While President Obama's route to electoral victory is clear, the MSM has been spinning Romney's lead in national polls as if it matters, and using it push the story line that Romney could win the popular vote.
So the news of President Obama retaking a national lead is welcome especially considering that it results from a large swing in women voters going back to President Obama.
MARION, Ohio — With eight days to go until the election, President Barack Obama has recaptured a narrow national lead over Mitt Romney, riding increased support from women and an edge in early voting.
A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Tracking Poll of 1,000 likely voters — taken from last Monday through Thursday — shows Obama ahead of Romney by 1 percent, 49 to 48 percent. That represents a 3-point swing in Obama’s direction from a week ago but reflects a race that remains statistically tied.
Obama leads by 8 points among those who have already voted, 53 to 45 percent. These early voters represent 15 percent of the electorate, with many more expected to vote in the next few days — though Hurricane Sandy could change that.
Read more:
http://www.politico.com/...
And here is the money part of the story:
Obama leads among women by 11 points, 54 to 43 percent. The gap had narrowed to six points a week ago, but much of that survey was conducted before the GOP nominee’s comment at the second debate that he had reviewed “binders full of women” as part of a gender diversity effort as Massachusetts governor. Obama and his allies have also been hitting full swing at Romney as an enemy of womens’ rights on abortion and contraception in their advertising and speeches.
The president is now closer in standing to where he’s been the last few months, and the swing is due to female support. On every issue and question of character, women now favor Obama over Romney
On yesterday's Face The Nation we heard a perfect example of the right's attempt to put the best face on Romney's national leads, with John Fund (from the National Reveiw) was pushing the Obama is under 50% meme during the whole show and tried to close with that argument. Fortunately Bob Shrum pushed back hard on it.
SHRUM: I think the president is going to win. I think he has a big advantage in the electoral college. And I also think in terms of what John and Ruth were saying that the Republicans as friend of mine who ran Republican campaigns, has said to me they backed themselves into a demographic cul-de-sac, with women, with Hispanics, with younger voters who are repelled by a lot of what they say on social issues.
SCHIEFFER: So you think it's Obama?
SHRUM: Yes.
FUND: I think independent voters continue to move away from the president because he has not been able to convince people the economy will be better in the next four years than this four years. And the president remains under 50 percent. And I have to...
SHRUM: No, doesn't. In many of the states. I'm sorry, John. You want to do the Real Clear Politics - in many of the states, in many-- it didn't. In many of the states he is at 50 percent.
SCHIEFFER: I'm going to give the reporters here a pass on that if you think it's inappropriate. Go ahead.
FUND: I do believe we do have a danger, though, of going to recount. And I hope that we can control the passions that have been exercised..
SHRUM: That's not a passion. You ought to get factual, that's all.
FUND: And one of these days, I won't be interrupting you, but you will continue to interrupt me.
SHRUM: Yes, I will, when you're not factual, I will, actually.
SCHIEFFER: 30 seconds, John.
DICKERSON: The president has demographic advantages and ground game advantages. The question is whether those allow him to hold back the Romney surge that started after the Denver debate but that is now waning and that most analysts think has now, kind of, come to a standstill. The question is whether what the president builds up with his ground game and his demographic advantages help him.
Nate Silver has stated that any momentum Romney gained from the first debate stabilized long ago - October 12th. So it looks as if we are finally starting to see the results of the remainder of the debates, Romney's binders full of women gaffe, yes gaffe, and the renewed attention on the GOP's war on women with their candidates spewing theocratic nonsense as public policy.