B&H: Post/ABC poll: Romney 47, Obama 46. Read, then ponderwhat they would say if Obama led http://politi.co/QJqxJo #tcot
Post/ABC poll: Romney 47, Obama 46
By ALEXANDER BURNS | 8/27/12 5:43 AM EDT
It's as small a lead as you can have, but any lead is a welcome one on the week of your nominating convention and the Post analysis underscores -- yet again -- that stability has been the rule in the 2012 race:
Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate also did not fundamentally reshape the race, although the GOP’s conservative base has grown more enthusiastic about the ticket — but no more so about the chances of beating Obama in November.
Enthusiasm — or a lack thereof — will be on display as Republicans and Democrats hold their conventions over the next two weeks. The two parties will make their pitches to an electorate stuck in a deeply pessimistic mood. More than eight in 10 give the economy negative marks and nearly seven in 10 see the country as seriously off track — an assessment that has not changed significantly all year.
The Post-ABC survey highlights the dominance of the economy as an issue in the 2012 election. Seventy-two percent of voters say the president’s handling of the economy will be a “major factor” in their vote this November.
Fewer voters place great significance on other issues that have roiled the campaign, including newly minted GOP vice presidential candidate’s plan to restructure Medicare, differences between the parties on women’s issues and Romney’s handling of his tax returns.
Most strategists believe that Romney has lost ground over the summer and then with particular groups of voters, these non-jobs issues could end up leaving a real mark. But Romney's approach all along has been to treat the economy as the ultimate issue, one that trumps everything else, and the Post/ABC poll tends to bolster that view of the race.
