who Are They Polling?

I often wonder just who these people question. Don't some of these people see what is happening in our country due to the Republicans. Maybe some of these dimwits want to go back to the 19th century, but folks wake up. Big money and corporations are crushing the middle class. Some of these people vote against their own self interests because they may not like one thing Pres. Obama or the Democrats did. But the right wingers want to change just about everything, most of which will not be good for working Americans. So WAKE UP FOLKS!

[bemildred]

15. Bullshit. nt

[Iliyah]

16. Another thing

wouldn't it be Pres O closing in on Mittens? This poll is about the ecomony and about a month or less ago, Mittens was beating Pres O by at least 10 or so in polls concerning who the American people trusted with the ecomony????

[bemildred]

29. +1. nt

[ailsagirl]

17. If I had to choose between

the effin' polls and my own two eyes, I'll take the latter ANYDAY! I know what I saw on TV Saturday (Obama in Ohio and a crowd of 14,000 listening to his every word and roaring their approval) and that was REAL. No poll is going to convince me nitt is closing in. NO WAY!!
Thanks for listening to my

[goclark]

35. I'm with you

Last edited Mon May 7, 2012, 07:58 PM - Edit history (1)

sad to say but with all their "dirty" tricks and our honest and fair campaign ~we are far from a level playing field.

Edit for spelling

[aquart]

19. Gallup? Who'd they poll?

[xxqqqzme]

28. People in Utah and

Indiana.

[coalition_unwilling]

43. Don't forget Montana :) - n/t

[siligut]

46. 12 swing states

The states surveyed by Gallup and USA Today included: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico,North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

[Odin2005]

20. BS.

[Champion Jack]

21. A close race sells commercials

That' all this is

[Rozlee]

23. What happened to narrow the polls so much in just one damn week?

I don't recall the prez being accused of having an affair or kicking Bo. Right now, the two camps are just snipping. I'm waiting for the big guns. Obama still needs to hit Romney with his stances on Medicare, the Ryan Plan and his proposed 2 trillion dollar tax cut for the mega rich. And hopefully the debates will take out Mitt. I hope it won't be like the Bush/Gore debates where the bar was set so low on Bush that he got accolades for "holding his own" and Gore got trashed for sighing and being "wooden."

[otohara]

24. The Media

Jobs numbers, campaigner-in-chief, comedian-in-chief, spiking the football, too cool Obama, celebrity....sound familiar? That's all I heard last week ...

[ailsagirl]

27. And to think we have to endure

Six more months of this BS...

[w4rma]

32. Control of Congress is what matters.

There are more than twice as many Democratic Senate seats up for grabs as there are Republican Senate seats.

[FailureToCommunicate]

36. B-I-N-G-O

[Mr.Turnip]

37. Again? they tightened like this last month too after Santorum withdrew, that lasted all of a week.

It's just a quick response to the jobs growth numbers, the fundamentals of the race have not changed yet, if the slowdown continues into Fall that would be a different story but for now the race remains at a good Obama advantage.

Romney is only perceived as good on the Economy because he was a businessman and people just assume that means he knows economics and whatnot, that will fall apart under attacks like it did during the Republican primary for a bit with Newt's Bain capital attacks, I may hate the guy but those were effective and I expect Obama to do something similar, point out exactly what sort of "business" Businessman Romney ran.

and the fact that states like New Mexico, Michigan and Wisconsin are considered Swing states this cycle is laughable, if things change in Romney's direction heavily then yeah sure but as it's stood for months now no those are all safe Blue states, even PA being a swing state is iffy, it'll be close, it always is but I think Obama's numbers would have to decline quite a bit for him to lose PA.

Nevada is also barely a swing state the polls there have been showing a double digit Obama lead for a while now.

[Daniel537]

38. Its a very divided country

I wouldn't necessarily dismiss these polls right now. Consider that in 2008, under the best conditions possible for a Democrat, Obama got 52.9% of the popular vote. I'm certain it'll be even closer this time around, but fortunately for us this isn't a popularity contest, and the Electoral College still looks great for the Pres.

[may3rd]

50. poll season has started

It's all a propaganda war being done "scientifically"
not even worth reading about poll #'s.
Takes only one major breaking news incident to turn the tables.

[JI7]

51. either the whore media is lying or people are fucking idiots or both

[Botany]

52. Please!

The demographics are just brutal for Romney.

[and-justice-for-all]

56. uh huh.