Good news. We are still winning! Here are some excerpts from this latest piece by the NY Times:
President Obama has taken away Mitt Romney’s longstanding advantage as the candidate voters say is most likely to restore the economy and create jobs, according to the latest poll by The New York Times and CBS News, which found a modest sense of optimism among Americans that White House policies are working.
Overall the Democratic Party is viewed more favorably than the Republican party and President Obama is viewed more favorably than Romney on foreign policy, medicare and meeting the demands of the middle-class.
With their conventions behind them and the general election fully engaged, the Democratic Party is viewed more favorably than the Republican Party. The poll also found more likely voters give an edge to Mr. Obama on foreign policy, Medicare and addressing the challenges of the middle class. The only major issue on which Mr. Romney held an advantage was handling the federal budget deficit.
The President also has a three point lead over Romney from those considered most likely to vote
Among those considered most likely to vote, the president was the choice of 49 percent to 46 percent for Mr. Romney, including those who said they were leaning in one direction or another. It is within the survey’s margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for each candidate.
Americans also praise Obama's handling of the Libya situation over Romney's handling of the same situation.
The president holds a 10-point advantage on who would do a better job handling foreign policy, with 4 in 10 voters very confident of Mr. Obama’s ability to handle an international crisis, compared to about one-quarter who say the same about Mr. Romney. The survey was largely conducted before foreign affairs took on heightened importance when the United States ambassador to Libya and three other Americans there were killed on Tuesday.
The majority of voters also share Obama's vision for the country based on community over Romney's vision of selfishness and you are on your own mentality.
The poll found that a majority of voters embrace the president’s vision of a country that emphasizes community and shared responsibility over self-reliance and individual responsibility, a distinction at the core of the debate between the Republican and Democratic tickets about the proper role of government.
Furthermore,
The president’s base of supporters is more enthusiastic and loyal, with 62 percent saying they will vote for him because they like him and 30 percent because they dislike Mr. Romney. But among Mr. Romney’s supporters, 50 percent say they like him and 39 percent say they are supporting him because they do not like the direction Mr. Obama is taking the country.
The race is still close so don't get overconfident. We must celebrate and simultaneously hold our lead, not get cocky and lose it.