Obama campaign confident for final stretch

With exactly two weeks to go, the Obama campaign is feeling good: the president's advisers insist they are winning nationally and in battleground states. And they say this is the race they have always prepared for.

"This is a race we believe we're leading," said senior strategist David Axelrod on a conference call with reporters, "We believe we're leading nationally and we're leading in these battleground states."

He added that the Obama team "has the ball" and insinuated that the Romney camp may be lying to themselves about who holds the upper hand.

"We know what we know and they know what they know and I'm confident that we're going to win this race and we'll know who is bluffing and who isn't in two weeks," said Axelrod.

The latest CBS News national poll does show Mr. Obama in the lead (48 to 46 percent), but it's within the poll's margin of error. Today's ABC/Washington Post poll has the race within the margin of error as well. But others, like Gallup's daily tracking poll, put Romney ahead.

Axelrod maintains that the "90 public polls coming out every day" create volatility that just isn't there. He says the current state of the race is stable and exactly what the Obama team expected.

"This race has settled into exactly where we thought it would be and it's the race that we've prepared for," he said.

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Campaign manager Jim Messina echoed the same sentiment, saying the pathways to 270 electoral votes that the Obama team laid out at the beginning of the race are all still intact and still reflect the Obama campaign's overall swing-state strategy. The campaign has no plans to pull staff from those states any time soon either.

"We are tied or ahead in every battleground state and we're not leaving anywhere where we're tied or ahead," Messina said, "Romney hasn't been able to knock us out of a single battleground."

According to Messina, that includes North Carolina, despite claims from campaign allies like pro-Obama SuperPAC advisor Paul Begala that North Carolina is now off the Obama campaign's radar.

"We continue to feel like North Carolina is a neck-and-neck race," he said, adding, "the math continues to look better and better for us."

Axelrod warned that no analyst should be counting any swing state - including North Carolina - in the Romney column just yet.

"Anybody who thinks any of North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, anybody who thinks those states are in the bag is half in the bag themselves."

[jaknelson]

I get why you think he's a flip flopper, but Obama does the same, only WORSE... he uses executive orders to get past congress. I used to like Obama and voted for him... now I am sorry. He has lied about Benghazi to make it liook like he had "AlQeida on the run." Except now they're EVERYWHERE, and if he keeps waiting with IRAN having a bunch of talks... they'll finish up on their nukes, and share with the terrorists. That would be awesome! And you know what, he's been talking for 3 years, and Amadinejad now has 3 more reactors crankin' and he's laughing his @$$ off. Obama does not know what he is doing with money, the economy, and now even Ben Bernacke is leaving. It's scary!!! We need someone in there that can crunch some numbers and work with both sides. Plus, he's not going to sell us out... he wants this to be a major success. The U.S., is his new "Bain Capital," and he wants to get rid of the debt, and make us rich. We're the shareholders in U.S.A. Corp. WE NEED A NEW CEO!!! http://wp.me/p2OCsI-1

[jaknelson]

http://wp.me/p2OCsI-1

[ge556]

I can't understand why anyone would like Romney, unless they are rich. He lies and waffles and flip-flops about everything. His business experience was about sacrificing workers to make money. His economic proposals, to the extent that he has any, are proven losers.

[jaknelson]

Romney's proposals have more detail and potential for success than Obama's. First, Obama has no plan other than to make the wealthy pay more. Romney's genius, when you actually find out what he's doing, is to lower the tax rate on the wealthy (not reduce taxes). This makes the cost of business less for the wealthy who are the job creators. But he still makes them pay the 60+ % or more of Federal taxes...Then he plugs all of the loop holes and incentives, which ARE named. It DOES result in no taxes for the middle class. Obama is lying about this. I am VERY disappointed because I voted for Obama last time... and I LIKE him. But I think he does not know what he is doing. Romney is a square... but he is a numbers guy and can make it happen. Look at this site... they explained it here: http://wp.me/p2OCsI-1

[jaknelson]

Wait until you see how Obama lied about Benghazi... and wait until you see how he has gutted Medicare advantage by playing a sneaky trick to move HUGE CUTS to happen AFTER THE ELECTION. We'll see how happy seniors are when they find out about that. He is a sneaky one. And you know what, I liked Obama, and Hillary and Bill Clinton and even Candy Crowley... but they are all partisan game-players. Romney will get in there and work it out with the other side... like Obama promised to do, and he'll get the debt cut so our currency doesn't fail. The big announcement today: Bernacke is leaving. Yes, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Why? Because he's printed too much money and now we're in REAL trouble. Oh, and Hillary is leaving too. Hmmm, anyone with a brain is jumping ship fast. Hope you're stopping to wonder why. GO MITT, GO!!!

http://wp.me/p2OCsI-1

[joe1022joe]

What is the Obama bunch gonna say? "Oh, we're in panic mode because Romney has caught Obama in the polls and it looks as though he has at least an even chance to defeat Obama and we are DEVISTATED."

I don't expect them to say that two weeks before the election - or any time before the election. How much stock should we put in the pronouncements of the Obama bunch? None.

[pt100455]

First, use your spell check. Second, As opposed to how much stock should be put into pronouncements of the Romney bunch? PLEASE! There's a thing called Browsing the Internet that can give you Actual statements, etc., of how many times Romney flipped on issues, women issues-middle class-on & on. Open your mind up to more than FAUX, Limbark, Beck, etc.,etc.,etc., to Really get ALL sides. Oh, and, exactly where did hear that the 'Obama bunch' is in panic mode? If this wasn't so sad for the repubs, it would be almost funny-oh wait.....

