Romney's out, according to the latest Quinnipiac+NYT+CBS poll.
News polls of likely voters in both states, which show that Mr. Obama has widened his lead over Mr. Romney and is outperforming him on nearly every major campaign issue, even though about half said they were disappointed in Mr. Obama’s presidency. ...NYT
I wonder if Ohioans and Floridians, like so many Americans, know that the reason for their disappointment in Obama's presidency is not about Obama but about the Republican party's obtructionism and they don't want to reward obstructionists. Romney, in some respects, is just the sucker who stands for obstruction. Could be.
Whatever the reason, Romney, in the last week of September 2012, is looking more and more like a loser.
Mr. Romney is facing mounting hurdles in these two critical states, which hold nearly as many electoral votes as the rest of the swing states combined. ...NYT
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As far as Ohio is concerned, it's spelled "b-a-i-l-o-u-t."
It works very well...Obama even jokes about his courtship of the state, saying in a 2010 visit that he had been there so many times that the governor “might start charging me for it.’’
And he is clear about the stakes. “If we win Toledo, we will win Ohio,” Obama said in a Toledo speech this month. “And if we win Ohio, we’ll win this election.’’ The line is a refrain he is known to have used in various battleground states. ...WaPo
... His efforts appear to be paying off in what is perhaps the ultimate battleground, a politically divided state with 18 electoral votes that has gone with the winning candidate in nearly every presidential election for 70 years.A Washington Post poll released Tuesday shows Obama with an eight-point lead over Mitt Romney in Ohio among likely voters.The gap also could be tied to the state’s improving economy and the relative popularity in Ohio of the auto-industry bailout that the administration oversaw. ...WaPo
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Obama's speech at the UN was aimed, to some extent, at the "battleground" state of Ohio, according to The Hill.
President Obama sought to counter Republican rhetoric that the Middle East is spinning out of control with a speech at the United Nations aimed as much at the angry crowds in Cairo, Egypt, as on-the-fence voters in Ohio. ...The Hill
One remark seemed particularly clever on the part of the president: “Moreover, as president of our country, and commander in chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so."
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Even the economy issue seems to be favorable to Obama in the final weeks before the vote.
A new report showing home prices rising in 20 U.S. cities gave a boost to President Obama’s reelection chances on Tuesday.
The data amplified other reports that suggest the long-awaited recovery in the housing market is emerging six weeks before Election Day, and arrived alongside other encouraging news about increased consumer confidence and spending. ...The Hill