Obama, Romney and Bain Capital

President Obama and Mitt Romney are tied at 47% each in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll on the question of fixing the economy and jobs.
Eighty percent of Americans see the economy negatively, and more than half believe that the economy will be the major factor in deciding who to vote for in November. However, 54% see the economy as improving and 58% are bullish about their futures. Both these figures are improvements over earlier polls.
The key may be in the poll numbers about whether they are better off today than they were when Obama took office - the famous Ronald Reagan question to America in 1980. Only 16% say they are better off and 30% say they are worse off. It could spell trouble for the President if he cannot move these percentages, which are similar to President H.W. Bush’s in 1992 when a weak economy probably cost him his re-election.
Other poll results show the President ahead, 52% to 39%, in “who has the better personal character to serve as president.” The two are tied on “personal values” and you, dear readers, can figure that one out because the two results are simply not consistent. Maybe it is the fact that the President is still well-liked by a majority of Americans, despite his being perceived as not doing enough on the economy.
All these poll results are tied tightly to party affiliations and leanings. So, both Obama and Romney will have a lot of work to do to change anybody’s mind. Party loyalty is very difficult to move.
Overall, the President would win if the election were held today - 49% to 46%. That’s within the margin of error, so nothing is decided and the conventions and fall campaign are yet to get underway.
But, Bain Capital seems to be a non-starter for Obama. Newt Gingrich said last night on CNN that his attempt to use it against Romney in the primary debates was a failure. Maybe the President ought to listen to Newt and lay off the Bain non-issue.
My feeling is that the Democratic pro’s have already decided to stay away from Bain as an issue. Many of them have already attacked the Obama political ads trying to discredit venture capital. They also have disagreed with the President's use of airtime Monday to continue the Bain Capital attack on Romney. Most say that they want Obama and Romney to stick to real issues.
I think the Democrats who will need to be re-elected in November are afraid that business is not the right attack tool and that it will backfire because most Americans see the issue as an attack against capitalism as a whole and the American free market system in particular. Obama could well lose the election on either of these issues if he stays on his current course because his words seem to be an attack on America, not on Mitt Romney.