[jaknelson]

Romney is smart enough to try and move to the middle after ultra right-wing conservatives forced a lot of "severely conservative" statements out of him. His record that resonates for me is that he worked with Democrats successfully to get things done in Mass. At least he is smart enough not to "hold out" like Obama did, and get nothing done. This guy can at least strike a deal, and has a detailed plan to put the economy back together. Look at this website. You will have to cut and paste this into the url, but I thought it was pretty good. And there are some things he will negotiate with Congress (not many though), and he wants to work it out with the Representatives in Congress... not just PASS it like Obama does with an Executive Order. That is so lame. Here is the url: http://wp.me/p2OCsI-1

[Lucky12345678]

The clearest indication of Obama's colossal failure as a president is the declining growth rate of our economy over the last 3 years.
2010 GDP growth rate........................2.4%
2011 GDP growth rate........................2.0%
2012 GDP growth rate 1st half............1.6%
2012 GDP growth rate 3nd quarter......1.3%
Notice the pattern - Let's make President Obama the next one term Jimmy Carter, remember him?

[empirebuilder]

Custer was overly confident too, Axelrod.....

[barcar55]

BILLDAD54 Please tell me who is going to pay for the free Medicaid that is going to millions of people? Read up that you may not be able to get into the flooded doctor's office of your choice or that many will resign. It's already hard enough waiting to get to see the doctor. People do need insurance but they also need a job. I've checked to see how much Obamacare is going to cost. People aren't going to like what is coming.

[Pachepooch]

Now let me understand this...U are worried that the Dr's offices will be too full, because more people will be able to get the care that they need? U are mostly concerned that U will not be able to get what YOU need? and as SOON as U need it? I hope that the day will come that U may need a helping hand and that U have to be humiliated in the process, as U think that others deserve. Do U realize that a huge majority of Medicaid patients are Seniors, who live in nursing homes and can't afford to pay the huge cost involved in long term care? Just think that if we get rid of a lot of the Medicaid benefits and your Parents if still alive, will ever need long term care and are not wealthy, well U stand a chance to loose everything that U have, in an attempt to pay their expenses. If U can't pay for their needs, well U can take them in your home and care for them, until they pass. A huge part of me is fed up with selfish people like U and in a way, hope that Romney wins this election. Remember the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for!"

[pt100455]

@ PACHEPOOCH: Now remember Romney's idea of Health Care....Go To The Emergency Room! What a Smart & Low Cost way that is right? These people need to get their heads out of Faux-Limbark-Beck's collective A$$es!

[barcar55]

LOOSINGIT2: Hope you don't need coal to make electricity to keep warm this winter.

[4politicalpost]

Closer the polls the better advertisement sales for media. With billion dollars infusion from each party it has never been that great for media.
With Romney with a etch-a-sketch guy depicted in Republican primary and now by Obama convincingly in the debates, public cannot possibly be trusting Romney with the highest office in the nation- so polls for him appear to be biased higher. Romney won the first debate due to passive performance brought Romney to tie the polls and with far better VP debate by VP Biden and much superior response from President Obama on second and third debate we not seen the bump of polls for Obama / Biden - that is really very strange. I think social nets like Facebook or Tweet would have better idea of the polls.

[jpro56]

It's hilarious how liberals just simply cannot fathom why anyone would not vote for Obama. He is utterly unqualified, not even remotely vetted and has compiled an impressive and completely predictable record of foreign and domestic failures not seen since the 70's. Yet the public can't possibly be voting for Romney so that means the polls are biased his way so the media has something to report on? You are precious.

The first debate debunked $100 million worth of negative advertising and let America see Romney without being filtered by the media and demonized by the Obama campaign. Ninety minutes of live television dismantled the entire Obama campaign strategy of destroying Mitt Romney. The American public saw him and liked him. You can't undo that. VP debates don't matter, but even if they did, Biden did not help. He is a walking, talking cartoon character. He has no control of himself and proved that once again to everyone watching the VP debate. The 2nd and 3rd debates cannot undo the first debate. For all but his most dedicated disciples, the Obama popularity bubble has popped. There was no Obama bounce because the America electorate has had enough of his empty rhetoric, provable failures, and foolish condescension.

Please come back on Nov 7th and explain to us how Romney won because the media rigged the election so they would have something to report on. I'm sure we will all be fascinated.

[bjoh249]

Dear CBS News(Central Barack Station News),
We get it already, you guys are rooting for Obama. You deny that you are not biased, but you have made it perfectly clear through your so-called "news stories" that you are. Anyone who doesn't drink the Obama kool-aid can see it. It is unfortunately the same with the other alphabet networks. Why don't you guys just come out and say that you are a part of Obama's re-election campaign team??? I would actually like you better if you would just be honest.

BTW,I am a former Obama voter from 2008 and yesterday I put in a vote for Romney. Obama is a joke and the only people who support him anymore are brainwashed goons.

[4politicalpost]

Just like his candidate BJOH249 lies that he voted Obama in 2008-now that is real joke.

[pt100455]

meowwwww....BJ! I Love how some people keep bring up the 'alphabet' networks, but when they put Romney in the positive all of sudden they quit attacking those networks. It's Perfect, Flip-Flop supporters for a Flip-Flop Candidate (and party). And good for your vote, unlike other Romney supporters & even yourself, I respect your decision, grow up & respect mine!