GOP pollster: Romney doing a poor job defending himself

(CBS News) Republican pollster Frank Lutnz said President Obama's attacks on Mitt Romney and Bain Capital are working and that Romney is not doing enough to defend himself.

"It is working to some degree," Luntz said Thursday "CBS This Morning," adding that American Crossroads, a pro-Romney third-party political group, is launching an $9.3 million ad campaign Friday defending the presumptive Republican presidential candidate.

"It definitely suggests they're worried, and they should be worried," Luntz said.

The Republican pollster says Romney and his campaign have not done an effective job defending himself and his work at Bain Capital.

"Bain is one of the most respected companies for what it does," Luntz said. "You wanted to work for Bain, and yet no one realizes that now because all they see is the failures of Bain. They haven't seen the successes of Bain."

Luntz said this presidential campaign is more negative and more intense than previous elections as $2 billion dollars is expected to spent on political advertising this year between the candidates and outside groups.

Luntz added that "the problem" this campaign season is that the battle for November is being waged in less than a dozen states, saturating the airwaves with negative ads. "It's getting ugly out there," he said. "In Ohio... you can't swing a dead cat without seeing a political ad."

Romney and Mr. Obama each have their appeal but also have deficiencies, Luntz said, pointing out that Romney is the problem solver and people can relate to Mr. Obama.

"So who do you vote for?" he asked. "The problem solver who doesn't get people as much or the guy who gets people who can't solve the problems? That's why we're in a dead heat now and it's why we're gonna stay in a dead heat through the whole election."