M.C. ESCHER DESIGNED AMERICAN VOTERS' MINDS






From USA Today:

Despite concerted Democratic attacks on his business record, Republican challenger Mitt Romney scores a significant advantage over President Obama when it comes to managing the economy, reducing the federal budget deficit and creating jobs, a national USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.

By more than 2-1, 63%-29%, those surveyed say Romney's background in business, including his tenure at the private equity firm Bain Capital, would cause him to make good decisions, not bad ones, in dealing with the nation's economic problems over the next four years.

The findings raise questions about Obama's strategy of targeting Bain's record in outsourcing jobs and hammering Romney for refusing to commit to releasing more than two years of his tax returns.

However:

By double digits, those surveyed say the president better understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives.

This at a time when the #1 problem most Americans face in their daily lives is a bad economy.

This is bad for Obama:

A record number of Americans express skepticism about the activist role of government Obama espouses; 61% say the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses.

And yet:

Forty-seven percent say they agree with Obama on the issues that matter most to them; 45% say that of Romney.

And, ultimately:

In the separate Gallup tracking poll, the race stands at 46% Obama, 45% Romney.

So apparently voters care most about the economy, and vastly prefer Romney on the economy, and think Obama's approach is too activist, but agree with Obama on the issues more than with Romney, and so the race is neck-and-neck. Obama's strategy of highlighting Romney's business record has backfired -- it just reminds people that he's been successful in dealing with money -- except that it hasn't backfired, because voters still don't favor Romney. Or maybe it's that they say they want someone who'd do a good job on the economy, and Romney fills the bill, but on second thought, given an Obama-Romney choice, they don't want Romney, even though he's persuaded them that he's the guy to do precisely what they want done.

Right. Got it.